SINGAPORE – Amanda Tan has become the first Singaporean to earn a card for the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Epson Tour, the second tier of the women’s professional circuit in the United States.
She gained her 2023 status at the LPGA Q-Series, the final stage of qualifying for the leading LPGA Tour, in Alabama.
The top-45 and ties earned status for the LPGA Tour. Tan missed out on this but by finishing 70th on two-over 572 and completing all four pre-cut rounds, she earned her Epson Tour status.
Tan, 23, said she was looking forward to competing on the Epson Tour, which in 2022 featured 21 tournaments with prize purses ranging from US$200,000 (S$270,753) to US$335,000.
Sweden’s Linnea Strom won the money list having earned US$119,190. The top-10 earned fully exempt cards for the 2023 LPGA Tour season.
Tan wrote on Instagram: “Disappointed I didn’t get the LPGA Tour card this week but I am looking forward to playing on the Epson Tour next year.
“I am thankful for all the opportunities I had while playing in the US this year. It has definitely been an amazing experience on and off the golf course which has allowed me to learn so much from it.
“I couldn’t have done it without all the support, especially from my parents, family and coach.”
Her achievement is hugely significant for both the women’s and Singapore golf scene. Her peer Koh Sock Hwee was one of the Republic’s top female amateurs and tried unsuccessfully several times to qualify for the LPGA Tour in America. She eventually competed on the China and Taiwan LPGA Tours.
No local male golfer has played on either the US-based PGA Tour or its developmental Korn Ferry Tour. Mardan Mamat did compete on the European Tour for several seasons and also won five Asian Tour events while Lam Chih Bing made the cut at the 2008 British Open and won once on the Asian Tour.
Tan, who clinched a bronze medal in the women’s team event at the 2015 SEA Games, turned professional in 2017.
In August 2021, she outplayed her fellow male professional golfers to become the first woman to win on the FTAG Singapore Pro Series Invitational.
