For the first time in Epson Tour history, 15 players have earned their LPGA Tour cards through the Race for the Card based on a points ranking, rather than money.
American Lauren Stephenson finished the season at the top of the Race for the Card ranking, thanks to her maiden professional win in July at the Twin Bridges Championship and eight additional top-10 finishes. She entered last week’s season-ending Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells in top spot in the Race for the Card, and her T8 finish saw her maintain the No. 1 position and earn Epson Tour Player of the Year honours for 2024.
The Epson Tour is the Official Qualifying Tour of the LPGA. From 1999-2002, three LPGA Tour cards were handed out to the top three. In 2003, that number increased to five before 10 cards started being distributed in 2008. Now, in 2024, the Epson Tour has increased the number of LPGA Tour cards to a record-breaking 15.
The athletes who finished in the top 10 of the Race For The Card will be seeded into Category 9 on the 2025 LPGA Tour Priority List. Those who finish 11 to 15 will be in a lower category that will alternate with LPGA Tour athletes who finish 101-125 in the Race to the CME Globe following the penultimate LPGA Tour event, The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. The sequence will see the 101st player in the Race to the CME Globe listed first, then the 11th player in the Race for the Card listed second, and that sequence will continue accordingly.
Malaysia’s Ashley Lau finished 31st in the 2024 Race for the Card ranking, following a roller-coaster season that ended with an impressive second-place finish at the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells – her best result on the tour. Fellow Malaysian Alyaa Abdulghany finished in 120th position.
2024 Epson Tour graduates:
Lauren Stephenson, 27 (USA) – 1,732.216 points
In her first season on the Epson Tour, Lauren Stephenson has been consistently near the top of the leaderboard. She first earned LPGA Tour Membership for 2019 and, after losing status following the 2023 season, she chose to spend 2024 on the LPGA’s qualifying tour. She earned her first professional win in July at the Epson Tour’s Twin Bridges Championship and has eight additional top-10 finishes this season. Stephenson clinched her LPGA Tour card in September following a T18 finish at the Guardian Championship, and entered the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells leading the Race for the Card. With her T8 finish at Indian Wells Golf Resort, she maintained the No. 1 spot and earned Epson Tour Player of the Year honours for the 2024 season.
Yahui Zhang, 18 (People’s Republic of China) – 1,533.966 points
One of the youngest competitors on the Epson Tour this year, 18-year-old Yahui Zhang made her Epson Tour debut this season and finished the year with LPGA Tour Membership. She earned her first professional win at the Epson Tour’s Four Winds Invitational in South Bend, Ind. Additionally, she recorded seven top-10 finishes in 2024. After Zhang’s T5 finish at the Guardian Championship in September, she clinched LPGA Tour Membership for the 2025 season. Finishing second on the Race for the Card, Zhang was named the Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year for the 2024 season.
Fatima Fernandez Cano, 28 (Spain) – 1,455.309 points
A veteran on the Epson Tour, Fatima Fernandez Cano is headed to the LPGA Tour for the second time in her professional career. This season has been the best of her five years on the Epson Tour, with four top-4 finishes including her third professional and Epson Tour win. Her win at the Guardian Championship in September clinched her a spot next season on the LPGA Tour, where she was a 2021 rookie but lost her status following the 2022 season. With her T8 finish at the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells, Fernandez Cano finishes 3rd in the Race for the Card.
Jessica Porvasnik, 29 (USA) – 1,438.152 points
Making her first start in 2020, Jessica Porvasnik has been competing on the Epson Tour for the past five seasons. She has accumulated 10 career top-10 finishes and over $175,000 in career earnings. The 2024 season has been her best on the Epson Tour to date, with six top-10 finishes including career-best runner-up results at the Atlantic Beach Classic and the Twin Bridges Championship. Porvasnik secured her LPGA Tour card in September following a T13 performance at the Guardian Championship. She will be an LPGA Tour Rookie in 2025.
Brooke Matthews, 26 (USA) – 1,312.695 points
In her second full season on the Epson Tour, Brooke Matthews recorded all seven of her career top-10 finishes and re-earned LPGA Tour status for the 2025 season. Matthews was an LPGA Tour rookie in 2022 but lost her card at the end of that season. She has played on the Epson Tour since, with the 2024 season being her best on Tour. This year, she earned a career-best result of T2 at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship. She clinched her card just before the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells with her T5 result at the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout.
Ingrid Lindblad, 24 (Sweden) – 1,258.689 points
Making her Epson Tour debut in June, highly decorated amateur and Louisiana State University graduate Ingrid Lindblad made just nine starts in her rookie season but has earned one win and four other top-10 finishes in seven made cuts. Her first professional win came at the Tuscaloosa Toyota Classic in September and, prior to that, she recorded two runner-up results and a T8 finish. She secured her card after an T8 finish at the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells and will be a 2025 LPGA Tour rookie.
Jenny Bae, 23 (USA) – 1,202.247 points
Jenny Bae is a three-time winner on the Epson Tour, adding the 2024 Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout to her title collection this season. An Epson Tour rookie in 2023, Bae won back-to-back in just her second and third starts on Tour and ultimately finished 13th in the 2023 Race for the Card. While that wasn’t enough to earn LPGA Tour Membership for 2024, Bae got the job done during her second season on the Epson Tour and will be a 2025 LPGA Tour rookie. With six top-10 finishes this season, Bae finished 7th in the 2024 Race for the Card, clinching LPGA Tour Membership at the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells.
Fiona Xu, 20 (New Zealand) – 1198.575 points
Setting the Epson Tour’s 54-hole scoring record in 2024, Fiona Xu finished her rookie season on the Epson Tour at No. 8 in the Race for the Card. The 20-year-old earned her first professional win at the Copper Rock Championship in May, finishing with a record breaking 54-hole score of 194 (-22). She earned two other top-5 finishes in 2024, a runner-up result at the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa and a T5 at the Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic. Xu will be a rookie again in 2025, this time on the LPGA Tour.
Madison Young, 27 (USA) – 1,153.549 points
Madison Young played her first full season on the Epson Tour in 2022, ultimately finishing 55th in the Race for the Card. In 2023, she bettered her rank, finishing No. 45. Now, in her best season on Tour yet, Young finished at No. 9 and has earned LPGA Tour membership for the first time in her career. During her clinching season, Young got her first professional victory at the 2024 Casino Del Sol Golf Classic and added three more top-10 finishes to her resume. A T6 finish at the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells secured her status on the LPGA Tour for the 2025 season.
Cassie Porter, 22 (Australia) – 1,133.448 points
Cassie Porter earned her card with four top-10 finishes on the season, including her first professional victory at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship. After finishing 53rd on the 2023 Race for the Card, Porter was determined to improve her final position in 2024. Entering the season-finale Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells, she was 11th on the Race to the Card and in good position to earn LPGA Tour Membership. Thanks to a T17 place finish, Porter finished No. 10 and secured her spot as a 2025 LPGA Tour rookie.
Ana Belac, 27 (Slovenia) – 1131.362 points
Making her return to the LPGA Tour is 2020 Epson Tour Player of the Year, Ana Belac. She finished the 2024 season at No. 11 in the Race for the Card, turning in four top-10 finishes and making 13 of 14 cuts. She carded two runner-up finishes this year, at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic and the Tuscaloosa Toyota Classic. The former Duke University Blue Devil represented Slovenia in the 2024 Paris Olympics, marking her first Olympic appearance. Though she missed her first and only cut of the season at the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells, she still earned her LPGA Tour card following the conclusion of the season-finale.
Pornanong Phatlum, 34 (Thailand) – 1,111.542 points
Pornanong Phatlum bounced back-and-forth from the LPGA and Epson Tours in 2024. The veteran from Thailand had not competed on the Epson Tour since the 2009 and 2010 seasons, but made 10 Epson Tour starts in 2024. She earned four top-10 finishes this season, including her first professional win in the United States at the Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic. This season, she also made nine starts on the LPGA Tour with a season-best finish of T27 at the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer. With her T6 finish at the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells, she re-earns LPGA Tour status for 2025.
Daniela Iacobelli, 36 (USA) – 1,088.875 points
Veteran Daniela Iacobelli earns LPGA Tour membership for the third time in her more than 15-year professional golf career. In her 19 Epson Tour starts in 2024, she made 12 cuts, earned her fifth career victory at the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship and recorded a runner-up finish at the Dream First Bank Charity Classic. Although she did not make the cut at the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells, her play this season secured her a spot in the top 15 in the Race for the Card.
Miranda Wang, 25 (People’s Republic of China) – 1,025.833 points
In her second season on the Epson Tour, Miranda Wang clinched 2025 LPGA Tour membership with a T3 finish at the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells. In 2023, she finished No. 15 in the Race for the Card to just miss out on LPGA Tour membership. Now, she will be a 2025 LPGA Tour rookie thanks to six top-10 finishes including four top-5 results in 2024.
Heather Lin, 24 (Chinese Taipei) – 972.467 points
Heather Lin, an Epson Tour sophomore, clinched her LPGA Tour card after winning the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells. Coming into the season finale at 54th in the Race for the Card, only a win would be enough to give Lin a chance to move into the top 15. She delivered, earning her first professional victory. Over her two seasons on the Epson Tour, Lin has earned six additional top-10 finishes, including three in 2024.
