The Epson Tour continues to its last stretch this week, stopping in Garden City, Kan., for the 2026 Dream Bank Charity Classic. Last week, rookie Megha Ganne dominated the field at the Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic, where she earned her first professional win.
Play for the twelfth edition of the tournament will be contested at Buffalo Dunes Golf Course on Aug. 28-30, 2026. Champion of the 2023 Dream First Bank Charity Classic, Gabriela Ruffels holds both the 54-hole and 18-hole course record at 197 and 62, respectively. Ruffles shares the 18-hole record with Isabella Fierro, who also shot 62 in 2023.
This week’s purse is $200,000, with $30,000 and 500 Race for the Card points for the winner. Last year’s winner, Yana Wilson, gained her LPGA status and went on to win the 2026 Dow Championship her rookie year.
Who to Watch at the 2026 Dream First Bank Charity Classic
From sponsor invites to players getting their start in the professional golf world, this week’s field won’t disappoint.
Kaitlyn Papp Budde: Looking to Get Into the Bubble
Sitting at No. 20 in the Race for the Card points is University of Texas alum Kaitlyn Papp Budde. Of her 15 starts this 2026 season, Pappe Budde has made 11 cuts. Her best finish was T2 at the Atlantic Beach Classic back in March, also finishing T4 at the Four Winds Invitational. In 2025, she made 12 of 15 cuts and recorded a T5 at the Guardian Championship.
During her time at the University of Texas, Papp Budde was a two-time All-American and holds the Texas school record for a stroke average of 71.91. Throughout her four years on the team, she had 19 top-ten finishes. At the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open, the former Longhorn finished T9 as an amateur.
Carla Bernat Escuder: Decorated Newcomer Joins Tour
Spain’s Carla Bernat Escuder has already shown fans what to expect from her on tour. Only missing one cut this season, Bernat has seen 2nd place, T3 and T5 already this season. She is currently No. 9 in the Race for the Card points.
At only 23-years-old, she was a member of the Spanish Girls National Team, competed in the 2025 Chevron Championship, the Amundi Evian Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open. In 2025, she made history by becoming the first Spanish woman to win the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Champion.
At Kansas State University, Bernat was First Team All-American in 2024 and 2025, along with being named Big 12 Women’s Golfer of the Year for both years as well. The Castellón, Spain, native is one to watch with her recent momentum.
Kotomi Fukutake: Epson Tour Special Exemption
New to tour this week is 16-year-old Kotomi Fukutake from Osaka, Japan. She won the LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Championship at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club this summer by shooting 8-under. The next three rounds will expose Fukutake to professional golf and the Epson Tour, a place she hopes to be one day.
Sponsor Invites: Hannah Arnold and Alice Duan
Hannah Arnold is no stranger to the Epson Tour. She’s played on tour since 2015 and for the past two years has competed in the Dream First Bank Charity Classic. While attending high school, Darnold was named first-team all-district all four years on the varsity team. She helped her team earn three district titles in four seasons. The Texas Tech alum won the first flight at the Women’s Texas Pro-Am in 2008. A player who continues to make her way back to tour, Arnold’s experience and sunny disposition will prove to be an advantage this weekend.
Back on tour since a hiatus for the majority of the 2026 season, Alice Duan has scored the other sponsor invite. In 2023, Duan entered 20 events and made seven cuts. The Nevada native was the 2018 West Coast Women’s Amateur champion and was tied third on her team in stroke average at the University of Washington. She won the Washington Women’s Amateur and was named the Washington Golf Women’s Player of the Year in 2020. In 2023, Duan won the Arizona Women’s Open at 9-under.
