For the first time in five years, the Epson Tour has crowned an amateur champion.
Local superstar Mia Hammond joins current Epson Tour member, Sarah White, as the eighth amateur to win on the Official Qualifying Tour of the LPGA. White took home the trophy at the 2020 Founders Tribute at Longbow Golf Club after getting into the tournament the same way as Hammond, via a sponsor exemption. Hammond’s victory comes with a cherry on top, however, as she claimed the trophy in her home state in a professional setting on a course she has played twice before as an amateur.
The whole week felt like a win was meant to be for the 17-year-old. On Friday, she snuck in her round before play was suspended for the day due to darkness, beating the horn by just a few minutes. The second round was the same, as Hammond narrowly avoided inclement weather this time, finishing her second round within minutes of suspension.
While the breaks were falling her way, her play on the course is what separated the local amateur from the 101 professionals in the field as Hammond, who was the youngest player in the field in Sylvania, Ohio, seemed like the most poised. She put together back-to-back bogey-free rounds of 66 to hold a three-shot lead over Japanese rookie Erika Hara.
“It hasn’t set in yet, but it’s unreal,” said Hammond. “This week was a grind, I’ll admit, especially today, coming down the stretch. I’ve never cried like that on a course before, and it’s the most emotional I’ve felt in a very, very, very long time. First time I’ve ever cried happy tears, I’ll say that. It’s so surreal.”
Her first bogey of the tournament came after Hammond had already made 11 birdies on the week. The par-5 7th hole was the lone blemish on the amateur’s card on Sunday at Highland Meadows Golf Club, but she got the shot back just two holes later with a birdie on nine. Her back nine was steady to start, as Hammond made five pars to begin her closing stretch. A birdie on 15 then moved Hammond two shots ahead of the pack, but she ended up giving it right back with a bogey on 16.
“Looking back on it, after the first bogey, I kind of got pretty nervous again,” said Hammond. “Hit a bad tee shot on eight, and then I was like, ‘Okay. You just need to reset. You’ve been in this situation over the past year, more times than one,’ more times than I’d like to admit. And those are new experiences.”
The professionals in the field made Hammond earn it, refusing to go down without a fight. Coming down the stretch, Amanda Doherty, Yue Ren and Erika Hara all made birdies on the closing hole of the tournament to tie Hammond at 11-under. As most seasoned champions do, Hammond responded and responded with authority. A drive down the middle of the fairway on the reachable par-5 18th hole set Hammond up for the biggest shot of her young career. A perfectly hit approach caught the front part of the green, giving the local around 45 feet for an eagle three.
Needing only two putts to win, Hammond ran her first putt just a foot by the hole, setting up a tap-in to win her first event on the professional scene.
“If you would have told me two years ago that I was going to win this event, I would have told you you were stupid and probably just walked away, to be honest,” said the New Albany, Ohio, native. “I’ve come a long way in those two years. I’ve matured a lot as a person. And it’s just super special to be back in this place and somewhere that means so much to me.”
Article by: Epson Tour Communications
