Tour and Events

Melanie Green Earns Come-From-Behind Victory at the Island Resort Championship

Ted Odorico June 24, 2025

510353503_18516290536025102_7778482759655721204_n

Tours and Events

When the final round of the Island Resort Championship began late Sunday morning, Melanie Green was in a tie for fifth with four other players, two shots back of the leader. A dark horse, Green fired off an impressive 7-under, 65, to take the solo lead and hope it stuck through the end.

The bogey-free round was just what the New York native needed to secure her first professional victory, even more impressive after finishing her second round in the morning before heading back out onto the course to go for the win. Green started hot, carding five birdies in her first 11 holes, but it was the eagle on the par-4 14th that all but secured the victory.

With golfers still left on the course, the 23-year-old wasn’t quite sure what the official outcome would be. She immediately headed to the putting green to begin preparing for a playoff.

Melanie Green wins her first Epson Tour event the 2025 Island Resort Championship

“As I was walking off the green, I didn’t know that I had won yet. Obviously, there was a girl behind me who had a really nice finish as well,” said Green. “So, as I was walking from the putting green after I realized all that, that was a pretty special walk.”

The victory moves Green to fourth in the Race for the Card rankings at the halfway point of the season, a prime position to earn her LPGA Tour card. The 2025 rookie has made seven cuts in 10 starts, earning four top-10 finishes and proving that her game is good enough to compete against the best in the world.

In addition to winning the tournament, Green secured the Pure Michigan Cup, earning $10,000 in bonus money. Representatives from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship, Great Lakes Championship at the Highlands presented by Johnnie Walker, and Island Resort Championship awarded the Cup. Riley Smyth and Samantha Wagner earned second ($6,000) and third place ($4,000), respectively.

“It’s an amazing bonus to top off the Michigan swing,” said Green. “Getting the points to get my LPGA card is most important but sponsors willing to donate to the Epson Tour to get us athletes some bonus money is incredibly generous and sweet.”

Kate Smith-Stroh finished the tournament in solo second, her best career Epson Tour finish to date. After spending three years on the Official Qualifying Tour, the 26-year-old earned her LPGA Tour card through the final stage of the 2024 LPGA Q-Series but has struggled early in the season. The 2025 LPGA rookie has made four cuts in 10 starts and will bring confidence from the top Epson Tour finish back to the biggest stage in women’s golf next week at the DOW Championship.

“It’s actually my best finish on the Epson Tour. I’ve had a tie for a second,” said Smith-Stroh. “It’s been a really hard last month and a half, as a rookie on the LPGA, so it’s really reassuring about where my game’s at and that I’m heading in the right direction, so it has been awesome.”

Samantha Bruce and Amari Avery rounded out the top five, in a share of fourth at 9-under. Bruce signed for a 3-under final round that consisted of two birdies, an eagle and a bogey, while Avery, the first-and-second-round leader, put together an even-par round to stay in the top five.

The Official Qualifying Tour of the LPGA heads to Columbus, Ind., next week for the second annual Otter Creek Championship. The tournament will be played from June 27-29, with Green teeing it up looking for back-to-back wins.

Release by: Epson Tour Communications

BAKER CRUISES TO COSTA NAVARINO TITLE

Ted Odorico June 14, 2025

Tours and Events

The former Ryder Cup player started the day one shot behind overnight leader Paul Lawrie, but Baker had taken the lead by the 4^th hole, and he never looked back as he completed a bogey-free week and strolled to the title with a -16 total. Baker made a steady start on the International Olympic Academy Golf Course with three pars before his first birdie of the day at the 4^th. Even though Lawrie birdied the opening hole, the 1999 Open champion then double bogeyed the 3^rd and bogeyed the 4^th, so Baker’s one-shot deficit became a two-stroke advantage.

The 2023 Order of Merit number one didn’t give anyone else a sniff from that point as he also picked up shots at the 6^th and 7^th to go out in 33 and make the turn four shots clear. He improved to -14 at the par-5 11^th, and another gain at the 15^th gave him a five-shot cushion with three to play. The 57-year-old completed the full set of par-5 birdies on the penultimate hole and two-putted from long range at 18 to seal a bogey-free week and a supremely impressive victory.

“I’m absolutely delighted,” said the three-time DP World Tour winner. “It was a tough day. The wind was a little bit different, a little bit stronger today. It was difficult out there, so we had to adapt, and I managed to do that early on. I played nicely and putted nicely today. I holed-out well and holed a couple of longer ones, which you’ve got to do to win.

“It was just one of those days when you try not to make any mistakes, and I didn’t drop a shot all week, which is a massive thing, really. I was really grinding there at the last from about 40 feet, because I didn’t want to give that bogey-free record away.”

The champion played consistently well all week with two 67s in the first two rounds at the Olympic and Hills courses, before adding today’s 66 to get his hands on the trophy. Baker followed up top spot on the Order of Merit in 2023 by finishing 2^nd on the season-long points list last season, and this victory lifts him from 7^th to 2^nd in this season’s standings. He has also finished tied-2^nd in the OFX Irish Legends and tied-4^th at the Staysure Marbella Legends in 2025.

“I want to contend for the Order of Merit again,” said Baker. “I want to try and play well throughout the year and win tournaments. That’s always been my goal. If you’ve got a chance in the Order of Merit, then great. There are a lot of good players out here, a lot of winners, so it’ll be up and down through the year, but you just keep going and keep trying your best.”

Lawrie remained in solo-2^nd for much of the day but a triple-bogey at the 14^th, a bogey at the 16^th and a triple-bogey at the 18^th saw him slip down the leaderboard. He signed for a 79 to finish tied-17^th on -4.

In the end, it was reigning Sergio Melpignano Senior Italian Open champion Thomas Gögele and recent OFX Irish Legends winner James Kingston who finished in tied-2^nd on -10. Gögele had five birdies and one bogey in his 68, while Kingston recovered from a +1 front nine with four birdies on the way home to seal a 69. They improve to 12^th and 3^rd on the Order of Merit, respectively.

PGA Tour winner Bo Van Pelt had a -9 total for the week to finish in 4^th. The American was out in 32, including an eagle at the 1^st, and he had one birdie and one bogey on the back nine to shoot 68 in his first regular Legends Tour start. He missed the cut on his seniors debut in the Senior PGA Championship a couple of weeks ago. Former Ryder Cup player and Legends Tour rookie Stephen Gallacher is into the top-10 of the Order of Merit thanks to a 5^th-place finish. There was a four-way tie for 6^th on -7, including debutant Anthony Wall, former Ryder Cup player Joakim Haeggman and DP World Tour winners Maarten Lafeber and Philip Golding. Order of Merit number one Scott Hend was a shot further back in tied-10^th, alongside Robert Coles, Greg Owen and Simon Griffiths.

The Legends Tour now heads to a major championship with the US Senior Open at The Broadmoor GC, Colorado, next week. The next regular event is the Reignwood Legends Championship in China from July 4^th-6^th.

For more information on the Legends Tour go to www.legendstour.com

For media accreditation or requests contact press@legendstour.com

Samantha Wagner Takes Home First Win

Ted Odorico June 8, 2025

ET25_FireKeepers_RD3_Champ_Wagner-Samantha-1-2000x1125

Tours and Events

When the final round of the 2025 FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship began, Samantha Wagner was two shots back of the 36-hole leaders, Yana Wilson and Samantha Vodry. By the end of the day, she was two shots clear of Sophia Schubert and hoisting her first Epson Tour trophy on the 18th green. For the majority of the day, it was anyone’s tournament to win, but Wagner was the one who took it and ran.

The veteran started off slow, making a bogey on her first hole for the day. That would be the only one, however, with the next 17 holes being almost flawless. It started immediately, rolling in her first birdie of eight on hole two. Three pars followed, and then the next birdie came, with another coming two holes later just before the turn.

At the turn, Wagner was in the hunt, but not in control of the lead. A disappointing par on the Par-5 10th was followed by another par on the 11th. The 12th hole was when everything started to click for the 28-year-old, making her first birdie of the back nine.

She followed it up with three more birdies, making it four in a row before a par on the difficult Par-3 16th broke the streak. At this point, Wagner held the solo lead, chasing down the clubhouse lead at 11-under set by Sophia Schubert. One more birdie came on 17, extending her lead to two coming down 18. It was business as usual for Wagner, hitting the fairway and then a green in regulation. A two-putt sealed the two-shot victory for her first win on the Epson Tour.

“It’s finally sinking in, this is awesome,” said Wagner after her win. “I think for me, a lot of it was taking a step back and really trying not to think about winning and just really focusing on my process. I’ve been told by many people that if I keep doing that, eventually it’ll pay off, so I really just had to lean in and trust that. It’s been a long time, so it’s nice to see that finally come through. It just feels great moving forward.”

Schubert pushed Wagner till the very end, making three birdies in her last four holes to try and close the gap. This is the second time this year the Tennessee native has put together a final-round push, coming up just short both times. At the Atlantic Beach Classic presented by Access Golf in March, she posted a 63 in the final round to finish runner-up as well. Schubert continues to impress, now sitting at No. 2 in the Race for the Card, despite not finding a way into the winner’s circle just yet.

“I think it’s just the chase for me. I play better when I’m trying to chase,” said Schubert. “I’ve been in contention a couple times this year in the last group, and I don’t know, it was a lot of pressure, and I feel like just not be the last group trying to chase the leader is where I love to be, and so I’m competitive that way, and I seem to play better that way.”

The Epson Tour heads to Harbor Springs, Michigan, next week for the inaugural playing of the Great Lakes Championship. Tournament play will begin June 13th, with play concluding on Sunday, June 15th. Both Wagner and Schubert will be in the 144-player field, looking for another opportunity to find themselves in the winner’s circle.

Provided by: Epson Tour Communications