Photo Credit: Isaiah Bell/Epson Tour
Indian Wells is a place of illusions. Palm trees line the desert floor as if they grew there naturally, manicured greens shimmer against the sunbaked sand, and in October, golf balls seem to hang in the hot, thin air a second longer before tumbling toward the flagstick. On Thursday, as the Epson Tour Championship opened on the Celebrity Course, the illusions gave way to something very real: a furious chase for the future of women’s golf.
This isn’t just another week. For some, it’s the end of a season. For others, it’s the end of a dream. And for a select few, it could be the start of a career-changing leap. The final tournament of the 2025 Epson Tour season carries with it the weight of an entire year—the last chance to secure an LPGA card, the last chance to cash in on momentum, the last chance to put a stamp on a journey.
After the opening round, Sophia Schubert has the first word.
The Leader in Liberation
At 29, Sophia Schubert knows pressure. She’s lost her LPGA card, fought her way back through the proving ground of the Epson Tour, and carried the burden of expectation since her amateur days when she shocked the golf world by winning the 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur. Pressure has been her constant companion.
But Thursday was different. Thursday was freedom.
Schubert uncorked a bogey-free 64, an eight-birdie masterpiece that felt less like a grind and more like a release. She made birdies in bunches—four on her first nine, then four straight beginning on the par-4 1st. For a player who admitted her putting has been a late-season weak spot, this round was the payoff of a week spent grinding on the practice green.
“It’s been a struggle for me,” Schubert said, candidly. “But today, everything just fell.”
What also fell was the weight of the season. Already safely inside the top 10 of the Race for the Card, Schubert has her LPGA return locked in for 2026. That reality, she admitted, has “freed her up.” With the stress of status behind her, she can chase the one missing piece: a win.
The Rookie Rebellion
Trailing by just one are two rookies who played like they’d been here for years.
Carla Tejedo Mulet, the 23-year-old Spaniard out of LSU, stared down Schubert all morning as her playing partner. She didn’t blink. Her card was spotless: seven birdies, no bogeys, and a composure that belied the stakes. Sitting at No. 12 in the season-long standings, she is perched precariously—inside the promotion zone, but only just. A stumble this week could send her back to Q-Series. A finish like Thursday’s could send her to the LPGA.
“I was burnt out,” Tejedo Mulet admitted, reflecting on the long grind of the season. “I stopped. I rested. And now I’m back, probably even better.”
Alongside her at 65 is Alice Hodge, a rookie from Florida State. Hodge’s season has been uneven—seven cuts made in 17 starts—but she found something in the desert air. She birdied four of her first five holes, cooled only briefly, then added four more on the back nine. Like Tejedo Mulet, her card carries no bogeys, only optimism.
“I’m trying to treat this week like a bonus,” Hodge said. “I’m just going out there to have fun. Whatever happens, happens.”
But make no mistake: both players know what’s on the line. For Hodge, a victory would mean a direct pass to the LPGA. For Tejedo Mulet, holding her ground would mean the same. The pressure doesn’t go away—it just hides in the shadows.
The Pack at 66: Six Stories, Six Dreams
Two shots back, a logjam of contenders are waiting for their chance to pounce.
- Jessica Welch, a veteran who first joined the Epson Tour in 2017, rolled in six birdies and looked every bit the seasoned player intent on closing her year strong.
- Mary Parsons, a Canadian rookie, found late magic, closing with birdies on 17 and 18 to tie her season-low round of 66.
- Rachel Kuehn, playing with her mother on the bag, added a layer of family warmth to the competition. “She’s always been my biggest cheerleader,” Kuehn said. “To have her beside me, it gives me confidence.”
- Kaleigh Telfer, the South African known for her fearless ball striking, threw in an eagle on her way to a bogey-free round. Her smile said it all afterward: “You can’t win it on the first day, but you can lose it. I’m glad I didn’t.”
- Ashley Lau, last year’s runner-up at this very championship, continued her love affair with Indian Wells, again posting 66 without a blemish. Fresh off representing Malaysia in the Paris Olympics, Lau looked calm, collected, and dangerous.
- Becca Huffer, the steady hand, rounded out the group, showing once again why she’s one of the Tour’s most reliable performers when conditions are ripe.
Each of them sits two strokes behind, each with a story to chase, each with a future hanging in the balance.
More Than Just Numbers
Behind the birdies and bogeys, this tournament represents the pure drama of golf’s ladder system. The Epson Tour is the bridge, the gauntlet, the place where dreams either accelerate or stall. Players fight for a top-10 finish in the Race for the Card, which guarantees LPGA status, or scramble to sneak into the top 35, which delivers one more lifeline at Q-Series.
The margins are razor thin. A single stroke this week could determine an entire career trajectory.
Take Tejedo Mulet: a slip to 16th or 17th, and her year’s work would be reset. Consider Hodge: win this week, and she leaps straight onto the LPGA; finish middle of the pack, and it’s back to the grind. Even Lau, at No. 22 in points, could vault into contention with another strong finish.
This is the beauty of the Epson Tour Championship—it’s not just about the trophy. It’s about survival, breakthrough, and the intoxicating promise of what comes next.
Leaderboard – Round One
1. Sophia Schubert –8 (64)
T2. Carla Tejedo Mulet –7 (65)
T2. Alice Hodge –7 (65)
T4. Jessica Welch –6 (66)
T4. Mary Parsons –6 (66)
T4. Rachel Kuehn –6 (66)
T4. Kaleigh Telfer –6 (66)
T4. Ashley Lau –6 (66)
T4. Becca Huffer –6 (66)
Looking Ahead
Friday morning, the desert air will be cooler, the tension hotter. With 20 players sitting within three shots of the lead, the second round will set the stage for a chaotic weekend. For Schubert, it’s about maintaining her cushion. For the rookies, it’s about proving day one was no fluke. For the pack at 66, it’s about staying close enough to pounce.
And for everyone else? It’s about survival. The desert doesn’t give second chances.
When the Epson Tour Championship reaches Sunday, someone will lift the trophy. But perhaps more importantly, several players will lift themselves into the next chapter of their careers.
As Kaleigh Telfer put it best: “You can’t win it on day one, but you can definitely lose it.” After Thursday’s fireworks, no one wants to be the one who lets go.
