The Epson Tour continues its final stretch of events in Prattville, Ala., with only four more chances to tee it up and make moves in the Race for the Card. The Guardian Championship will be hosted by the RTJ Golf Trail at Capitol Hill, with the seventh playing taking place from September 6-8. Here are five things to know about the 2024 Guardian Championship:
Former Champion Teeing It Up as Sponsor Exemption
Former Guardian Championship winner and Huntsville, Ala., native Janie Jackson will tee it up as a sponsor exemption in Prattville this week. The 30-year-old won the 2021 edition of the event but has since stopped competing on the Epson and LPGA Tours. This will be Jackson’s first appearance in a professional event since the 2023 ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer, which was held in June of last year.
Two Former Tigers Competing
Cydney Clanton and Kaleigh Telfer will represent the Auburn University Tigers in what is a close-to-home event for the duo. Clanton has seen success at RTJ Golf Trail at Capitol Hill, winning the 2023 edition of the tournament, a victory that saw her set the new 54-hole tournament scoring record at 17-under. South Africa’s Telfer finished in a share of ninth in 2023 and hopes to earn another solid finish this year, one that would put her one step closer to earning LPGA Tour membership for 2025.
New Race for the Card Leader Playing
The Guardian Championship will be the first event that in which Yahui Zhang will tee it up as the leader in the season-long Race for the Card. The Epson Tour rookie earned her first professional win at the Four Winds Invitational, marking her seventh top-10 finish of the year. If Zhang is able to hold onto the No. 1 spot through the end of the season, she would be the first athlete to earn both Player of the Year and Gaelle Truett Rookie of the Year honors since Madelene Sagstrom in 2016.
Who Will Be the First to Two Wins in 2024?
A unique opportunity lies ahead for 14 athletes this week, and that’s the chance to become the first athlete to win for a second time in 2024. Each tournament leading up to the Guardian Championship has seen a different champion, and eight countries have been represented among those winners. With only four tournaments left, every point counts in the Race for the Card, and another win could put each of those 14 athletes closer to securing their LPGA Tour card for the 2025 season.
Could an LPGA Tour Card be Secured?
Following the Four Winds Invitational, five athletes broke the 1,000-point threshold, but none were successful in mathematically clinching their LPGA Tour card for 2025. The points left to earn this season are getting slimmer each week, but the talent on the Epson Tour is proving the task is not an easy feat. While a spot in the top 15 of the Race for the Card is still anyone’s to take, a top finish for any of those currently inside the top 15 could possibly seal the deal.
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