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Maria Jose Barragan earns Low Am in inaugural Epson Tour Copper Rock Championship Qualifier

Copper Rock Golf Course doesn’t need help proving it can host championship golf, but on Jan. 16-17 in Hurricane, it offered something new, and it ended with an amateur earning something even bigger.

In the inaugural 36-hole Copper Rock Championship Qualifier, Maria Jose Barragan captured Low Amateur honors and, with it, the amateur sponsor exemption into the sixth playing of the Epson Tour Copper Rock Championship, set for May in Hurricane. It was exactly what the qualifier was designed to create: a first-of-its-kind, competitive pathway for women who have the game to belong in an Epson Tour field, and a chance to earn their way in.

Tournament Director Penny James-Garcia described the concept as sponsor exemptions with a competitive backbone, giving players, professional and amateur alike, a vision of Epson Tour golf and a real opportunity to claim it. Copper Rock’s General Manager Tory Gatrell and James-Garcia helped paint the picture during a Utah Golf Radio segment hosted by Paul Pugmire, who noted that this is the first time an Epson Tour qualifier has ever been offered to determine sponsor exemptions through open competition.

That alone made the event significant. The golf, and the weather, made it memorable.

Fifty-one competitors teed it up at Copper Rock, with 39 amateurs and 12 professionals battling through a 36-hole format that demanded patience and composure as afternoon winds howled. On the line were exemptions for both the Low Amateur and the Low Pro. The qualifier was ran as two separate tournaments with their own leaderboards but all players competed from the same tee boxes. At check-in, players were asked to share where they called home, and the list was a reminder that women’s golf is growing with both talent and reach. Players from seven countries, eleven states, and eight universities teed it up in Hurricane.

Garcia noted the energy of watching the field up close, including players still in high school experiencing the environment and the pressure. Parents, coaches, and families were a constant presence both days, forming a support system well beyond their own player. And when it was over, Barragan emerged as the Low Amateur, punching her ticket into May’s Epson Tour week and giving the new qualifier an immediate defining moment.

BYU Women’s Golf dominated the top of the leaderboard early, with head coach Carrie Roberts using the event as one of the Cougars’ qualifying events heading into the spring season. After Day 1, BYU filled the top five spots of the amateur leaderboard, with Barragan and Berlin Long holding down the top position tied at 74.

Affectionately known as “MJ,” Maria Jose Barragan is a BYU Women’s Golf junior from Morelia, Mexico.

The final round refused to cooperate with anyone’s normal game. Extremely windy conditions hardened the course and elevated scoring for all players. The result was a dramatic finish that pushed the Low Amateur exemption competition into a playoff.

Sunbin Seo finished T1 with Barragan at (+11) 76-79 – 155.

Barragan finished at (+11) with rounds of 74-81 – 155. Sunbin Seo, her Cougar teammate, matched her at (+11) with rounds of 76-79. Seo birdied the 18th hole to force the playoff, turning a two-day grind into a sudden-death test.

Barragan eventually claimed the exemption in that playoff, becoming the Low Amateur winner and earning her first career start in the Epson Tour Copper Rock Championship.

Utah Tech’s Samantha Phelan, the UGA’s 2025 Mary Lou Baker Open champion, finished fourth.

It was not simply BYU’s depth as Utah Tech golfer Samantha Phelan finished in the top five. It was college golf culture, grinding under pressure, all battling for the same prize, with just one earning the exemption by surviving the exact kind of finish the qualifier was designed to create and tournament organizers hoped for.

Joining Barragan and Seo in the top five were BYU’s Ava Schroder (third at (+15) 159) and Lilly Denunzio (fifth at (+17) 161), along with Phelan (fourth, (+16) 160). Qualifier amateur competitors were awarded UGA Player Performance Ranking points based on the final scores.

Click here for the final amateur leaderboard.

In the professional division, the qualifier became a survival test, and no one proved steadier across two days than veteran Epson Tour player Gabby Barker, who earned Low Pro honors at 8-over par with rounds of 70-82 for a 152 total.

Barker was the only player in the entire field under par in the opening round. That Day 1, 2-under card, set the tone and gave her control of her own destiny.

With the Low Professional exemption in hand, Gabby Barker will return to the 6th annual Epson Tour Copper Rock Championship, May 14-16.

Standing on the 17th tee with a four stroke lead, Barker needed every one of those strokes to stand as the winner by one shot as the pressure of the final two holes and what was on the line mounted.

A former Epson Tour regular, Barker spent most of last season competing on the ANNIKA Women’s All Professional Tour (WAPT). She will now return in May with a spot in the Epson Tour Copper Rock Championship field.

Utah’s Ali Mulhall finished as runner-up falling one stroke shy of the Low Professional Gabby Barker.

Utah’s Ali Mulhall delivered one of the strongest storylines of the event. After sitting tied for third following the opening round, she played her way into solo second place overall, finishing as the runner-up at (+9) with rounds of 75-78 for a 153 total on Copper Rock’s wind swept fairways.

The professional leaderboard reflected the depth Garcia referenced on Utah Golf Radio the morning of the final round, with Epson Tour and WAPT Tour experience scattered throughout the top positions. Former Epson Tour professional Kathleen Scavo and Karen Kim tied for third place at 11-over par. Another shot back was Faith Kilgore who is also fighting her way back to the Epson Tour roster.

Copper Rock’s team believed the qualifier concept, rather than a selection process, would work because the demand is real. Players want starts. Players want a path. The qualifier concept provides an opportunity for players who are or hope to be one day chasing  elite golf. After five years of awarding players exemptions, it was time to let competition decide a worthy player.

James-Garcia framed the qualifier as a sponsor exemption system with purpose. Let them compete. Let them earn it. Let them see what the next level looks like up close and personal.

“Hosting the Qualifier was a highlight of my career,” James-Garcia said. “I was inspired by the young women, the coaches and the parents. It takes a village to raise strong young women and provide the tools and support that will help them navigate their dreams. I am grateful and proud to be a member of that village. Gabby, MJ and the entire field were shining examples that the next generation of golf and women in leadership holds great promise.”

After two days, the message was clear. Copper Rock did not just stage a successful qualifier, it launched a model that has longevity. And that is exactly what progress looks like in Utah women’s golf.

Story and photos courtesy of Fairways Media/Randy Dodson