At the conclusion of the Four Winds Invitational in South Bend, Ind., Melanie Green learned she would be making her debut on the LPGA Tour in 2026.

Having captured one win and eight top-10 finishes at that point in her rookie season, Green received the exciting news from Epson Tour Chief Business and Operations Officer, Jody Brothers, who told her she had officially secured her LPGA Tour card for next year.

The 23-year-old’s focus then shifted to earning not only Epson Tour Player of the Year honors, but also the Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year award. These two distinctions are given to the Epson Tour athletes who finish highest on the Official Points List at the end of the season in both categories.

After racking up her second professional win at the Guardian Championship and a T7 finish at the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells, New York native Green achieved that goal, walking away from the season finale with her head held high.

“I'm just super blessed,” said Green. “It's really been more or less a supernatural year. All glory and honor to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It's been awesome. It's been a lot of ups, it seems like, and I've just been so blessed. My best friend's been on the bag for just about half the season. She topped it off this week, and it's awesome.

“The friendships that I've made out here, the connections that I made, everybody's great out here. I'm excited to do the same thing at the next level. All in all, I'm super excited.”

Green previously played collegiate golf at the University of South Florida, helping her team and program regain prominence during her time with the program. The former Bull was the first USF women’s golfer to be recognized as the 2023-24 AAC Women’s Player of the Year and was named to the American All-Conference Team four times, finishing her amateur career ranked No. 23 in the country.

Coming off an overwhelmingly positive 2024 senior season, Green then started packing for the LPGA Tour Q-Series. She breezed through the Pre-Qualifying and Qualifying stages, finishing T3 in the latter that October, but she struggled after the first two rounds of Final Qualifying. The USF graduate climbed up the leaderboard, posting three under-par rounds in a row, but she ultimately fell short of securing her LPGA Tour card for the 2025 season by four strokes.

Having earned Epson Tour status in 2025, the 23-year-old headed into her rookie season with an open mind and a desire to continue learning the ropes of professional golf. Melanie struggled during the beginning of the season, often finishing in the middle of the pack and even missing some cuts.

But Green focused on gaining back confidence, and she ultimately ended the season by making the cut in 15 of 19 events and claiming 10 top-10 finishes along the way, including her first two professional victories at the 2025 Island Resort Championship presented by Delta County Chamber and the Guardian Championship.

She battled with rookie Yana Wilson and fellow 2025 graduate Gina Kim for Player of the Year honors, with both athletes holding the top spot for multiple weeks throughout the season. But Green was holding the No. 1 position heading into the final event of the year and maintained her ranking by the end of the week, becoming the 42nd athlete to earn Epson Tour Player of the Year honors, also securing the Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year award.

“It's really exciting about the history behind it,” Green commented. “Obviously, I have to go make my own (history), but just overall exciting. I'm just really looking forward to the journey and everything that comes with it.”

Both Epson Tour Player and Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year awards have been won by a storied group of athletes, with Green now adding her name to the list. Athletes who have earned Epson Tour Player of the Year honors include major champions Lilia Vu and Lorena Ochoa, as well as LPGA Tour winners Ingrid Lindblad, Madelene Sagstrom, Linnea Strom, and Annie Park. Green is the first athlete to hold both prestigious titles since 2016, when two-time LPGA Tour winner Madelene Sagstrom secured the honors.

Along with the Epson Tour Player and Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year Awards, Green took home $7,500 provided by the Seiko Epson Corporation for her outstanding performance during the season. The additional reward is just one of Epson’s many contributions to elevating both the Epson Tour and women’s golf.

Overall, Melanie’s combined winnings this season broke a record for the most single-season earnings of any Epson Tour athlete, as she finished with $186,986 in official money. For more information about the Epson Tour Player and Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year Award, please click here.

Melanie Green Earns 2025 Epson Tour Player and Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year Honors

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