Michigan’s Sarah White Among Top Players To Watch At The Great Lakes Championship At The Highlands

Michigan’s Sarah White Among Top Players To Watch At The Great Lakes Championship At The Highlands

Competiton is heating up on the Epson Tour, with multiple athletes proving they have what it takes to compete at the highest level of women’s golf. The playing field is as level as it can get this week at the Great Lakes Championship at the Highlands presented by Johnnie Walker, as the inaugural tournament provides a challenging test of a track that is new to almost the entire field. Here are some names to keep an eye on throughout the week in Michigan: 

Sarah White 

White is teeing it up in Harbor Springs, Mich., this week as the only Michigan native in the field and will also be representing Boyne Golf, owner of the Heather Course at the Highlands, as an ambassador. Sponsorship aside, the Grand Rapids native has a slight edge over the rest of the field, as she’s played the Heather Course before in an American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournament. The AJGA’s Coca-Cola Junior Championship at the Highlands has been on the junior circuit’s schedule since 2001 and has been contested at the Heather Course 15 times over its 24-year history. White competed multiple times from 2013-2015. 

The 27-year-old has had a successful opening half of the 2025 Epson Tour season, making six cuts in seven starts. A T14 result at the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic is her season-best finish so far, and she hasn’t missed a cut since the Tour’s season-opener in February, the Central Florida Championship. 

The Texas State University alum has also teed it up in two LPGA Tour events lately, earning a spot in the  MEXICO Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba and ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer, via a Monday Qualifier and sponsor exemption, respectively. Despite missing the cut in both of those tournaments, White has proved that she is a strong contender, especially on the Road to the LPGA, and is a player fans will want to keep an eye  on as she navigates a familiar track in her home state.  

Samantha Wagner

Ader moving from 97th to 12th in the season-long Race for the Card standings following her first professional  victory last week, Wagner is looking to keep that momentum rolling in Harbor Springs, Mich., this week. Before  her victory, Wagner had been putting in a lot of effort, but the results didn’t necessarily show all of the work that was going on behind the scenes. With five cuts made in seven starts this season, the 28-year-old has only  seen one top-10 finish, which was her win last week at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship. 

Her impressive jump in the Race for the Card rankings could be just the shift she needed as the Epson Tour  approaches the halfway point of the 2025 season. Wagner isn’t a stranger to the professional scene, as this year marks her seventh season on the Epson Tour since making her debut in 2018, and she had a one-year stint  on the LPGA Tour in 2023. 

In 2024, the former University of Florida Gator finished inside the top 50 in the Race for the Card and has  already shown vast improvement so far in only eight 2025 events, surpassing her annual earnings and shoo&ng  one shot lower than her best round (66) in 2024. 

Sophie Hausmann 

Hausmann tees it up in Harbor Springs, coming off of two highly successful weeks at the U.S. Women’s Open  presented by Ally and the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship. The Nojuln, Germany native was one of  four Epson Tour athletes to make the cut in Erin, Wis., putting together rounds of 72-73-79-72 to ultimately  finish in a tie for 45th. The following week, Hausmann returned to the Epson Tour and earned her second top 10 result of the season after tying for third at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship. 

So far in 2025, the 28-year-old has made six cuts in eight starts and currently sits at No. 20 in the Race for the  Card rankings. Hausmann has shown promise to become one of the LPGA greats multiple times throughout her  career but has unfortunately struggled with injury, bringing her back to the Official Qualifying Tour of the LPGA  for the sixth season. Almost at the halfway point of the year, a healthy Hausmann is in prime position to work  her way into the top 15 and eventually onto the LPGA Tour in 2026. 

Hailee Cooper 

Fresh off her T7 finish at the 80th U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally at Erin Hills, Cooper made the quick trip to the inaugural Great Lakes Championship at the Highlands presented by Johnnie Walker in Harbor Springs, Mich. With plenty of confidence derived from her strong performance on one of the toughest stages  in all of women’s golf, the Epson Tour sophomore will be looking to secure her eighth consecutive cut made  and her fourth top-10 finish this season. Prior to her U.S. Women’s Open appearance, Cooper had back-to-back  top 10s on the Epson Tour. 

The 25-year-old has yet to walk away with a trophy on the Epson Tour, but her best result so far this season  came at the Copper Rock Championship in Hurricane, Utah, where she came in solo fourth at 10-under for the  tournament. During the West Coast stretch, the Texas A&M University alum’s game was trending, and she found herself in the final group three out of the four weeks. Cooper currently sits at ninth in the Race for the  Card rankings despite not teeing it up at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship following the U.S.  Women’s Open presented by Ally. 

Tee Times for the Players to Watch: 

Hailee Cooper: 8:03 a.m. local &me, off 10 

Sophie Hausmann: 8:25 a.m. local &me, off 10  

Sarah White: 8:36 a.m. local &me, off 10 

Samantha Wagner: 8:36 a.m. local &me, off 10