BEAUMONT, California — Certain courses suit a player's eye or game when it comes to golf. This happens often on the PGA Tour, with all of the longstanding events the Tour has on the schedule. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, for example, have won six-plus times at certain courses during their careers.
On the Epson Tour, it is extremely rare for a player to win an event multiple times, with changing venues and the player's ability to move up to the LPGA Tour and compete on women's golf's biggest stage.
The IOA Golf Championship, being held at Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon, is one of the longest-standing events on the Epson Tour, entering its 13th playing this week. When the tournament opens Friday morning, three players will have the chance to add their name back onto the IOA Championship trophy. However, based on past results and current form, no one is more likely than 2021 winner Sophie Hausmann.
Hausmann enters the week after qualifying for the U.S. Women's Open. Hausmann carded rounds of 67-68 (9-under) to earn medalist honors at the Qualifying Site in Atlanta, Georgia. It will be her first appearance as a professional.
"I played the (U.S.) Open once as an amateur and pretty much fell in love with that tournament," she said. "So, I feel like every year I'm trying to make it back to it, and yeah, it worked out. Now we have a big stretch on the Epson Tour coming up, and I feel like my focus will be on that for the next couple of weeks, and then everything else will come."
Getting to this point has not been easy for the German, who played a full season in 2024 after a foot injury sidelined her during the 2023 season. Getting comfortable again on the course after an injury takes time, but even in just her fourth event back on Tour in 2024, the IOA Championship, Hausmann put up another top finish, ending the week T3.
Since her win in 2021, Hausmann has not finished outside the top-six in this event. She cannot fully explain her comfort on the course, but whatever it is, it has been working for the 27-year-old.
"Yeah, it's funny enough," she said. "I can't pinpoint one thing, but I think it's a couple of things. I do see the ball going in the hole on this golf course. I feel like I do love the mountains around it. I always liked the West Coast, even in college. I feel California had some really good tournaments playing in that state. So yeah, it is a good atmosphere. So I'll just try to take some away from that."