SOUTH BEND, IN – The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and Four Winds Casinos have announced that Megan Osland and Cassie Porter have received sponsor exemptions to play in the upcoming 2022 Four Winds Invitational. Sponsor exemptions are used to give amateurs and up-and-coming players the opportunity to play in tournaments and compete against professionals. The Four Winds Invitational is part of the Epson Tour, which entered its 42nd year of structured competition in 2022 and is the most established women’s qualifying tour in the world as the one “Road to the LPGA.” The tournament will take place from Friday, August 12 through Sunday, August 14 at South Bend Country Club.
Megan Osland is a Canadian professional golfer from Kelowna, British Colombia who played on the Epson Tour from 2016 to 2019. With a spot in the field at the Four Winds Invitational, Osland has the opportunity to earn her full status back on the Epson Tour, which would allow her to get one step closer to her goal of playing on the LPGA Tour. Some of Osland’s recent tournament highlights include:
- 1st place LPGA Monday Qualifier, 2022 Palos Verdes Championship
- 1st place 2021 NWGA Tour Hawks Landing Tournament, Orlando, FL
- 2nd place 2021 US Women’s Open Sectional Qualifier in Ormond Beach, FL
- Competed in 2021 US Women’s Open
- 1st place 2019 US Women’s Open Sectional Qualifier in Bradenton, FL
- Competed in 2019 US Women’s Open
- 1st place 2018 NWGA Tour Preserve at Turnbull Bay Ladies Classic with a first round 61 (-11) breaking the course record and record for lowest round ever shot on the NWGA Pro Tour
Cassie Porter first started playing golf at the age of six at Peregian Springs Golf Club in Sunshine Coast, Queensland. After starting to play competitively at the age of nine, she won her first event shortly after. By the age of 12, Porter had set her sights on becoming a full-time touring professional on the LPGA tour and aspiring to one day, be the number one ranked player in the world. Now, at the age of 19, after years of Amateur events in Australia, the U.S., Japan, Asia, and the Middle East, she turned professional in December 2021, and is embarking on her journey as a professional athlete. In 2022, Porter commenced her professional career on the WPGA Tour during the Australian summer. She is aspiring to head to Europe to compete on the LET before heading to the U.S. to compete in the LPGA Q-School to qualify for her LPGA Tour Card. Some of Porters’s recent tournament highlights from 2022 include:
- 10th – WPGA Championship
- 18th – WPGA Melbourne International
- T23 – TPS Victoria (combined event with PGA of Australia)
- T4 – Victorian Open
- T6 – TPS Murray River (combined event with PGA of Australia)
- T8 – TPS Sydney (combined event with PGA of Australia)
- T3 – TPS Hunter Valley (combined event with PGA of Australia)
- T36 – Australian Women’s Classic Bonville
- T4 – Women’s NSW Open
“The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi and its Four Winds Casinos are proud to have selected Megan Osland and Cassie Porter as our sponsor exempt players for the 2022 Four Winds Invitational,” said Scott Brewer, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Community Relations/Security for Four Winds Casinos. “Both Megan and Cassie are rising stars and represent the high level of talent competing on the Epson Tour. We wish them both best of luck for this year’s tournament.”
“Both Megan and Cassie have a passion for the sport and proven tournament performance to compete with the best players on the Epson Tour,” said Greg Helmkamp, Head Golf Professional at South Bend Country Club. “We look forward to welcoming them to South Bend Country Club, along with the rest of the field, for a very competitive tournament this year.”
