FLORIDA — It’s still a long way to go for Filipinos hoping to catch a permanent seat in the LPGA.
So far, the closest they’ve got was Clariss Guce, the 33-year-old United States-based shot-maker who is now at 31st in the money list of the Epson Tour — the basis for making it to the big league.
Dottie Ardina ranks 51st, Pauline del Rosario 75th, Bianca Pagdanganan 76th, and Abegail Arevalo 81st. The Epson Tour picks only the top 10.
Still, Ardina and Pagdanganan have the luxury of swinging back and forth the Epson Tour and the LPGA on account of their previous performances.
Just the same, Guce, Del Rosario, and Arevalo will see action in the Epson Tour Championship slated 5 to 8 October at the LPGA International Jones Course in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Ardina secured a T4 finish last year which was won by Thai Jaravee Boonchant.
Come Sunday, there will be 10 new full-status members heading to the LPGA Tour for the 2024 season.
Three spots have already been mathematically clinched, with the other seven spots still up for grabs. While some players sit in more comfortable positions than others, the 2023 Epson Tour Championship will be one to remember.
Heading into the Epson Tour Championship, seven players have already broken the $100,000 mark for their season earnings, three more than any other Epson Tour season ever.
Gabriela Ruffels and Natasha Andrea Oon also have a chance to break the all-time Epson Tour money record set by Madelene Sagstrom during the 2016 season, who banked $167,064 in just 15 events played.