Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. — The Epson Tour is slated to return to Mission Inn Resort & Club in just two months’ time for the fourth straight year. The Inova Mission Inn Resort & Club Championship will take place from May 26-28th at the El Campeón Golf Course.
One hundred and forty-four individuals will compete in a 54-hole, stroke-play format for $200,000 and a winner’s share of $30,000. A cut will be made to the low 60 and ties after 36 holes. Before the tournament begins, there will be two scramble pro-ams. On May 24th and 25th, one professional will tee it up with three amateurs for some fun.
“[The win] was a bit unexpected, but that win was the turning point of my career. I took that confidence, and I went out and put up some good scores at the LPGA ShopRite Classic presented by Acer and LPGA Meijer Classic for Simply Give,” said Gina Kim, winner of the 2022 Inova Mission Inn Resort & Club Championship. “That gave me a chance to play in two majors – the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and The Amundi Evian Championship – so I just want to give a huge shoutout [to the Inova Mission Inn Resort & Club Championship] for making this girl’s dreams come true. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for them; they really made a change in my career.”
Three of the 19 champions on the 2022 Epson Tour are currently entered to play in this year’s Inova Mission Inn Resort & Club Championship. Jillian Hollis, Daniela Iacobelli and Britney Yada will compete in hopes to secure another victory on the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour.
Epson Tour veterans Kim Kaufman, Gabby Lemieux and Lindsey McCurdy are also slated to tee it up at El Campeón Golf Course this year. McCurdy was named the recipient of the 2022 Heather Wilbur Award, an end-of-season recognition voted on by peers honoring the player that best exemplifies dedication, courage, perseverance, and love of the game.
Destiny Lawson and Jennifer Rosenberg are two of the 2023 rookies entered to play. Lawson is a native of Ocala, Florida and Rosenberg has recorded a professional win on the Ladies European Tour (LET).
Two LPGA Tour members are anticipated to compete for the title, Cydney Clanton and Silvia Cavalleri. Clanton was a 2012 Epson Tour graduate who has won once on the LPGA Tour. She’s made over $1.5M in career earnings. Cavalleri has made over $1.3M in career earnings on the LPGA Tour, and like Clanton, also recorded one victory and nine top-10 finishes.
ABOUT THE EPSON TOUR
The Epson Tour is the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour and enters its 43rd competitive season in 2023. With the support of the entitlement partner Seiko Epson Corporation, the Tour’s mission is to prepare the world’s best female professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour. In the last decade, the Epson Tour has grown from 15 tournaments and $1.6 million in prize money to $4.9 million awarded across 20+ events in 2023. With more than 600 graduates and alumnae moving on to the LPGA Tour, former Epson Tour players have won 466 LPGA titles.
Follow the Epson Tour at www.epsontour.com, as well as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Inova Mission Inn Resort & Club Championship
May 26-28, 2023
El Campeón Golf Course
Mission Inn Resort & Club
Howey-In-The-Hills, FL 34737
Format: 54 holes
Purse: $200,000
Par: 73
History: This is the fourth year of this event.
Yardage: 6,735
Last year’s edition: An even-par 73 in the final round of the 2022 Inova Mission Inn Resort & Club Championship was enough for Gina Kim to secure her first professional win. The 2022 Epson Tour rookie finished at 11-under par to go wire-to-wire on the El Campeón Golf Course. Despite a rocky start with bogeys at the third and fifth, Kim fought back. She birdied No. 7 before bogeying the ninth to reach the turn in 2-over par. At nine-under overall, Kim trailed the pacesetting Maria Fassi by one but a flawless back nine, highlighted by birdies at the 10th and 18th, earned her a two-stroke victory in just her fifth Epson Tour start.
Past Winners
| 2022 | Gina Kim | 66 – 69 – 73 = 208 (-11) | View Full Results |
| 2021 | Min Lee | 74 – 65 – 72 = 211 (-8) | View Full Results |
| 2020 | Matilda Castren | 68 – 68 – 71 = 207 (-12) | View Full Results |
| Epson Tour Website |
The 2023 Inova Mission Inn Resort & Club Championship will be played from May 26-28 on El Campeón (The Champion) Golf Course. El Campeón, built in 1917 by George O’Neil, is one of the oldest courses in the South with a classic design featuring unusually sharp elevation changes in the typically flat central Florida terrain. El Campeón is featured on the historic Florida golf trail (http://floridahistoricgolftrail.com/courses.cfm).
Mission Inn’s other championship course, Las Colinas (The Hills) — was created in 1992 by former PGA TOUR winner Gary Koch. Las Colinas lives up to its name, with wide fairways rolling over gentle rises.
Both courses at Mission Inn feature undulating greens which are surrounded by tropical vegetation and incorporate large water hazards on many holes.
Mission Inn Resort & Club – El Campeón Golf Course
Hole-by-Hole Description
Hole 1 “Pine Valley” 515 Yards, par 5
The course starts with a short par 5 over a creek to a narrow fairway divided by trees. Water on both sides of the green and numerous greenside bunkers challenge the player going for the green on the second shot.
Hole 2 “Bayou” 176 Yards, par 3
This par 3 requires a medium iron to an elevated green bunkered on both sides with water coming into play on the right. Reaching the green in one is essential for a good score here.
Hole 3 “Carry” 460 Yards, par 4
This par 4 with a slight dogleg left requires a big drive down the left side to avoid a fairway bunker and a large strand of trees on the right side. The green is elevated with a bunker protecting the right side.
Hole 4 “Mountain” 405 Yards, par 4
The real character of El Campeón starts here. The tee shot must carry a lake to find the uphill fairway that rises 85 feet to the green. Right-side placement will allow a clear angle to the green. The second shot is from a sidehill lie, while the severity of the sloping fairway requires one or two extra clubs to reach a hidden green.
Hole 5 “Twin Oaks” 450 Yards, par 4
The fairway doglegs slightly left while sloping severely right to left. Two fairway bunkers on the right side come into play, as do the twin oaks that guard the elevated green which slopes severely from right to left. Wherever the pin is located, the target is left of that.
Hole 6 “Panorama” 398 Yards, par 4
Starting from an elevated tee box, the fairway doglegs left. The second shot will be uphill to a blind green guarded on both sides by tall pines. The green slopes severely from back to front and is also protected by a bunker on the left side.
Hole 7 “Canal Zone” 457 Yards, par 4
A downhill tee shot is required here into a landing area that is larger than it appears. Trees guard the right side while lakes on the left feed a stream that runs across the fairway. Only a well-placed drive offers the chance of reaching the green in two as the fairway climbs uphill to a deep and narrow green. Par here is an excellent score.
Hole 8 “Island Green” 190 Yards, par 3
A downhill par 3 to a generous green surrounded by water on two sides and bunkered on the left shoulder, providing the only safe bailout area. The elevated tee provides a clear view of a daunting tee shot but makes the hole appear longer than it really is.
Hole 9 “Needle” 352 Yards, par 4
From an elevated tee box next to the resort, this wide-open hole provides a mental break after the previous holes. For many players a driver is not necessary. The only real trouble is a large fairway bunker midway up on the right side. This hole offers a rare opportunity to make up lost shots.
Hole 10 “Dogleg” 569 Yards, par 5
The longest par 5 on the course requires a strong drive followed by a second shot around a sharp dogleg right protected by a tall oak. A tee shot down the right side allows the long hitter to cut the corner across water, thereby shortening the hole substantially to set up a birdie opportunity. The green is well bunkered on both sides.
Hole 11 “Cedar” 431 Yards, par 4
For the best approach, it is favorable to hit the tee shot to the left side of this dogleg-left hole that is hemmed in by fairway bunkers right and tall trees left. The green slopes from front to back, making it appear closer than it actually is and can trick players into coming up short.
Hole 12 “Stretch” 240 Yards, par 3
This strong par 3 usually requires a long utility club or wood to reach the small, elevated, two-level green. Sand on both sides protects the putting surface.
Hole 13 “Horizon” 340 Yards, par 4
The tee shot here is hit over a lake and straight uphill into a landing area tightened by large fairway bunkers. It is advisable to take one or two more clubs to cover the uphill distance and reach a blind green that slopes from back to front.
Hole 14 “Descending” 532 Yards, par 5
Beginning at the highest point on the course, this par 5 plays downhill toward a lake on the right side before the fairway turns right and climbs uphill. A long drive to the narrowest part of the fairway rewards the long hitter with an eagle opportunity with an approach shot to an elevated green protected by multiple bunkers and a mature oak on the right side.
Hole 15 “Gator” 142 Yards, par 3
The shortest par 3 on the course sits on a peninsula with plenty of water to the left. However, accurate judgement of distance for the tee shot is key since even a slightly long shot can roll off the back and into the water.
Hole 16 “Position” 364 Yards, par 4
Players should consider leaving the driver in the bag on this short par 4. The best play is landing short of the water hazard that runs down both sides of the fairway and fronts an island green which is protected on all sides by sand.
Hole 17 “Devil’s Delight” 556 Yards, par 5
Fairway bunkers on the left side and hanging oaks on the right need to be avoided off the tee. The second shot is challenged by a large, historic live oak positioned strategically in the center of the fairway. It is advisable to stay to the right of the tree for the best line. The green sits behind water and slopes severely from back to front so a deep approach leaves a very difficult downhill putt.
Hole 18 “Temptation” 423 Yards, par 4
The finishing hole provides a picturesque and tempting challenge. The tee shot crosses a lake to a narrow fairway that runs left to right. A longer drive carrying farther into the right side of the fairway leaves a much shorter approach shot to a long, narrow green protected by mature trees on the left and greenside bunkers on the right.
