Amari Avery won her first professional event at the 2026 IOA Championship on the Epson Tour on Sunday.
And she did it close to home. The tournament was in Beaumont, California, where the former USC standout finished at 11 under, one shot better than Carla Bernat Escuder, winner of the 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Avery drove to her family home each night of the event and the comforts of home paid off.
Amari Avery holds the trophy after winning the 2026 IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort and Spa at Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon in Beaumont, California.
“Honestly, it’s really cool,” said Avery after her win on Sunday. “Last year I missed the cut and I felt like I probably should have played better. I’ve played here a bunch of times. And now I had so much support this year. My whole family came out, a bunch of friends and people that I haven’t seen in years. So it kind of felt like this was, this was my time. And I just felt like it was nice that I had a bunch of people out with me.”
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On Monday, less than 24 hours after hoisting a trophy for the first time, Avery was in Phoenix at the Arizona Country Club competing in a U.S. Women’s Open qualifier. There were 78 golfers on the tee sheet with only the top two finishers advancing to the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club in June.
Avery won’t stop there, as she’s slated to play in the Epson Tour’s Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic at TPC Scottsdale’s Champions Course in Scottsdale starting Thursday.
If she makes the cut there, that’ll be nine rounds of competitive golf in the span of 11 days.
This story has been updated to correct an error.
Todd Kelly is the assistant managing editor of Golfweek.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Amari Avery earns first victory at Epson Tour’s 2026 IOA Championship
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