Winning at any level in professional golf is a challenge. You need to be at the top of your game and be able to handle the pressure down the stretch, and most of the time, you need a few breaks to go your way.
Winning the same tournament more than once is even more of a challenge, especially on the Epson Tour. Tournaments change, and players move on. However, this week, six players in the 2024 IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa field are past champions looking to take home more hardware from Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon.
The 2010s
Three former champions picked up their victory in the 2010s and are back in the field for the 2024 season. Kim Kaufman won the IOA Championship in 2014, her second career win on the Epson Tour. The veteran has moved back and forth between the Epson and LPGA Tour over the years, but a win this week would be the first for Kaufman since her 2020 season and would put her back on track to return to the LPGA Tour for the 2025 season.
The 2017 and 2019 champions, Daniela Darquea and Jillian Hollis have a similar story, with the IOA Championship helping propel them onto the LPGA Tour the season after their win. Darquea is making her first appearance at the IOA Championship since her T30 finish in 2022. The Ecuador native has competed on both Tours since her win in 2017, making 102 starts on the LPGA Tour and 37 starts on the Epson Tour. After Hollis’ win in 2019, she earned her LPGA Tour card for the 2020 season, which was cut short due to COVID. The 27-year-old competed as an LPGA regular for two seasons, but after the 2021 season, she moved to dual member status, limiting her starts on the LPGA Tour. Hollis and Darquea hope another win at the IOA Championship will be the kickstart they need to return to the biggest stage in women’s golf.
The 2020s
The Europeans have dominated the IOA Championship in the 2020s, winning three out of the four events that have been played. Fatima Fernandez Cano and Sophie Hausmann won in 2020 and 2021 and are competing this week. The Spaniard and the German have battled injuries since their wins, with both players being unable to finish their seasons in 2023 due to their injuries. Now healthy, they are looking to capture their second victory in Beaumont and jump to the top of the Race for the Card standings.
Miranda Wang is the most recent winner of the IOA Championship, finishing 12-under last year to capture her first Epson Tour victory. Wang finished 15th in the Race for the Card in her rookie season after a valiant effort to make it into the top 10. The 25-year-old made her last nine cuts in 2023 and has yet to miss a cut in 2024, which included an LPGA Tour start at the Blue Bay LPGA.
Six players have a chance to become the first player to win the IOA Championship twice, but they will have to go through the other 126 players looking to win the event for the first time.
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