Seven-Time Utah PGA Women’s Player of the Year Haley Sturgeon Earns Utah PGA Exemption into 2026 Epson Tour Copper Rock Championship.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (December 5, 2026) — The Utah Section PGA announced today that seven-time consecutive Women’s Player of the Year and 2025 Assistant Professional of the Year Haley Sturgeon of The Country Club has been awarded the Section’s exemption into the 2026 Epson Tour Copper Rock Championship, to be played May 14–16 at Copper Rock Golf Club in Hurricane, Utah.
“We are excited and grateful to be included in the 2026 Epson Tour Copper Rock Championship,” said Utah PGA Executive Director Devin Dehlin. “We have selected our 2025 Women’s Player of the Year, Haley Sturgeon, to fill our exemption spot. Haley has been a remarkably consistent performer in recent years, and this season she reached new heights as the first woman from Utah to qualify for the 2026 National PGA Professional Championship. We know she will represent us well with her play, but even more so with her character. She couldn’t be a better ambassador for women’s golf in Utah. We can’t wait to watch her compete next year.”
The Copper Rock Championship is a stop on the Epson Tour, the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour. Each season, the top 15 players on the money list earn LPGA Tour membership, and the Copper Rock Championship has proven to be a springboard to the highest level of women’s golf. Four of the event’s five past champions have advanced to the LPGA Tour.
“We are elated to include the Utah Section PGA for the first time in our championship,” said Copper Rock Event Coordinator Penny James-Garcia. “Welcoming Haley will be quite an honor. Haley embodies the core mission of the Copper Rock Championship—empowering young women by giving them a platform to pursue their dreams. She has all the tools in her bag to represent Utah on the big stage. We can’t wait to watch her tee it up with the Epson Tour pros.”
The road to the LPGA Tour returns to Southern Utah next spring, bringing world-class talent, local opportunity, and a week of celebration for women’s professional golf. Copper Rock Golf Course is also expanding its commitment by launching a new qualifying tournament, giving local players, professionals and amateurs alike, the chance to earn their way into next year’s championship field.
The inaugural Copper Rock Championship Qualifier will be held January 16–17, 2026. The lowest-scoring amateur and professional will each earn a place in the 2026 Epson Tour Copper Rock Championship