Henderson teenager has birthday to remember on golf course

Yana Wilson gave herself quite the birthday present: an LPGA Tour playing card for 2026.

The Henderson native turned 19 during the week, then went out and won the Dream First Bank Charity Classic on Sunday in Garden City, Kansas. It was her second win this season on the Epson Tour, moved her to the top of the season points race and guaranteed her a spot on the LPGA Tour next year.

“It was really fun,” Wilson said of her birthday. “My mom was actually here at the beginning of the week and helped me celebrate my birthday. But she ended up leaving early because she had to go take care of my dog. But it was still really special that my dad was here.”

Wilson’s father witnessed a wild final round from his daughter, who previously won her hometown Reliance Matrix Championship in May at Spanish Trail.

Wilson began the day three shots back on a crowded leaderboard, then promptly made a triple-bogey 8 on the par-5 fourth hole.

“After that, I kind of just told myself, ‘I’m going to try to make as many birdies as I can,’ ” Wilson said. “And I actually told myself if I make eight birdies, I think I could actually get in contention and maybe sneak a top five in.”

She did better than that. Wilson ran off four straight birdies, then scattered four more on the back nine for a 67 and two-stroke victory.

Maybe the birthday had something to do with it.

“I, honestly, at the beginning of the week felt a lot more excitement than I normally do,” she said. “Just turning 19 and being a new age is pretty cool. But, yeah, I’m really happy to get my first win as a 19-year-old.”

Looking to finish strong

Wilson has three events left on the Epson Tour this season as she fights to maintain her perch atop the rankings. Four other players have also punched their tickets to the LPGA Tour, so the battle for positioning will be crucial. The higher the finish, the better the chances at getting into LPGA fields next year.

Lauren Morris, the top Epson Tour player in 2024, has gotten into 11 of the 22 LPGA events this season with that status.

Wilson has been the model of consistency all season, with a tour-best nine top-10 finishes to go with her two victories.

“I’ve been really focused on sticking to my routine and just trusting in what works and what I know how to do well, and also just keeping communication with my mental coaches, my golf coach and my physical trainer,” she said of her keys to success. “Just all that has really helped me throughout the season stay focused and helped me try to achieve my goal.”

The mental game helped her Sunday, she said.

“I learned that it was pretty freaking cool to have a triple (bogey) and then come back with eight birdies,” she said. “I’ve never once done that in my life, and I haven’t had a triple in forever, so it was actually pretty nice to see how well I could bounce back.”

While Wilson is bound to be thinking about 2026 and what lies ahead on the LPGA Tour, she is determined to finish the Epson Tour season strong.

“I’m looking forward to playing the next couple of golf courses and then ending the (Tour) Championship in California,” she said. “It’s going to be exciting to be back out west, and my whole family is actually coming, so I’m really excited to showcase my game in front of them.”

Contact Greg Robertson at grobertson@reviewjournal.com.