Highland grad Jessica Porvasnik could get LPGA tour card soon

Medina County Sports Hall of Famer Jessica Porvasnik has been laser-focused this season, her third on the EPSON Tour. It could be the former Highland standout and Division I individual state champion's final year on the tour before earning status that qualifies her to compete in LPGA events. Porvasnik is currently seventh on the EPSON race for the card list with 787.602 points. For this season, EPSON and the LPGA expanded the number of players that will receive their LPGA Tour cards and the ability to compete in some events from 10 to 15. If Porvasnik stays inside the top 10 she will be eligible to compete in the majority of full-field LPGA events. Despite the success, Porvasnik is not getting ahead of herself and is determined to stay in the moment. "I'm definitely aiming for the top 15. That's the big, ultimate goal," she said. "You can't focus too much on that. You have to take it one tournament at a time, one shot at a time. "You can't control any of that, so I'm just trying to play my best golf and put together some good rounds." There are seven events left on the EPSON Tour calendar, including the Twin Bridges Championship at Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland, N.Y., this weekend. The tour concludes with the EPSON Tour Championship at the Indian Wells Golf Resort in Indian Wells, Calif., from Oct. 3-6. Her approach has helped Porvasnik log four top-10 finishes this season, including a season-best runner-up showing at the Atlantic Beach Classic at Atlantic Beach Country Club in Florida in March. She shot 6-under-par 207 for her three rounds. Her four top-10 finishes this season equal the number of top 10s she had on the EPSON Tour her first two seasons. According to the EPSON Tour, Porvasnik has made $65,592 this season. That exceeds what she made over the first two seasons combined. Porvasnik said working on her iron play and approach shots has been the key to her success, which includes 22 rounds of par or better in 35 competitive rounds. She has made the cut in 11 of the 12 tournaments in which she has competed. "Things have been going really good," she said. "I've been trying to make improvements from last year to this year and play steady golf. I've been successful off the tee and making lots of putts, so that's been good." While competing, Porvasnik has also been planning her wedding to former Wittenberg and professional golfer Sam Geise. The two will be wed in the Cleveland area next month. "It's a busy time of the year for me," she said. "I'm getting married in August, so that's exciting. I'm just trying to prepare for that while keeping the good golf going. I've got a busy schedule ahead. It'll be good." Porvasnik netted her fourth top-10 finish last weekend when she was sixth at the Hartford HealthCare Women's Championship with a 9-under 207 at Sacred Heart University's Great River Golf Club. It was he second-best score against par of the season, behind the 11 under she shot to finish fourth at the Copper Rock Championship in Hurricane, Utah, in May. "I really like the golf course," she said of Great River. "We played there last year for the first time. You can hit lots of fairways and greens. They had (the greens) rolling good for the final round and I hit a lot of iron shots that put me close to the hole." Aiding her in improved play has been Porvasnik's ability to settle into a routine. Most weeks she will finish a tournament on Sunday, travel to the next event on Monday and hold a practice round of 18 or nine holes on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday typically involve playing in a Pro-Am of 18 holes in a cart on one day and another practice round on the other before the first round Friday. "I think the main thing, this is my third year on EPSON and I've played these courses before," she said. "The first year as a rookie, you're trying to figure out how does it work and what is best for your body. "In the third year, I've figured out what is best for me. That has really helped me stay patient and positive in my mindset out on the golf course." Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com.