Great Lakes Championship at The Highlands Starts Friday

Great Lakes Championship at The Highlands Starts Friday

HOME SWEET HOME: BOYNE Golf’s Sarah White Swings Through Northern Michigan

   HARBOR SPRINGS – The LPGA Epson Tour is in Michigan for a three-week stretch and this weekend, Friday through Sunday, the second Michigan stop is for the Great Lakes Championship at The Highlands, which the tour named the New Event of the Year in 2025.

  The $250,000 championship, played on award-winning Heather Course at The Highlands, includes BOYNE Golf Brand Ambassador Sarah White, a regular on the Epson Tour who will be the center of local and the Mitten State’s attention.

  She is a Grand Rapids native, so making a swing through Michigan gives her a chance to see family and friends while working on her craft.

  She teamed up last weekend with LPGA player and former Epson Tour player Lakareber Abe in the unique two-person Dow Championship at Midland Country Club.

  She also attempted Monday qualifying for the Meijer LPGA Classic, which is also slated for this weekend at Blythefield Country Club in suburban Grand Rapids.

  Just last year, BOYNE Golf, which includes the Heather among its 11 golf courses at three resorts in Michigan, welcomed White as its newest brand ambassador in golf.

  “BOYNE has been great for me, and their support has helped me build a bigger, better team,” White said.

  White added to her team with a marriage to Julian Rincones in January. He sometimes caddies for her and he will be on the bag as she swings through Michigan for the Great Lakes Championship at The Highlands, The Island Resort Championship in Harris of the Upper Peninsula, and then in the Michigan Women’s Open at Crystal Mountain, June 30-July 1.

  She has also added a mental coach. Andy Matthews of Grand Rapids, the Neuropeak Pro who works with several PGA, LPGA and other professional players, is helping her work on her breathing on the course. And she continues to work with her swing coach, Jamie Marshall.

   Her husband, Julian, was in the hospital earlier this season and has fully recovered and White said she is back on track with golf as her focus.

  “I’ve missed some cuts, especially early, but my game is actually good right now,” said White, who also recently traveled to Los Angeles for the U.S. Women’s Open where she was an alternate to get into the field.

  “I didn’t get into the Open, but it was a wonderful experience being out there, and I played well in the Dow, even though we missed the cut. I never sniffed a bogey. We just didn’t get any breaks and got the bad end of the draw with the windy conditions. We teamed up great though, and it was a great experience. I was so glad she called me and asked me to partner with her.”

  White, who has been a regular among the Epson Tour’s leaders in driving distance (currently third), said she still takes advantage of her distance but has improved her overall game in the last year.

  “I’m a better player and having this great team behind me has helped me concentrate on golf the last few weeks,” she said. “I’m looking forward to playing and being at home. Michigan has the greatest golf courses. Plus, this whole stretch coming up the tournaments are on courses I really enjoy. I’m excited to see what I can do.”

    White, 28, has been a professional since 2020 when just out of college at Texas State University, she received a sponsor’s exemption to play in the Epson Tour’s Founders Tribute Championship. She played and shocked the tour by winning her debut tournament. That win put her on the Epson Tour full-time, and she remains locked in and focused on building her career in professional golf.

  “My goals remain the same and I feel like I continue to make progress,” said the former Michigan Girls’ Junior Champion and 2020 Michigan Women’s Open Champion. “I know I can compete here and on the LPGA Tour with the best players in the world, and BOYNE is helping me get there. I’m thrilled to represent them and that they believe in me.”

   The winner Sunday will take home $37,500 and a shot at another $20,000 in bonus money is available because The Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Epson Tour created the Pure Michigan Cup last year.

   The Pure Michigan Cup money will be distributed to the top three points earners at the conclusion of the Michigan stretch of tournaments, which includes last week’s FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship in Marshall, this week’s Great Lakes Championship at The Highlands and next week’s Island Resort Championship in Harris. To be eligible the players must have played in each of the three tournaments. Points are awarded based on finish positions, and the top point earner will get $10,000. Second place gets a bonus of $6,000 and third, $4,000.

  The inaugural 2025 Cup was won by Melanie Green, who went on to become the Epson Tour Player of the Year and Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year and earn her 2026 LPGA Tour card.

  Learn more  at epsontour.com and thegreatlakeschampionship.com.

  See what BOYNE Golf has to offer at  BOYNEGolf.com.

 DID YOU KNOW? This weekend’s championship is organized by the Great Lakes Sports Commission, and BOYNE Golf was recognized by USA Today 10Best as the No. 1 Golf Destination in the United States for 2025 and by GOLF Magazine as one of North America’s “Premier Resorts” (Gold).

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