34-year-old Golfer Claims 1st Epson Tour Victory, Moves to No. 7 in Race for a Place on the LPGA Tour
FOR IMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2024
Pendleton, Oregon – Wildhorse Resort & Casino announced today the winner of the 2024 Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic, an Epson Tour – Road to the LPGA event, is Pornanong Phatlum. With her best result on the Epson Tour so far, the 34-year-old golfer who previously represented Thailand in the 2016 Rio Olympics, moves to No. 7 in the 2024 Race for the Card. $262,500 in prize money was up for grabs at this year’s event, which returned to Pendelton for the third year in a row.
“Wildhorse Resort & Casino was proud to host some of the best women golfers in the world here in Pendleton, Oregon as they competed in the 2024 Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic. Putting together a professional sporting event of this caliber is a huge undertaking, and it is due to the hard work and dedication of our entire team that this year’s event was such a success,” said Gary E. George CEO, Wildhorse Resort & Casino. “Congratulations to event winner Pornanong Phatlum and to all of the golfers who took part and thank you to everyone who attended the event to cheer them on!”
The 2024 Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic attracted more than 140 professional golfers from around the world. During the event, Pornanong Phatlum broke the 54-hole scoring record at Wildhorse Golf Course and claimed her first Epson Tour win. Phatlum beat last year’s event winner, Daniela Iacobelli and current tour leaders Fiona Xu and Lauren Stephenson, to achieve the victory. Her best previous tour result was a T2 finish at the 2024 Casino Del Sol Golf Classic in Tucson, Arizona. The tournament win earned Phatlum 500 points, which propels her to No. 7 in the 2024 Race for the Card.
American golfer Amy Lee took the second spot at the 2024 Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic and previous University of Oregon golfer Hsin-Yu Lu finished third. Two additional golfers with local ties, Haley Greb and Gabby Lemieux, did not make the event’s final cut. Haley Greb competed on the Pendleton High School golf team and at the University of Tulsa. Gabby Lemieux, who is the first female Native American professional golfer in the country, grew up in Caldwell, Idaho.
The Epson Tour started in 1999 as the LPGA Futures Tour. It is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA. This year, 15 of the top golfers will receive LPGA Tour cards for earning the most points on the 20-event tour. More than 300 Epson Tour players have gone on to play in the LPGA, including Epson Tour Players of the Year Gabriela Ruffels, Linnea Strom, Lilia Vu, Ana Belac, and Perrine Delacour. The next event on the Epson Tour will be held at the Four Winds Invitational in South Bend, Indiana from August 30-September 1, 2024.
The Golf Course at Wildhorse Resort & Casino is an award-winning 18-hole championship course that is open to the public. It was selected by Golf Digest as “One of America’s top casino golf courses.” Visit wildhorseresort.com to learn more.
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