When Kotomi Fukutake lifted the Bell National division trophy at the 2026 LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Championship presented by Marie Birdie, she earned more than a championship moment. The 16-year-old Japan native also secured one of the event’s most meaningful perks, an invite to the 2026 Dream First Bank Charity Classic on the Epson Tour.

Fukutake arrives in Garden City, Kan., with the momentum of the Girls Golf Championship, going wire-to-wire at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club. She opened with rounds of 69 and 71, and closed with a 68 to finish at 8-under 208, defeating Maria Isabella Errichetto by one shot. Over 54 holes, Fukutake made 16 birdies while holding off the field in the Bell National division.

The exemption marks a milestone for the LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Championship, which awarded the Bell National division winner a spot in an Epson Tour tournament for the first time. It also gives Fukutake a chance to test her game on the Official Qualifying Tour of the LPGA Tour and the pathway known as the “Road to the LPGA.”

“I feel a little nervous,” said Fukutake. “But I’m excited. I got some messages from Girls Golf. I was reading letters from little girls, and I was really surprised.”

Those messages reflected what Girls Golf is designed to do. The program creates a welcoming space where girls can build confidence, find community and see what is possible through the game. Rooted in the program’s five E’s – empower, enrich, engage, exercise and energize – the experience extends beyond scores and trophies, helping players grow as golfers and as people.

“[Girls Golf] has five E’s, and they will help me,” Fukutake stated pre-tournament in Kansas. “Through Girls Golf, I’ve learned a lot of things about golf and about life.”

Now, Fukutake will put those lessons to work against Epson Tour competition at Buffalo Dunes Golf Course. The opportunity is both a reward for her breakthrough week at Pine Needles and a glimpse at the next level she hopes to reach.

“I’m really excited to play here, and play some nice golf,” she added.

For Fukutake, the Dream First Bank Charity Classic is not simply another start. It is a tangible step from junior success toward professional possibility, and a chance to cash in on the promise that came with winning one of the biggest titles in girls’ golf.

Kotomi Fukutake Turns Girls Golf Championship Win into Epson Tour Opportunity

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