Malaysia’s Mirabel Ting capped a remarkable rookie season by winning both the 2026 Epson Tour Player of the Year and Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year awards, while securing the No. 1 spot in the Race for the Card to earn her place on the 2027 LPGA Tour.
The 21-year-old from Miri received the honours at Indian Wells Golf Resort in California, after a season in which she claimed two victories, recorded 12 top-10 finishes and was runner-up twice.
Ting becomes the second consecutive player to sweep both of the Epson Tour’s top individual awards, following American Melanie Green in 2025.
Her achievement marks a significant turnaround after she narrowly missed qualifying for the LPGA Tour at the Final Stage of LPGA Q-Series last December.
Ting began her rookie campaign with modest finishes before finding her rhythm in March, recording a tied-for-fourth finish at the Orlando Health Championship. She followed that with consistent performances, including a solo ninth at the Reliance Matrix Championship and tied-third finishes at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship and the Great Lakes Championship.
In July, she finished runner-up at the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship presented by Munich Re, recovering from a second-round 76 with two bogey-free rounds over the weekend.
Her breakthrough came in August at the inaugural Smoky Mountain Championship, presented by Food City, where she defeated Rachel Kuehn in a playoff to win her first Epson Tour title.
Three weeks later, Ting secured her second victory at the Dream First Bank Charity Classic in Kansas. She closed with a six-under-par 66 to finish at 14-under-par 202, winning by three strokes and becoming the first player to record two Epson Tour victories in 2026.
The win propelled her to the top of the Race for the Card standings, a position she held through the season finale. At the Epson Tour Championship, Ting finished solo second, one stroke behind the winner, thereby confirming her status as the season’s leading player.
She also gained valuable experience competing against the world’s best, Monday-qualifying for the LPGA Tour’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship and finishing tied for 15th place.
Ting’s achievements come after a personal journey marked by significant loss. Her grandfather introduced her to golf at the age of five and supported her early development in the sport.
In October 2022, while travelling with her Augusta University teammates to her first college tournament, Ting learned that her father, Thomas, had died of a heart attack. She returned to Malaysia to grieve with her family before resuming her collegiate career.
In February 2023, she won the Moon Golf Invitational in her first collegiate start after returning, holing a 54-foot eagle putt in a playoff and dedicating the victory to her father.
After transferring to Florida State University, Ting established herself as one of the leading players in college golf, winning the ANNIKA Award, the PING WGCA Player of the Year Award and ACC Golfer of the Year honours.
She suffered another personal loss in July 2025 when her grandfather died shortly before her professional debut at the Amundi Evian Championship.
Throughout her rookie season, Michelle Koh served as her caddie, providing support both on and off the course.
Ting has often spoken about the importance of patience and independence in her development, qualities that helped her navigate the challenges of her first professional season.
With two Epson Tour victories, 12 top-10 finishes, and both major individual awards to her name, Ting now turns her attention to the LPGA Tour, where she will begin her rookie campaign in 2027.
Her achievement also continues Malaysia’s growing presence in international women’s golf, with the Miri-born player set to compete at the highest level of the professional game.
