The Michigan swing continues on, and the ladies of the Epson Tour are headed up north to Harbor Springs for this year’s rendition of the Great Lakes Championship at the Highlands.
Epson Tour rookie Lauryn Nguyen is coming off her first career professional victory last week, and could potentially be the first to win consecutive tournaments this season on Sunday. Not only is the Race for the Card and purse money up for grabs, but so is the Pure Michigan Cup, awarded to the woman with the most points in the three Michigan events.
Competing at The Heather Course at The Highlands, the women on the Epson Tour will face erratic conditions typical of Michigan summers, combined with the typical difficulties on a golf course that was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr.
From Georgia to the Great Lakes: Megha Ganne, Emily Odwin, Kary Hollenbaugh and Reagan Zibilski
Just two months after the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, some of the most notable names and rising stars are getting their fair share of professional starts, both on the Epson Tour and the LPGA. While last week was focused on ANWA favorite Kiara Romero’s sister, Kaleiya, this week’s field includes other notables from the most prestigious amateur event in the game. New Jersey native Megha Ganne, Barbados’ Emily Odwin, Ohio State alumna Kary Hollenbaugh and Arkansas’ Reagan Zibilski will tee off in northern Michigan on Friday.
For most of the collegiate season, Ganne and Hollenbaugh stood among the top 5 in the LPGA Collegiate Advancement Pathway (LCAP) standings. Ganne graduated from Stanford just days before helping her team to their second NCAA team championship in three years. Ganne was also granted the Inkster Award presented by Workday earlier this month for her excellence as a female golfer who stayed for all four years of eligibility. Heading into this year’s ANWA as one of the resounding favorites, Ganne missed the cut in her sixth appearance at the event and is hoping to propel herself back on track with her first professional victory.
Kary Hollenbaugh packed a big punch this year in Big Ten women’s golf, finishing at No. 5 in the LCAP rankings in May. The Ohio native is no stranger to the professional game, having made two appearances on the LPGA Tour last season (ShopRite LPGA Classic, U.S. Women’s Open). In her two starts at the ANWA, she finished T22 and MC, respectively. The Big Ten Championship silver medalist strives to strike for gold – that is, in the form of her first professional victory.
Odwin, who played collegiately at SMU, is making her second career start on the Epson Tour (FireKeepers Casino Championship – MC). A native of the island country of Barbados, she became the first golfer from the Caribbean to compete at the ANWA, where she finished T27. Odwin was also the first golfer from Barbados to qualify for a major when she competed at last year’s U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills. With a win this week, she would continue her streak of history-making; she’d become just the ninth amateur to win on the Epson Tour.
Of the key ANWA starters in this week’s field, Zibilski is the most promising. Finishing No. 6 in the LCAP standings in May, the former Arkansas golfer finished T6 in last week’s FireKeepers Championship, her first Epson Tour event. She shot below par in each of the three rounds and placed six shots back of fellow rookie and champion Lauryn Nguyen. The Razorbacks are familiar with professional success, churning out stars like Zibilski’s teammate Maria Jose Marin (this year’s ANWA Champion), fan-favorite Maria Fassi (who is also competing this week) and future hall-of-famer Stacy Lewis.
Sponsor Invites: Jie-En Lin (a) and Addison Kartusch (a)
Jie-En Lin (a) of Chinese Taipei is making her second start on the Epson Tour (2026 FireKeepers Championship) by way of an exemption through her status on the Taiwan LPGA Tour (TLPGA). Lin was the youngest to ever qualify for the Taiwan National Team in 2024, and at just 15 years, 8 months and 27 days, was one of the youngest to ever qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open this year. She missed the cut last week at 4-over par but could prove to be one of the more impressive storylines in Harbor Springs this weekend.
Canadian golfer Addison Kartusch (a) will make her first professional start this week as a sponsor invite of the Epson Tour. Kartusch just finished her sophomore season at Bowling Green State University, where she became the first woman in program history to win a postseason tournament and set program records for low round and low 36-hole performances. Coming off a stellar junior career in Canada could prove to be an advantage for the two-time Manitoba Junior Champion, especially given the known difficulty of the Heather Course.
