From Epson Tour media relations

THINGS TO KNOW

The Circling Raven Championship is the sixteenth tournament of the 2022 Epson Tour season

The field will be competing for a $200,000 purse in a 54-hole, stroke-play format with a cut to the top-60 players plus ties after 36 holes

This is the second year of the event

COURSE INFORMATION

Course Architect: Gene Bates (2003)

Circling Raven Golf Club is owned and operated by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe

The staff maintains 120 acres of turf through the 520 acres of wetlands and hills of the Palouse

The 9s are reversed for the tournament

Last year the No. 1 and No. 10 tees were renovated with the teeing surfaces combined

COURSE SETUP

36-36—72; 6,690 yards (white line yardage subject to change through start of tournament)

TURFGRASS

Greens — Bentgrass/Poa annua

Tees — Bluegrass/Ryegrass

Fairways — Bluegrass/Ryegrass

Rough — Bluegrass/Ryegrass 1.75 inches

TOURNAMENT SCORING RECORDS

Lowest 18-hole score — 64 (8-under par), Fatima Fernandez Cano, 2021 first round; Min-G Kim, 2021 first round; Bianca Pagdanganan, 2021 final round; Beth Wu, 2021 final round; Bailey Tardy, 2021 final round.

Last year’s winning score — Peiyun Chien, 200 (16 under par).

A HOMECOMING FOR LEMIEUX

The next two weeks of Epson Tour events will have special significance for Gabby Lemieux. Instead of traveling across the country after an off week, the Caldwell native gets to stay in her home state for the week’s Circling Raven Championship. She’ll remain close — actually closer to her home — for next week’s inaugural Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic in Pendleton, Ore.

As a Northwest native playing on a tour that hosts most of their events on the East Coast, this stretch allows easier travel for Lemieux. More importantly, it gives her something she’s not always used to — extra support.

“Both weeks are going to feel like home,” said Lemieux. “I know a lot of people from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, and I know a lot of people from the Umatilla tribe, so I’m going to have a backing in Worley and a backing in Pendleton. Overall, I think it’s just going to be fun to have people come out.”

With her husband on the bag, Lemieux always has someone physically in her corner. Some fans that are local to the east coast tournaments will also show up to support her. However, for the next two weeks, Lemieux will have people she’s familiar with — family and friends — cheering her on in person.

“I feel like social media is awesome for that,” said Lemieux. “There are always messages coming in saying good luck and you can do it. But to have people there, that support gives you the mentality of I can do it. That’s how it’s going to be here.”

The feeling of home and support doesn’t just come from her family and friends’ attendance. This week, the Circling Raven Championship is hosted in Worley at the Coeur d’Alene Casino & Resort. The resort is owned by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe which welcomes Lemieux, the first and only Native American player on tour, with open arms.

“I take a lot of pride in being the only and first Native American on tour,” said Lemieux. “I think there’s always going to be some challenges and struggles with that too, just because you are the first. I’m trying to get my name out there just like Notah Begay III, who played his best golf but not a lot of kids look up to him. I’m hoping that’s going to be something for me.”

Lemieux is paving a path for the next generation of golfers and is on her way to hopefully becoming the first Native American to win on the LPGA or Epson Tour. She comes home to Idaho, the place of her previous best finish (T3 at the 2021 Circling Raven Championship), off a new best finish. Lemieux tied for second at the Four Winds Invitational two weeks ago, after losing to Yan Liu on the first hole of a playoff.

“I think this is a good momentum boost for the next two tournaments,” said Lemieux at the Four Winds Invitational. “I’m going to stay light and happy and hopefully something will come about it.”

Admission this week in Worley is $10 per day.

ABOUT EPSON TOUR

The Epson Tour (formerly the Symetra Tour) is the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour and enters its 42nd competitive season in 2022. In the last decade, the Epson Tour has grown from 15 tournaments and $1.6 million in prize money to $4.41 million awarded across 20-plus events in 2022. With more than 600 graduates and alumnae moving on to the LPGA Tour, former Epson Tour players have won 459 LPGA titles.

Follow the Epson Tour at www.epsontour.com, as well as on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.