Auston Kim needed some fireworks at the Epson Tour Championship to secure an LPGA card for 2024. She shot 7-under 29 on the front nine to get the sparks flying, and then made birdie on the final hole to win by two and vault into the top 10 on the money list.
“We talked all year about if we do the right things, if I create good habits, it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” said Kim, who entered the week No. 15 on the money list and ended it No. 3.
When the Tour Championship kicked off Thursday, three players had already clinched their LPGA cards for 2024: Gabriela Ruffels, Natasha Andrea Oon and Jiwon Jeon.
When the dust settled in Daytona Beach, Florida, eight of the 10 players who entered the week in the top 10 maintained their spots. Becca Huffer (No. 9) and Jenny Bae (No. 10) were the two who dropped out.
Huffer ultimately finished 11th on the money list, with $1,700 less than Kristen Gillman. The 33-year-old Huffer tied for 12th at the Tour Championship and closed with a 65.
A total of nine players broke the $100,000 mark in season earnings, five more than any other year in the developmental tour’s history.
Find out more about the card winners for the 2023 Epson Tour season:
Gabriela Ruffels of Australia hits her tee shot on the ninth hole during the third round of the 2023 Epson Tour Championship at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo: Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
After missing the sign-up deadline for LPGA Q-School last winter, Gabriela Ruffels found herself back on the Epson Tour for another season. Ruffels made the most of it, winning three times to claim the tour’s money title in only 13 starts with $159,926. The former tennis player who took up golf late won the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur. She led the Epson Tour in scoring with a 69.85 average.
Natasha Andrea Oon celebrates a shot on the Epson Tour. (Courtesy photo Ben Harpring)
The former San Jose State player wasted no time in making her mark on the professional scene. After four runner-up showings this season, the rookie Oon broke through with her her first victory last month at the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout. Malaysia’s Oon received the 2021-2022 Juli Inkster Senior Award.
Auston Kim checks the wind on the Epson Tour. (courtesy photo)
Kim came into the Tour Championship 15th on the money list and vaulted to third with her first Epson victory and a $37,500 winner’s check. The former Vanderbilt player shot 65-65 over the weekend and tied the Epson Tour Championship 72-hole record at 23-under 265. Kim’s sister August also played on the Epson Tour.
Winner selfie with Jiwon Jeon on the Epson Tour. (Courtesy Epson Tour)
A two-time winner on Epson this season, Jeon recorded only one additional top 10 this season. Jeon, 26, began her collegiate career at Daytona State College before transferring to the University of Alabama. She lost in the finals of the 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur to ‘Bama teammate Kristen Gillman, who also earned her card for 2024.
Minji Kang hits a shot on the Epson Tour. (courtesy photo)
The 23-year-old from South Korea didn’t win on the Epson Tour this season but her consistent play – eight top-10 finishes – put her squarely inside the top 10 on the money list. Kang won the 2022 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics while competing for Truett McConnell University.
Agathe Laisne tees off on on the Epson Tour. (courtesy photo)
Although she missed the cut this week, France’s Laisne held onto her card with ease. The former Texas player won the first event of the year, the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic, with a closing 66. While she tied for second at the recent Black Desert Resort Championship, Laisne missed the cut in her last three starts.
Jenny Coleman blasts out of the bunker. (Courtesy Epson Tour)
Coleman nabbed her first Epson Tour title last May at the IOA Golf Classic. The 31-year-old returns to the LPGA with full status on the strength of two additional runner-up showings. Coleman, whose twin sister Kristin has served as her coach, finished third on the Epson money list in 2019.
Roberta Liti (Epson Tour photo)
Liti didn’t win on the Epson Tour this season but her strong ball-striking yielded consistent play. Liti led the tour in greens in regulation at 82.58 percent. A rookie on the Epson Tour in 2019, this is the first time Liti has finished in the top 10 to earn her LPGA card.
The former Oklahoma State player peaked at the right time this season, finishing T-3/T-4/1st/T-8 in her last four starts. She closed with a 65 to clinch her spot in the top 10. The 22-year-old Mexican was a rookie on the Epson Tour this season.
Kristen Gillman hits a shot on the Epson Tour. (Courtesy Epson Tour)
‘Gilly’ couldn’t have picked a better time for her round of the year. The two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur champion fired a final-round 64 to take a share of fourth and secure the last LPGA card. Gillman finished the season with three consecutive top-4 finishes. She was an LPGA rookie in 2019 and qualified for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.
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