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
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.