Mexico’s Lauren Olivares brought home the victory over fellow Epson Tour rookie Kaleiya Romero at the 2026 Great Lakes Championship following a birdie on the first playoff hole at No. 18. Heading into the final round, both Olivares and Romero were five shots back of Aussie golfer Jennifer Elliot.
After what would turn out to be a rare bogey for Olivares on No. 2, the NC State alum birdied four of her final seven holes Sunday. And while she parred on the final hole, she rallied against Romero with a birdie the next time around in the only playoff hole of the day.
“I was so present, shot by shot, hole by hole. I was not even thinking about the holes before or after,” Olivares said. “[The playoff] was just another hole, another shot. We don’t have to make it bigger than that. Nothing to lose.”
Olivares, who was supported by her boyfriend on the bag this weekend in Harbor Springs, became a fan favorite. Not only does this victory propel Olivares in the Race for the Card list and contention for the Pure Michigan Cup, but the holiday added even more meaning to it all.
“My dad came last week. Just sad he was not here this week because I know he wanted to come to this one,” she said. “I guess it was a gift from my dad.”
Olivares is now in second place in the Race for the Card Points list, narrowing in on Amari Avery by 13 points.
Romero, who also shot a 66 on Sunday prior to the playoff hole, rallied with eight consecutive birdies on the day before a bogey on 18 in regulation. Her solo second finish this weekend is her best so far this season; the Oregon graduate has yet to miss a cut in her rookie campaign.
Not far behind were 36-hole leader Jennifer Elliott, Malaysia’s Mirabel Ting, Spanish star Carla Bernat Escuder, and Race for the Card leader Amari Avery, all finishing at 10-under. Prior to Romero and Olivares’s stretches down the back nine, Bernat Escuder’s four consecutive birdies on the front nine placed the Spaniard in a prime spot for a potential victory at The Highlands.
“I hit the ball very close today and I actually capitalized whenever I had those opportunities,” Escuder said. “I think the back nine was maybe a little more shaky. I’ve had a couple intrusive thoughts about the score and where I was at, but I’m pretty happy with the result.”
Megha Ganne was another golfer signing a scorecard on Sunday with a round of 6-under. The recent Stanford graduate and two-time national champion narrowly made the cut on Saturday, regaining momentum in her favor following a first-round of 76. Ganne rallied with a 5-under round on Saturday to make the cut, ultimately finishing with a bogey-free final round that landed her T12 in her professional debut.
Reagan Zibilski placed T29 at the Great Lakes Championship, totaling 4-under overall on the weekend. With bogeys on No. 5, No. 13 and No. 18, Zibilski tallied a 73 on the day.
Kary Hollenbaugh and Emily Odwin, who were amongst the top golfers in Augusta a couple months ago with Zibilski and Ganne, missed the cut this weekend. The low round of the day came from Samantha Wagner, whose 7-under-65 helped the Epson Tour winner continue her streak of top 20 finishes with a T7 on Sunday.
