Epson Celebrates 2022 Epson Tour Championship Graduating Class

- Epson Tour Top 10 Heading to the LPGA Features Players from Seven Countries -

- TOKYO, Japan and DAYTONA BEACH, USA, October 19, 2022 -

Epson, a worldwide technology leader, today recognized the close of the Epson Tour Championship and acknowledged the 2022 graduating class of top players awarded LPGA Tour Membership. Committed to advancing the professional careers of extraordinary women golfers, the official qualifying tour of the LPGA has helped 182 players graduate to the LPGA, including this year's top 10.

Supporting the players onsite at this year's Championship Tournament in Daytona Beach, Senior Managing Executive Officer of Epson Koichi Kubota said, "Congratulations to all the talented women who competed on the Epson Tour this year and a special congratulations to the top 10 finishers in the Race for the Card who fulfilled their dreams of making it to the LGPA. Epson and the LPGA share a commitment to diversity, to encouraging talented female athletes to pursue their dreams, and to inspiring future women leaders by providing them with role models. Today, we are excited to have 10 new role models."

As the official "Road to the LPGA," the Epson Tour supports all the competitors throughout the qualifying tour, sending the top 10 finishers to the LPGA. In its 42nd year of competition, the Epson Tour is the most established women's qualifying tour in the world. Congratulations to the 2022 Epson Tour graduates, including:

  • No. 1 Linnea Ström, 25 (Hovas, Sweden) - $119,190
  • No. 2 Xiaowen Yin, 17 (Tianjin, China) - $118,860
  • No. 3 Lucy Li, 20 (Redwood Shores, Calif., USA) - $110,111
  • No. 4 Kiira Riihijarvi, 25 (Oulu, Finland) - $90,483
  • No. 5 Grace Kim, 21 (Sydney, Australia) - $89,720
  • No. 6 Celine Borge, 24 (Tonsberg, Norway) - $89,710
  • No. 7 Gabriella Then, 26 (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., USA) - $86,578
  • No. 8 Gina Kim, 22 (Durham, N.C., USA) - $82,133
  • No. 9 Yan Liu, 24 (Fujian, China) - $80,139
  • No. 10 Hyo Joon Jang, 19 (Seoul, Republic of Korea) - $78,611

Epson Tour Ambassador and 2022 lead player Linnea Ström said, "I'm very excited to have earned my LPGA card back for next year. After really struggling last season, my main goal for this season was to earn my card back, but it was also to find happiness again and enjoy playing golf. I'm extremely proud that I achieved that goal this season."

The LPGA continues to expand efforts to support women across the sport with three cards handed out from 1999-2002, then five handed out from 2003-2007, to the current 10 cards distributed since 2008.

About the Epson Tour
The Epson Tour is the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour and enters its 42nd competitive season in 2022. The Tour's mission is to prepare the world's most promising women professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour. Expanding from 16 tournaments and $1.7 million in prize money to $4 million in prize money awarded over the course of 24 tournaments, more than 435 LPGA titles have been won by former Tour players. Previous Epson Tour graduates include 27-time LPGA winner Lorena Ochoa of Mexico, Olympic gold medalists Inbee Park from the Republic of Korea and Nelly Korda of the United States.

About Epson
Epson is a global technology leader whose philosophy of efficient, compact and precise innovation enriches lives and helps create a better world. The company is focused on solving societal issues through innovations in home and office printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing, visual and lifestyle. Epson's goal is to become carbon negative and eliminate use of exhaustible underground resources such as oil and metal by 2050.
Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of more than JPY 1 trillion.
corporate.epson/en/

About the LPGA
The LPGA is the world's leading professional golf organization for women, with a goal to change the face of golf by making the sport more accessible and inclusive.
Created in 1950 by 13 Founders, the Association celebrates a diverse and storied history. The LPGA Tour competes across the globe, reaching television audiences in more than 220 countries. The Epson Tour (formerly Symetra Tour), the LPGA's official qualifying tour, consistently produces a pipeline of talent ready for the world stage. The LPGA also holds a joint-venture collaboration with the Ladies European Tour (LET), increasing playing opportunities for female golfers in Europe. Across the three Tours, the LPGA represents players in more than 60 countries.
Additionally, the LPGA Foundation has empowered and supported girls and women since 1991, most notably through LPGA*USGA Girls Golf, the only national program of its kind, which annually engages with nearly 100,000 girls. The LPGA Amateur Golf Association and LPGA Women's Network provide virtual and in-person connections to female golfers around the world, while LPGA Professionals are educators, business leaders and gamechangers dedicated to growing the game of golf for everyone.
Follow the LPGA on its U.S. television home, Golf Channel, online at www.LPGA.com and on its mobile apps. Join the social conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.


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