2026 Island Resort Championship
The Island Resort Championship draws top emerging golf talent from around the globe, competing for a $225,000 purse and a coveted chance to qualify for the LPGA Tour. Spectators witnessed 144 players chasing their dreams on one of the most scenic and award-winning courses in the Midwest.
With its blend of world-class competition, beautiful course conditions and strong community support, the Island Resort Championship continues to grow in stature and excitement each year.
“Our volunteers return year after year; their energy is always high,” said Tony Mancilla, Tournament Co-chairman. “We have golfers from all over the world, so our employees get excited about it. And the players keep getting better. The first year, -7 won, last year -11 won. I really believe, if you golf or if you have kids, you don’t want to miss it.”
The winner, Kaleiya Romero went home with a trophy, a tribal honor quilt handmade by an elder of the Hannahville Indian Community, and a check.
The Epson Tour is the Official Qualifying Tour of the Ladies Professional Golf
Association (LPGA), where players earn LPGA Tour Membership through the Epson Tour’s Race for the Card. In 2025, 15 LPGA cards were be distributed to top points earners over the 20-event season. Each regular season event offers the winner 500 points, and the Epson Tour Championship in Indian Wells, CA, offers 650 points as the season finale.
Every year, two aspiring professional golfers are invited to participate in the Island Resort Championship as sponsor exemptions to gain valuable experience on their journey to becoming professionals.
Fans are encouraged to bring a chair or utilize the bleachers by the hole 9 and 18 greens, as well as at the center of the course. They are also welcome to follow golfers as they play their rounds and can get autographs and photos taken with golfers at the end of their rounds.
The Pure Michigan Cup
New in 2025, the Epson Tour’s three Michigan tournaments have collaborated with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to create The Pure Michigan Cup, which will award an extra $20,000 in bonus money (1st place – $10,000; 2nd place – $6,000; 3rd place – $4,000) to the top three point-earners after the three successive Michigan tournaments: FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship (June 12-14; Battle Creek, MI),
Great Lakes Championship (June 19-21; Harbor Springs, MI) and The Island Resort Championship at Sweetgrass (June 26-28; Harris, MI). A special trophy ceremony at the Island Resort Championship will conclude the inaugural Cup.
2026 Champion
Kaleiya Romero 
Score: 65-67-68
Bio:
Kaleiya Romero, alumni of Pepperdine University takes the Island Resort Championship as her first Career Epson tour win in her rookie year.
2025 Champion
Melanie Green
Score: 68-69-65
Bio:
Melanie Green, originally from Tampa, Florida takes the Island Resort Championship as her first Career Epson tour win in her rookie year.
2024 Champion
Soo Bin Joo
Score: 67-69 =136 (-8)
Bio:
Soo Bin Joo (Seoul, Republic of Korea/Los Angeles California) has played 19 events on the LPGA tour. Her professional debut was at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open. The Island Resort Championship is Joo’s first Epson Tour Victory.
2023 Champion
Tsai Cheng Tseng 
Score: 66 – 70 – 65 = 201 (-15)
Bio:
Tsai Cheng Tseng (Tainan City, Chinese Taipei) is the winner of the 2019 Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown, 2020 ICON Invitational, and 2023 SAMPO Ladies Open. The 2023 Island Resort Championship was her first career win, in the same year she turned professional.
2022 Champion
Ssu-Chia Cheng
Score: 68 – 64 – 67 – 0 = 199 (-17)
Bio:
Ssu-Chia Cheng (Taipei, Chinese Taipei) won her first Ladies European Tour event as an amateur at 17. The 2022 Island Resort Championship was her second career win since she turned professional in 2016.
2021 Champion
Morgane Metraux 
Score: 69 – 63 – 67 = 199 (-17)
Bio:
Metraux (Lausanne, Switzerland) attended Florida State University and concluded her career there with the third lowest stroke average (73.18) in school history. The 2021 Island Resort Championship was her first career win since she turned professional in May 2018.
2019 Champion
Daniela Iacobelli
Score: 69 – 71 – 65 – 0 = 205 (-11)
Bio:
Iacobelli is a native of Melbourne, Florida and was inducted into the Florida Institute of Technology Hall of Fame in 2014. Entering the 2019 season with a total of 104 career starts with two wins and 20 top-10 performances since her rookie year in 2010.
2018 Champion
Ruixin Liu 
Score:
68 – 70 – 69 – 0 = 207 (-9)
Bio:
Entering her second year on the Symetra Tour, Liu has the goal of getting into the top-10, just like her good friend and fellow-China native Yu Liu, one of the 2017 Symetra Tour graduates.
2017 Champion
Emma Talley
Score:
66 – 69 = 135 (-9)
Bio:
Emma Talley is an American professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour. While playing as an amateur at the University of Alabama, she won the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur by defeating Yueer Cindy Feng in the 36-hole final match, 2 & 1.
2016 Champion
S. Santiwiwatthanaphong 
Score:
70 – 71 – 69 – 0 = 210 (-6)
Bio:
The Thailand native won the Epson Tour Championship in October and ended her season by earning conditional LPGA Tour status for the 2016 season.
2015 Champion
Dani Holmqvist 
Score:
67 – 69 – 70 – 0 = 206 (-10)
Bio:
Holmqvist first received international headlines in 2013 when what tournament officials believe was a redback spider, relative of the famed black widow, nipped her leg during a qualification round for the Women’s Australian Open at Royal Canberra Golf Club. Holmqvist swatted the spider away, used a golf tee to pierce her skin and squeeze out the venom, and finished her round.
2014 Champion
Molly Aronsson
Score:
69 – 74 – 72 – 0 = 215 (-1)
Bio:
Aronsson started playing golf at the age of eight years old. When she is not on the course she enjoys hockey, soccer, tennis, snowboarding, running/working out, shopping, traveling and hanging out with family and friends.
2013 Champion
Kim Kaufman
Score:
71 – 74 – 68 – 0 = 213 (-3)
Bio:
Started playing golf at the age of four. Credits her dad as the individual that has had the most influence on her career. Hobbies include cooking, going to concerts, spending time with friends and family, attending other sporting events and everything Texas Tech.
2012 Champion
Leah Wigger
Score:
73 – 66 – 70 – 0 = 209 (-7)
Bio:
2011 Champion
Stephanie Kim
Score:
67 – 72 – 70 – 0 = 209 (-7)
Bio:
Two-time Big Sky Player of the Year and All-Big Sky first-teamselection. Holds top two single-season scoring marks.
Thank You to Our 2026 Sponsors
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