The leaderboard was stacked with red numbers and ties after the first round of the eighth annual Guardian Championship. The field of 120 athletes took advantage of the warm weather and temperate winds at RTJ Golf Trail at Capitol Hill – Senator Course in round one.

Yana Wilson was the first leader in the clubhouse of the day, posting an 8-under 64. As the most recent winner of the Epson Tour, she started off strongly with a birdie on her first hole of the day, the par-5 tenth. Wilson did not stop there and finished off her opening round, posting a clean scorecard, eight birdies, and zero bogeys.

“I started off pretty hot on the first hole. You know, made birdie. It was a par five. Felt pretty good going into the rest of the round. Kind of felt pretty calm. I ended up birdieing 12 after that, which was like a hole that I had on my hard hole list, I guess. I know that hole wasn't easy, especially where the pin was today. It was kind of in the back. But I got a pretty lucky kick and set myself up for like a nice birdie putt. After that, it kind of just kept rolling, and I ended up shooting a good score,” commented Wilson.

The Las Vegas native posted a 4-under opening nine and continued her momentum into her second nine, finding four more birdies to find herself at the top of the leaderboard after round one of the Guardian Championship. After Wilson’s win at the Dream Frist Bank Charity Classic, she took over the top of the Race for the Card standings, sitting at No. 1 for the first time this season.

The 2025 rookie is eager to secure a top finish this week as every tournament becomes more pivotal for players. Wilson, now a two-time Epson Tour winner and nine-time top-ten finisher, has officially clinched her LPGA Tour card for the 2026 season; her main focus heading into the final stretch is to not only earn Player of the Year, but Rookie of the Year honors at the close of the Tour Championship in just a few short weeks.

“I definitely feel a lot less pressure, which I don't really know if I like that as much, but I guess I handled it really well today. But yeah, I would say I feel more relaxed out there. You know, normally on the first tee, I kind of get a little bit jittery and start a little shaky, making pars for like five or six holes, and then starting to relax and birdie. But yeah, I know this time I kind of just got right into it and started making that birdie fest,” mentioned Wilson after clinching her LPGA Tour card.

Jennifer Song followed closely behind Wilson, carding a 7-under round of 65 to finish off the morning wave. Song felt good vibes going into today’s round as RTJ Golf Trail at Capitol Hill – Senator course is a familiar track. Song played in the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic, when RTJ was the host course, and using her course knowledge, she made one eagle, six and one bogey, an exciting feat after having a challenging 2025 Epson Tour season.

Epson Tour rookie Melanie Green, coming off a T20 finish at the Dream First Bank Charity Classic, is showing her dominance at no better time than in the final stretch of the 2025 season. Melanie made four birdies on her closing nine to post a 4-under 32. The New York native demonstrated poise on the par-4 18 after hitting a poor chip, by sinking a 30-foot putt for par to keep her scorecard bogey-free. Green is looking forward to continuing a weekend of solid golf in hopes of moving up in the Race for the Card rankings, as the 2025 Epson Tour Player of the Year award is still up for grabs.

Gianna Clemente, a 2025 Guardian Championship sponsor invite, shot a 4-under 68 in her opening round at RTJ Golf Trail at Capitol Hill – Senator Course. Clemente is a 17-year-old amateur from Ester, Fla., who started with a 4-under 32 front nine. The Florida native currently has three LEAP points from being named the AJGA Player of the Year in 2024, finishing T30 as a sponsor exemption in the 2025 Honda LPGA Thailand, and making the cut at the 2025 Chevron Championship.

Jessica Welch, Kaityln Papp Budde, and Samantha Wagner share fourth place after the opening 18 holes, three shots back of Wilson, who will look to hold her lead on Saturday. From there, the margin narrows, with six athletes turning in rounds of 68 to sit one shot off fourth place heading into round two. The second round will begin on Saturday at 7:00 a.m. local time. Follow along with live scoring here.

Yana Wilson Sits in Solo First after Round One of the Guardian Championship

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