We’re just past the halfway point in the 2016 Epson Tour season, and with a dominant player and great diversity there is much to pay attention to from now until the 23rd event, the Epson Tour Championship, is held Oct. 13-16 in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Here are some players and trends to keep an eye on:
- No. 1: Madelene Sagstrom continues to be the overwhelming choice for the top player this season. The native of Sweden who played college golf at LSU leads the money list and the rookie of the year standings. Her $123,678 in earnings far surpasses the previous season record of $94,578, set by Cindy LaCrosse in 2010, She is first in Scoring Average (70.68) and top-10 finishes (8-for-10, 80 percent, with second at 50 percent) and second in driving distance (277.36, just behind Emily Tubert’s 277.78). Her only miscues were a missed cut and a T20; otherwise every other finish is in the top five, including two wins. With another win, Sagstrom will earn an immediate promotion to the LPGA. As a gauge for how excellent her play has been, look at the Rolex Women’s World Rankings: She was out of the top 1,000 entering 2016 and is now ranked 250th, the sixth-best Swede in the world.
- Race to the card: The top 10 players at season’s end will earn cards for the 2017 LPGA. Currently, No. 10 Dana Finkelstein ($38,743) is just $536 ahead of No. 11 Wichanee Meechai. Anyone inside the top 25 could move inside the top 10 with a win this week at the Kansas City Championship. In the last five years, the final difference between No. 10 and No. 11 has been less than $1,000 three times, including a low of $114 between No. 10 Jaclyn Sweeney and No. 11 Olivia Jordan-Higgins in 2013.
- Southern Pride: Of the 14 winners this season, eight attended Southern colleges. Those include LSU, Virginia, Tennessee, Furman, Wake Forest and Florida Southern. Sagstrom (LSU) and Jackie Stoelting (Florida Southern) are double winners.
- Doubling Up: Jackie Stoelting takes advantage of getting hot at the right time. Last year, she won the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout and IOA Golf Classic in late September-early October for consecutive victories. This year, she won the Fuccillo Kia Championship and the Island Resort Championship in consecutive starts. In both double-up wins, there was a week off on the schedule between.
- 30-Something: Unlike the LPGA, 30-year-olds are faring well on the Epson Tour. Samantha Richdale (31), Jackie Stoelting (30) and Paola Moreno (30) have won this year and the youngest winner on the Epson has been Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong, who is 19. The LPGA has had one 30-year-old win (U.S. Women’s Open champion Brittany Lang) and seven teen-aged winners.
- Where They’re From: Players from the U.S., Canada, Sweden, Thailand, Colombia and Belgium have won this year. Eight of the winners have been Americans, including a stretch of five consecutive weeks in May and June.
- Leader Comparison: The Epson Tour has an advantage in two top statistical categories this season over the LPGA: Putting Average (per 18 holes) and Driving Accuracy. Take a look:
| CATEGORY | LPGA | EPSON |
|---|---|---|
| Stroke Average | Lydia Ko (69.1) | Madelene Sagstrom (70.69) |
| Wins | Lydia Ko (4) | Sagstrom, Jackie Stoelting (2) |
| Greens in Regulation | Ha Na Jang (78.7%) | Min-G Kim (75.8%) |
|
Putting |
Lydia Ko (28.49) | Dottie Ardena (28.41) |
| Driving Accuracy | Mo Martin (86.8%) | Augusta James (89.6%) |
| Driving Distance | Lexi Thompson (282.8) | Emily Tubert (277.78) |
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