Coloradan Becca Huffer finishes 3rd in Epson event after closing with 65; she moves into top 10 on money list; she and ex-CU golfers Jenny Coleman and Robyn Choi in thick of race for LPGA cards with 1 tourney left
By Gary Baines – 10/1/2023
Coloradan Becca Huffer needs a strong stretch run on the 2023 Epson Tour in order to earn an LPGA Tour card for the second time.
On Sunday in the second-to-last tournament of the Espon season, the two-time winner of the Inspirato Colorado Women’s Open certainly played like she’s determined to get back to the next level.
The Monument resident closed with a 7-under-par 65 on Sunday to vault into a tie-for-third-place finish in the Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Toyota Classic.
With that showing, Huffer surged into the top 10 on the 2023 money list — into ninth place — albeit by a very slim margin. The significance of that? The top 10 on the that money list after the Epson Tour Championship, set for Oct. 5-8 in Daytona Beach, Fla., will earn 2024 LPGA Tour cards.
But only $775 separates Huffer from 11th place, which happens to be currently held by former University of Colorado golfer Robyn Choi. Meanwhile, another former Buff, Jenny Coleman, is in more secure position as she stands in fifth place, more than $15,000 ahead of Huffer.
All three players — Huffer, Coleman and Choi — have previously been card holders on the LPGA Tour. Huffer and Choi were regulars in 2019, and Coleman in 2017, ’20, ’21 and ’22.
On Sunday in Tuscaloosa, Huffer followed up a Saturday 67 with a seven-birdie 65. That left the Littleton High School graduate at 10 under par overall and three back of champion Isabella Fierro. Over the last two rounds, Huffer carded 13 birdies.
The Coloradan earned $11,190 for the performance.
Choi finished 22nd on Sunday and Coleman 38th.
For all the scores from the Tuscaloosa Toyota Classic, CLICK HERE.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. He was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com