Here are a few things to know before play begins:

One of the field’s most intriguing storylines belongs to 16-year-old Kotomi Fukutake, who arrives at Buffalo Dunes on an Epson Tour Special Exemption. The Osaka, Japan, native won the Bell National division at the 3rd Annual LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Championship presented by Marie Birdie this July at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina, edging out a talented field to claim the title. It’s a significant early step for the young amateur, who gets a firsthand look at professional golf and the Road to the LPGA this week.

Hannah Arnold, a Texas Tech alum from Lufkin, Texas, competes this week on an Epson Tour Sponsor Invitation after building her game on the ANNIKA Women’s All Pro Tour, where she serves as both a player and board member. But Arnold’s reputation on tour extends well beyond her own scorecard. In 2024, she won the Epson Tour’s Heather Wilbur Spirit Award for the generosity she’s shown her fellow competitors — including driving across the country to caddie for friends at Q-Series and the Epson Tour Championship. Those close to the tour know that if Arnold doesn’t make it into an event or misses the cut, there’s a good chance she’ll still be on property this week, on the bag for one of her friends and fellow competitors.

Few Epson Tour stops can match the recent pedigree of Garden City’s champions. Lilia Vu won the 2021 Garden City Charity Classic and has since ascended to one of the best female golfers in the world, capturing two major championships (the 2023 Chevron Championship and the 2023 AIG Women’s British Open) and the 2023 LPGA Player of the Year award. Gabriela Ruffels, the 2023 champion and a former U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion, closed her win here at 19-under, still holding the 54-hole tournament scoring record. Most recently, Yana Wilson, the 2025 champion used her win to help launch her to gaining LPGA status for the 2027 season. Wilson going from one rookie season to anther wasted no time, and won the 2026 Dow Championship with fellow Epson Tour graduate, Gina Kim, as her partner for the week. Last but not least, 2024 champion Kathleen Scavo, who won in a playoff, returns to defend her title this week as part of this year’s field.