The Epson Tour Unveils Its 2022 schedule
The road to the LPGA returns with record-breaking purses
By Jordan Perez
New title sponsor, who dis? The Epson Tour has finally unveiled its much anticipated 2022 schedule.
Quickly fulfilling an empowering promise, the Tour’s 21-tournament schedule visits a series of familiar venues with a new twist: the average purse size has swelled to $210,000 with a record total of $4.41 million up for grabs this season. The largest purse in Tour history, $335,000, belongs to August’s French Lick Resort Charity Championship, with a $50,000 winner’s check.
2022 EPSON TOUR SCHEDULE
| Date | Tournament & Location | Purse |
| March 4-6 | Florida’s Natural Charity Classic Country Club of Winter Haven; Winter Haven, Florida | $200,000 |
| March 17-20 | Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic Longbow Golf Club; Mesa, Arizona | $200,000 |
| March 25-27 | IOA Championship pres. by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon, Champions Course; Beaumont, Calif. | $200,000 |
| March 31-April 3 | Casino Del Sol Golf Classic Sewailo Golf Club; Tucson, Arizona | $200,000 |
| April 21-23 | Copper Rock Championship Copper Rock Golf Course; Hurricane, Utah | $200,000 |
| April 29-May 1 | Garden City Charity Classic Buffalo Dunes Golf Club; Garden City, Kansas | $200,000 |
| May 20-22 | IOA Golf Classic pres. by RP Funding Alaqua Country Club; Longwood, Florida | $200,000 |
| May 27-29 | Inova Mission Inn Championship Mission Inn Resort, El Campeon Golf Course; Howey-In-The-Hills, Florida | $200,000 |
| June 8-12 | Carolina Golf Classic pres. by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC Kinston Country Club; Kinston, North Carolina | $200,000 |
| June 16-18 | Ann Arbor’s Road to the LPGA powered by the A2 Sports Commission Travis Pointe Country Club; Ann Arbor, Michigan | $200,000 |
| June 24-26 | Island Resort Championship Sweetgrass Golf Club; Harris, Michigan | $225,000 |
| July 8-10 | Twin Bridges Championship Pinehaven Country Club; Guilderland, New York | $200,000 |
| July 29-31 | FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship Battle Creek Country Club; Battle Creek, Michigan | $200,000 |
| Aug. 4-7 | French Lick Resort Charity Championship The Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort; French Lick, Indiana | $335,000 |
| Aug. 12-14 | Four Winds Invitational South Bend Country Club; South Bend, Indiana | $200,000 |
| Aug. 26-28 | Circling Raven Championship Circling Raven Golf Club; Worley, Idaho | $200,000 |
| Sept. 2-4 | Wildhorse Ladies Classic Wildhorse Golf Course; Pendleton, Oregon | $200,000 |
| Sept. 16-18 | Guardian Championship RTJ Golf Trail at Capitol Hill, Senator Course; Prattville, Alabama | $200,000 |
| Sept. 23-25 | Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout Mystic Creek Golf Club; El Dorado, Arkansas | $200,000 |
| Sept. 29-Oct. 2 | TBA Ol’ Colony Golf Course; Tuscaloosa, Alabama | $200,000 |
| Oct. 6-9 | Epson Tour Championship LPGA International, Jones Course; Daytona Beach, Florida | $250,000 |
In just five years, the average purse size on the Epson Tour has increased by over six figures, despite the challenges of a global pandemic. For its members and aspirants, this cash extra further democratizes the dream, giving the women a little more security on the tough road to the LPGA.
Ally Ewing, a two-time LPGA Tour winner and the newest player director on the LPGA board, vividly recalls the financial strain she experienced at the outset of her career. “To see the Epson Tour continue to elevate since I graduated in 2016 is great for the game of golf,” says Ewing (top photo). “I earned just over $110,000 when purse sizes averaged roughly $139,000, so a 50% growth over such a short span is both encouraging and essential to creating a financially viable path for these future LPGA Tour members.”
Along with the increase in parity comes more opportunities as the circuit is adding three new stops: the Wildhorse Ladies Classic at Wildhorse Golf Course in Pendleton, Ore.; Ann Arbor’s Road to the LPGA powered by the A2 Sports Commission in Ann Arbor, Mich. at Travis Pointe Country Club; and an as-yet-unnamed tournament at Ol’ Colony Golf Course in Tuscaloosa, Ala.,
At the conclusion of the season, the top 10 players on the Epson Tour money list earn LPGA Tour status for 2023, along with a sweet bonus of $10,000 each to kickstart their LPGA Tour season.
The path to the LPGA tees off on March 4th at the Country Club of Winter Haven (below). It’s going to be a journey.
Some out of the box thinking… The LPGA is over in Asia in early March. The first event on the Epson Tour schedule is March 4-6, the Florida’s Natural Chaity Classic in Winter Haven, Fl. It would be a great time for the powers-that-be in golf to come up with the resources to televise the event. It would be an excellent way to kick off the Epson company’s new commitment to the women’s game and to showcase the young pros trying to make their way to the LPGA.
Pingback: How a DII legend could become the first Guatemalan on the LPGA - Make The Odds