With just under three weeks to go until the 2026 Epson Tour season opener at Atlantic Beach Country Club, it's the perfect time to look back on what made 2025 unforgettable. The Road to the LPGA delivered drama, inspiration, and pure joy week after week.

Here are our top 10 moments that had fans (and the Tour) on the edge of their seats:

1. Gina Kim’s Three-Win Dominance: Gina Kim came roaring back in 2025 with a vengeance after losing her LPGA Tour Card in 2024. The Epson Tour veteran captured three wins in the first 12 events of the season, starting with a breakthrough victory at the IOA Golf Classic presented by Aperture, ending a three-year winless drought.

Kim then brushed the success off rather quickly, hoisting her second trophy of the season just four events later after battling through high winds en route to victory at the Copper Rock Championship. Lastly, the North Carolina native sealed the deal and clinched her LPGA Tour card for 2026 with a wire-to-wire performance at the Hartford HealthCare Women's Championship presented by Munich Re to secure her third 2025 title.

Her consistency and confidence not only lit up leaderboards but also propelled her to a top-three finish in the Race for the Card. Redemption never looked so good.

2. Laney Frye’s Clutch Q-Series Performance: Rookie Laney Frye proved she belongs on the biggest stages in the women’s game last year. After narrowly finishing in the 15th position in the Race for the Card at the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells, Frye found herself exempt into the Final Qualifying Stage of LPGA Q-Series.

The young professional delivered under immense pressure, posting four consecutive under-par rounds to finish in a tie for seventh in Lower Alabama to improve her LPGA status heading into the 2026 season. Frye demonstrated plenty of poise during the clutch moments of Q-Series, a good reminder that the Epson Tour is the ultimate proving ground.

3. Leah John’s Breakthrough: Canadian Leah John authored one of the season's most electric stories at the Four Winds Invitational. Going wire-to-wire for her first professional victory, she carded a course-record 63 in her opening 18 holes, a score that ultimately helped her pocket 500 points and vaulted John up 77 spots in the Race for the Card standings.

After struggling earlier in the season, John had taken a break from her weekly caddie at the Four Winds Invitational, wanting to try something different and compete alongside the caddie between her ears. The 25-year-old’s breakthrough win wasn't just another title; it was a reminder to herself that she could accomplish her biggest dreams.

Her confidence propelled her to finish the season ranked within the top 35, sending her straight to the Final Qualifying Stage of LPGA Q-Series. John led Final Qualifying after round one at 8-under par, ultimately finishing in a tie for 10th and securing the Canadian her 2026 LPGA Tour status.

4. Yana Wilson’s Dramatic Finishes and Near-Misses: At just 19 years old, Yana Wilson turned heads with her fearless play and strong charges in several events. Wilson finished at 17-under total in the Reliance Matrix Championship presented by Epson to win her first professional event in her hometown of Las Vegas, Nev.

Wilson’s dominance continued with a win at the Dream First Bank Charity Classic, and she wrapped up the season with a total of 12 top-10 finishes. Those strong performances lifted Wilson to a No. 2 finish in the Race for the Card, and she was just shy of being named the Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year. Her strong showings and energetic personality kept fans glued to her results, proving consistency can often take an athlete right to the top in the Race for the Card.

5. Hailee Cooper’s Eight Top 10s: Hailee Cooper was a model of reliability in 2025. Across 19 starts, she made 17 cuts and racked up 8 top-10 finishes. Not only did Cooper’s consistency show on the Epson Tour, but her solid play carried to the U.S. Women's Open presented by Ally, where Cooper carded a T7 finish.

The Texan’s steady excellence, highlighted by elite tee-to-green play, earned her a top-10 spot in the Race for the Card and showed just why she's built for the long haul on the LPGA Tour, where she will make her rookie debut on March 5 at the Blue Bay LPGA in the People’s Republic of China.

6. Erika Hara’s Sizzling Breakthrough: Japan's Erika Hara delivered one of the season's hottest final rounds at the Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic, notching 10 birdies en route to a final-round 64 and ultimately a three-shot victory at 18-under.

With the win, the rookie climbed to No. 5 in the Race for the Card standings, and she eventually rose to No. 3 at one point throughout the season. Having a fan base of nearly half a million followers on social media, the 26-year-old embraced her global star power, adding flair and reminding everyone that the Epson Tour is a worldwide launchpad in professional golf.

7. Kim Kaufman’s Inspiring Comeback: After a courageous battle with breast cancer that kept her off the course for much of the year, Kim Kaufman returned with grace and determination.

In July, Kaufman attended the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship presented by Munich Re, encouraging every athlete in the field to take advantage of complimentary health screenings provided by the Epson Tour and Hartford HealthCare. Inspired by her own battles, Kaufman has remained an advocate for early detection, pushing her professional athlete peers to keep an eye on their health off the golf course.

Her cancer journey has embodied the heart and resilience that define the Epson Tour community, and saw Kim honored with the 2025 Heather Wilbur Spirit Award. While her competitive opportunities were sporadic for Kaufman last season, she still managed to advance from Qualifying to the Final Qualifying Stage of LPGA Q-Series. The 34-year-old fell short of regaining her LPGA Tour Card but took every step as a win for perseverance and hope as she eagerly awaits the 2026 Epson Tour season.

8. Amateur Mia Hammond’s Stunning Toledo Upset: Seventeen-year-old amateur and Toledo, Ohio sensation Mia Hammond shocked the pro field at the Greater Toledo Classic. Outlasting more than 100 professionals with composure beyond her years, Hammond sealed the deal with a clutch birdie on 18 during her final round to pick up her first Epson Tour victory.

Hammond became the eighth amateur in history to win on the Official Qualifying Tour of the LPGA, and the first since current Epson Tour member Sarah White did so at the 2020 Founders Tribute at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Ariz.

9. Left-Handed Shepherd’s Historic Hurrah: Erica Shepherd made history at the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout, becoming one of just a few left-handed athletes to win on the Epson Tour. She beat Rachel Kuehn, Kaleigh Telfer and Liqi Zeng by one stroke at Mystic Creek Golf Club to capture her first professional victory in the penultimate event of the season.

The former Duke University standout and USGA champion then navigated weather delays and nerve-wracking pressure with poise during the Final Qualifying Stage of LPGA Q-Series, finishing one shot inside the cut line at 5-under to secure an LPGA Tour card. Shepherd’s breakthrough victory early in the year and her subsequent performance in Lower Alabama have now given her the opportunity to be a role model for other female lefties looking to make it on the biggest stage in all of women’s golf.

10. Melanie Green Shatters Single-Season Earnings Record: Melanie Green capped an extraordinary 2025 season by shattering the Epson Tour’s single-season earnings record, making $186,986, while also claiming Player of the Year and Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year honors.

Two-time LPGA Tour winner and 2016 Epson Tour Player of the Year, Madelene Sagstrom, was the last to hold the record, earning $167,064 before graduating to the biggest stage in women’s golf. Ironically, Sagstrom was also the last athlete to simultaneously earn both Player and Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year honors.

With two wins at the Island Resort Championship presented by Delta County Chamber and the Guardian Championship, Green earned a commanding 2,573 points to top the Race for the Card point standings, an incredible display of dominance, clutch play, and record-breaking excellence.

These 10 defining moments embodied the essence of 2025: gritty resilience, gallant courage and graceful poise. From Kaufman’s redemption arc to Green's record haul, last season reminded us why the Epson Tour is where futures are forged and dreams are realized.

Now, who's going to write the next chapter of Epson Tour history? Get ready to find out in 2026.

Epson Tour's 2025 Magic: 10 Moments That Still Give Us Chills

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