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BATTLE CREEK – Battle Creek is the place where champions are born.
For the fifth straight year, a first-time winner was crowned at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship. Samantha Wagner rallied in the final round to win the 2025 FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship at Battle Creek Country Club on Sunday, June 8.
When the final round of the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship began, Wagner was two shots back of the 36-hole leaders, Yana Wilson and Samantha Vodry. By the end of the day, she was two shots clear of Sophia Schubert and hoisting her first Epson Tour trophy on the 18th green with a final round of 65 and a three-day total of 13-under par 203. Wagner played at the University of Florida and has been on the Epson Tour since 2018.
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For the majority of the day, it was anyone’s tournament to win, but Wagner was the one who took it and ran.
At the turn, Wagner was in the hunt, but not in control of the lead. A disappointing par on the par-5 10th was followed by another par on the 11th. The 12th hole was when everything started to click for the 28-year-old, making her first birdie of the back nine.
She followed it up with three more birdies, making it four in a row before a par on the difficult par-3 16th broke the streak. At this point, Wagner held the solo lead, chasing down the clubhouse lead at 11-under set by Sophia Schubert. One more birdie came on 17, extending her lead to two coming down 18. It was business as usual for Wagner, hitting the fairway and then a green in regulation. A two- the two-shot victory for her first win on the Epson Tour.
“It’s finally sinking in, this is awesome,” said Wagner after her win. “I think for me, a lot of it was taking a step back and really trying not to think about winning and just really focusing on my process. I’ve been told by many people that if I keep doing that, eventually it’ll pay off, so I really just had to lean in and trust that. It’s been a long time, so it’s nice to see that finally come through. It just feels great movingforward.”
The Epson Tour heads to Harbor Springs, Michigan, next week for the inaugural playing of the Great Lakes Championship. Tournament play will begin June 13.
Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on X/Twitter @billbroderick.
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