Epson Tour rookie Erika Hara drained her final putt on the 18th green at Wildhorse Golf Course to claim her first professional victory of her Epson Tour career.
Despite starting the round one shot off the lead heading into Championship Sunday, Hara felt that this weekend was her time for the spotlight. The 26-year-old carded ten birdies on the day to climb the leaderboard and finish the tournament with a three-day total of 18-under par.
“I kept dreaming that we’d win the first tournament this year, and I’m very happy to win finally. I was able to train hard off the course. I was also able to shoot with confidence. This year, the shots were really good, so I think I’m able to get a stable score,” said Hara.
The 2020 Japan LPGA Open Champion settled in quickly, making birdies on holes three and five. Hara rounded out her opening nine with a total of five birdies, posting a 4-under 32. The Japanese native found birdies on holes 10, 11, and 13 as well as the 16th and 17th holes in her final stretch to post an 8-under 64.
2025 Epson Tour rookie Yana Wilson started the day just four shots back of Hara, ultimately finishing in solo third place. Wilson, the winner of the Reliance Matrix Championship presented by Epson, put nine birdies on her card during the round to post an 8-under 64, but was unable to secure her second victory. Sabrina Iqbal couldn’t get things to fall her way on Sunday, but still carded a 4-under 68 and a combined 15-under for the tournament. Despite not taking the victory, even being in the final pairing, the 24-year-old secured the best finish of her young professional career to secure her runner-up finish.
Hara, the newest Epson Tour champion, climbed into third place in the Race for the Card standings after receiving 500 points from her win at the Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic. This is a major feat for Hara as she works towards potentially securing her LPGA Tour card for the 2026 season.
Erika mentioned, “This morning, I set the goal to make as many birdies as possible. That’s a goal today, and I focused on it and kept it going.”
As the first week of the final stretch of the 2025 season comes to a close, Erika Hara and the Epson Tour will travel to Garden City, Kansas, for the 11th playing of the Dream First Bank Charity Classic at Buffalo Dunes from August 22-24.
Press release by: Carly Haines, Digital Content Producer for the Epson Tour.
About The Author
