The Great Lakes Championship at the Highlands marks the second stop of the Epson Tour's three-event Michigan stretch, and this year's field arrives with plenty of storylines worth following. From a returning contender looking to build on last year's result to a handful of players riding momentum from FireKeepers, there's no shortage of names positioned to make a move. With Pure Michigan Cup points and bonus money on the line, here are four players to watch as the Tour heads back to the Highlands for its second rendition.

Sung Hyun Park

Few names carry as much pedigree into the Great Lakes Championship at the Highlands as Sung Hyun Park. The South Korean is a former World No. 1 and seven-time LPGA Tour winner, including two major titles at the 2017 U.S. Women's Open and the 2018 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. After years of cementing herself among the best in the world, Park now finds herself competing on the Epson Tour, bringing a championship pedigree to a field largely made up of players still chasing their first LPGA Tour win.

She arrives off a T6 finish at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship, a result that shows her game remains sharp even as she works to navigate the unfamiliar territory of the developmental circuit. For a player with two majors and a No. 1 ranking on her resume, there's an added layer of intrigue in watching how that experience translates against a new set of competitors and a different kind of pressure. A strong week at the Highlands would not only build on her FireKeepers form but would also serve as a reminder that Park's talent hasn't gone anywhere, even if her path back to the LPGA Tour now runs through the Epson Tour. With Pure Michigan Cup points up for grabs, Park's presence alone makes her one of the more compelling storylines to follow this week.

Kayla Smith

Among the names to watch at this year's Great Lakes Championship at the Highlands is Kayla Smith, who returns to the event as the only player from last year's top-10 finishers still competing on the Epson Tour. The UNC-Chapel Hill alumna carded a fifth place finish at the 2025 edition of the tournament, a result that has carried added weight given the wave of graduations that followed. Every other player who finished alongside her in last year's top 10 has since earned LPGA Tour status, making Smith something of a holdover talent in a field that has otherwise turned over completely. That distinction puts her in a unique position entering this year's event, with local course knowledge and proven past performance on her side. Smith, who built her game at North Carolina and was a multiple-time All-ACC honoree, has continued to develop her résumé since turning professional.

Her return to a course where she's already proven she can contend makes her a logical pick for players to watch, especially as she looks to use a strong week as a springboard toward her own LPGA card. With the rest of last year's contenders now playing on the LPGA Tour, Smith's familiarity with the conditions at The Highlands could be the edge that sets her apart from a fresh crop of competitors. If she can replicate or improve on last year's result, she'll likely re-enter the Pure Michigan Cup points conversation as the field heads into the season's second event of the Michigan stretch.

Reagan Zibilski

Another name worth watching at the Great Lakes Championship in the Highlands is Reagan Zibilski, who enters the event off a strong showing at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship. Zibilski's performance in Marshall signaled that her game is rounding into professional form after just one start on the Epson Tour. She's also a graduate of the inaugural LPGA Collegiate Advancement Pathway program, a newly developed pathway that creates a direct route for top collegiate golfers who enter the LPGA’s system of professional tours.

That background speaks to a long runway of development behind her current form, rather than a one-week fluke. With the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship now behind her, Zibilski has a chance to build a more complete resume across the three-event Michigan stretch, which carries added significance given the Pure Michigan Cup bonus money on the line. A repeat performance at the Great Lakes Championship would push her further up the leaderboard and put her squarely in the mix for a share of that prize. For a player with her pedigree, a big week here could be the kind of result that starts shifting expectations for the rest of her season.

Rylee Suttor

Rylee Suttor is another player trending in the right direction heading into the Great Lakes Championship at the Highlands. The American notched her first career top-5 finish on the Epson Tour at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship last week, a breakthrough result that marks a meaningful step forward in her development as a professional. Milestones like a first top-five carry significance beyond the points and paycheck, often serving as a confidence builder that validates the work a player has been putting in throughout the season.

For Suttor, translating that performance into consistency will be the next test, and the Great Lakes Championship at the Highlands offers an immediate opportunity to do just that. A strong follow-up week would suggest the FireKeepers result was no fluke, and could signal the start of a sustained run up the leaderboard. It would also strengthen her position in the Pure Michigan Cup race, where she currently sits tied for fourth through the opening event. With two Michigan tournaments still to play, Suttor has every incentive to build on the momentum from her breakthrough finish and continue making a case as one of the Tour's rising names this season.

Race for the Card Points List Breakdown

The real thrill lies in the Race for the Card points standings. At season’s end, the top 15 finishers secure LPGA Tour status for the next season.

The top 10 earn Category 9 status.
Nos. 11-15 receive Category 16 status, plus entry into LPGA Q-Series Final Qualifying for a chance to upgrade to Category 15.

Here is the current Race for the Card leaderboard:

Amari Avery – 972.967
Mariel Galdiano – 793.110
Annabelle Pancake-Webb – 790.083
Lauryn Nguyen – 739.333
Megan Schofill – 708.850
Carla Bernat Escuder – 686.000
Lauren Olivares – 628.650
Cholcheva Wongras – 603.500
Liqi Zeng – 598.880
Jeongeun Lee6 – 597.500
Mirabel Ting – 591.583
Maddie McCrary-Civello – 533.250
Rachel Kuehn – 509.500
Fiona Xu – 504.300
Isabella Fierro – 500.000

Players to Watch at the 2026 Great Lakes Championship at the Highlands

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