2023 Epson Tour graduates announced

The Epson Tour annually awards LPGA Tour Membership to the top athletes on the Epson Tour official money list, and the conclusion of the Epson Tour Championship ushers in the 2023 graduating class.

From 1999-2002, the official qualifying tour of the LPGA handed out three cards. Then from 2003-2007, that number increased to five before 10 cards started being distributed in 2008. Since that inaugural year, 192 athletes have graduated to the big stage including the top 10 from this season.

Meet the 2023 Epson Tour graduates:

1: Gabriela Ruffels, 23 (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) – $159,926

Gabriela Ruffels has had a unique Epson Tour career. The Australian made headlines after her rookie season, recording five top-10 results, finishing No. 15 on the Epson Tour official money list and missing the LPGA Q-Series registration deadline. Determined to prove that costly mistake to be a fluke, the 23-year-old returned to the Epson Tour with a fire in her belly, winning three times in the first 15 events. The 2023 Epson Tour Player of the Year was able to clinch her card after her third victory and will be an LPGA Tour rookie in 2024.

Ruffels on earning 2024 LPGA Tour Membership: “I’m so excited to officially say that I will be on the LPGA Tour next year. It has been my goal since I turned pro at the start of 2021, and I’m so proud to have earned it through the Epson Tour. It means the world and is something that every little girl playing golf strives to do, so to be able to have status for next year and play in the tournaments that I grew up watching on TV is such a great feeling. I’m super excited for 2024.”

2: Natasha Andrea Oon, 22 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) – $149,670

Natasha Andrea Oon has been a player to watch since her Epson Tour debut in March. The 2023 rookie started her season strong with four top-10 results in her first five starts. The Malaysian showed consistency, carding four second-place results before capturing a win late in the season at Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout presented by Pepsico, ultimately earning herself 2023 Epson Tour Rookie of the Year honors. Oon was able to clinch her card with two events left, following her first professional win, and will be an LPGA Tour rookie in 2024.

Oon on earning 2024 LPGA Tour Membership: “It’s so surreal, but it’s sunken in for sure. I’m excited for next year, mostly looking at the players I grew up watching, seeing them in front of you on the driving range on a daily basis, learning through them and how they walk, talk and handle themselves. I am in awe of them for sure, so I’m looking forward to learning from them and looking forward to competing with them.”

3: Auston Kim, 23 (St. Augustine, Florida) – $119,882

Kim joined the Epson Tour in 2022 and capped off her sophomore season by winning the Epson Tour Championship to secure her LPGA Tour card for the 2024 season. Kim has 11 career top-10 finishes on the Epson Tour, 10 of which came in 2023, including her season-ending victory. Her second-round 64 at the Epson Tour Championship tied her career-low round on the Epson Tour which she last shot during the second round of the Island Resort Championship.

Kim on earning 2024 LPGA Tour Membership: “I can't even describe it. It's been such a long year for me. Not just me, but for my family. My mom has been on the bag all year. My dad, my coach has been there 24/7. There have been a lot of rough times, a lot of tears.  Couple events ago I felt like I couldn't even make a cut again, but with the help of my dad and my sister, my entire family, I was able to get through that and push through. Last week was really hard because I felt like my game was there. I had one really upsetting round and my putting just wasn't working second round, too. To be able to break through that wall and know that I was knocking the entire time and just believing in myself 100%, – oh, my God, I can't even describe the feeling. All those hours I stayed working hard with my parents and with my mom on the bag all year, I'm really glad it came to fruition.”

4: Jiwon Jeon, 26 (Daegu, Republic of Korea) – $115,772

Since Jeon’s first season on the Epson Tour in 2022, she has had an impressive resume, recording five top-10 career finishes and two career victories. While playing 10 events in 2022 and 21 events in 2023, the Republic of Korea native missed just four cuts and has amassed a career earnings total of $157,345. Both of her victories and one additional top-10 finish occurred this year, helping her vault up in the Race for the Card and secure her card for her return to the LPGA Tour with two events left to play on the schedule.

Jeon on earning 2024 LPGA Tour Membership: “I can’t even describe how I’m feeling. I’ve been working really hard for this moment, and I’m getting really emotional right now. It’s been a ride, so many ups and downs, but I proved to myself this year that I’m good enough to play on the LPGA Tour. Two wins this year means a lot and proved to myself that I deserve to win and to play on the LPGA Tour, so I’m very happy.”

5: Minji Kang, 28 (Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea) – $112,342

Minji Kang is one of three Epson Tour rookies to secure their spot on the LPGA Tour through the 2023 Race for the Card and is one of three players to earn their card without a win. She played in all 22 events in the 2023 Epson Tour season, finishing in the top 10 a total of eight times and missing the cut twice throughout the year. The Republic of Korea native will make her LPGA Tour debut in 2024.

Kang on earning 2024 LPGA Tour Membership: “Like when I start the season this year my goal was to be inside top 10 and get into LPGA, and I'm very happy to achieve my goal this year. Yeah, I'm so happy now. I can't be in this position without my coaches. I really want to thank to him like so much.”

6: Agathe Laisne, 24 (Paris, France) – $109,060

After finishing T22 at 2021 LPGA Q-Series, the Frenchwoman earned LPGA Tour Membership for the 2022 season, making just three cuts in her rookie campaign. She played in three Epson Tour events in March 2022, making two cuts and earning $2,924. In 2023, Laisne spent the majority of her time on the Epson Tour playing in a total of 20 events and grabbing a victory as well as five additional top-10 finishes. She will return to the LPGA Tour in 2024 with full status.

Laisne on earning 2024 LPGA Tour Membership: “I have a little headache, but I feel very pumped. I want to celebrate tonight, and I just feel so happy because my friend got in, Kristen Gillman, just at the end, so I feel even more happy for her and for us next season to share it. It's going to be sweet. Yeah, it's so good because you put the hard work in and it pays off at the end of the season. It is a great feeling.”

7: Jenny Coleman, 31 (Rolling Hills Estates, California) – $106,137

Coleman will return to the LPGA Tour in 2024 after a season of conditional status in 2023. After playing in 23 Epson Tour and three LPGA Tour events this year, she has found herself within the top 10 in the Race for the Card once again. She earned her first career Epson Tour victory at the IOA Golf Classic presented by LPT Realty and earned three additional top-10 finishes to finish seventh on the official money list. In 2016, she finished T29 at the 2016 LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament to first earn LPGA Tour Membership for the 2017 season.

Coleman on earning 2024 LPGA Tour Membership: “So excited to have done it, and it's there and ready to go after it next season. Just super proud of staying patient and staying strong and getting back to the LPGA full-time. I'm looking forward to having a full schedule out there. Wasn't going to have a full schedule this year, and now really looking forward to playing everything I can get in.”

8: Roberta Liti, 28 (Siena, Italy) – $103,913

Roberta Liti had her best season since joining the Epson Tour in 2019. Liti earned conditional status with a T38 finish at 2022 LPGA Q-Series but opted to spend most of her 2023 season on the Epson Tour. The decision worked out for Liti as she went on to have the best season of her career, finishing in the top 10 six times. The Italian was not able to secure her first professional win during her 2023 campaign, but she has regained a spot on the LPGA Tour for the 2024 season.

Liti on earning 2024 LPGA Tour Membership: “It's been a stressful season. You just come down the stretch and just the final push and every week holds more and more weight. So just a big relief as of today. It hasn't sunk in yet, so I think it'll take some time. It's definitely great for me to just like have made the choice to play out here instead of LPGA, which was just giving up on the lifetime dream, hoping to make top 10, and I'm just glad it paid off. So I think that's the biggest thing."

9: Isabella Fierro, 22 (Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico) – $103,290

Since beginning her rookie season on the Epson Tour in March 2023, Isabella Fierro played in 22 events and a good year turned great for the 22-year-old in September as she recorded three consecutive top-10 finishes before capping off the month with her first career victory. The Mexico native only missed four cuts in her first professional season and will look to make her debut on the LPGA Tour in 2024.

Fierro on earning 2024 LPGA Tour Membership: “It hasn't sunk in yet. I knew my chances were good this week. I've been playing very solid. But nothing is done in golf; anything can happen. I'm so grateful that I have all of my team here, and I was just grateful from the beginning and it paid off. I think it's going to take a few weeks to sink in, but I'm so excited. I started playing golf when I was four years old and (my dad) was the one who got me into the sport, and that's got me my dream of being the No. 1 player in the world, and we're one step closer. So it was jut awesome having both of my parents with me. I'm just very grateful for them.”

10: Kristen Gillman, 26 (Austin, Texas) – $95,701

Gillman was both an Epson and LPGA Tour rookie in 2019 but did not compete on the Epson Tour until 2022. Since then, she has earned five career top-10 finishes, the best of which was a runner-up at this year’s French Lick Resort Charity Classic. On the LPGA Tour, the 26-year-old has recorded five career top-10 results, most notably tying for third as a rookie at the 2019 Buick LPGA Shanghai. She first earned LPGA Tour Membership after finishing T13 at 2018 LPGA Q-Series to earn status for the 2019 season. As an amateur, Gillman won the 2014 and 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateurs.

Gillman on earning 2024 LPGA Tour Membership: “I’m excited to get back out there. I feel like my game has improved a lot and I've learned a lot as a player, so I'm excited to go out there and kind of put into play what I learned and see how it compares against them again.”