Negaunee High School 2023 graduate Rachel Niskanen hits during a tournament while playing for Central Michigan University during the 2024-25 season. (Joe Grogan photo courtesy CMU)

HARRIS — A pair of standout college golfers, including one from Marquette County, have been granted sponsor exemptions to compete in an Epson Tour women’s professional golf tournament taking place this weekend at the Island Resort & Casino’s Sweetgrass Golf Club .

They include Negaunee High School graduate Rachel Niskanen, who will be playing in the Island Resort Championship that starts today and runs through Sunday.

She and Michigan State University golfer Brooke Biermann join a field of 144 pros vying for a share of the $225,000 purse.

Niskanen just completed her sophomore year at CMU and recently finished her second year on the Chippewas’ team.

Her best finish in a collegiate event last season was runner-up at the Bronco Fall Classic held at Western Michigan University, where she totaled an 11-over-par score of 227 on rounds of 76, 77 and 74.

She also had five other individual finishes last season in the top 20, including a tie for 11th at the Mid-American Conference Championship in late April when she again posted an 11-over 227 with 75, 75 and 77.

Her 28-round scoring average for the season was 77.79 per 18-hole round.

A two-time MHSAA Upper Peninsula Finals individual champion in Division 1, Niskanen was a three-time Player of the Year in the West PAC as a Negaunee Miner, earning three high school letters in that sport and two in volleyball.

“I had high aspirations for myself from the start and have put so much work into getting to where I am today, and this invitation is proof that my efforts are paying off,” Niskanen said in an Island Resort & Casino news release about the Epson tournament. “This opportunity I have to play in this tournament is absolutely incredible, and I feel so blessed to be able to compete.

“I am so excited to learn more about my game and how I can handle the pressure of being in a tournament like this. Having fun, learning and growing are always goals of mine, but this time I get to do it in a much higher level of play.”

Niskanen won her U.P. Division 1 girls golf titles at the two Island Resort courses — in 2022 at the same Sweetgrass course and in 2023 at the nearby Sage Run Golf Course.

Biermann, a Missouri native, just graduated from MSU this spring, and in 2023 made Spartans’ history as the first one of their golfers to win an NCAA regional title, earning co-medalist honors with a 3-under-par 213 and leading Michigan State to its first-ever NCAA regional team victory.

Then in 2024, she won the Briars Creek Invitational in South Carolina while also capturing the Missouri Women’s Amateur Championship that summer. Winning the title in her home state also gave her a spot in the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur.

The three-time Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar and two-time Rolex Junior All-American maintained a 3.84 grade-point average at MSU.

“Those moments of success have definitely been motivating, but more than anything, they’e given me the belief that I belong at a high level,” Biermann said in the Island Resort release. “Every accomplishment, whether in junior golf or college, has taught me something about resilience and patience. Earning Big Ten honors and competing at NCAA nationals pushed me to hold myself to a higher standard.”

The Island Resort tournament

The three-round event will be its 14th annual edition at Sweetgrass and helps gives up-and-coming women’s golfers a chance to qualify for the LPGA Tour.

“Our volunteers return year after year; their energy is always high,” tournament cochairman Tony Mancilla said. “We have golfers from all over the world, so our employees get excited about it.

“And the players keep getting better. The first year, 7-under-par won, last year 17-under won. I really believe, if you golf or if you have kids, you don’t want to miss it.”

The winner receives a trophy, a tribal honor quilt handmade by an elder of the Hannahville Indian Community and a check for $33,750.

New this year, the Island Resort event joins the other two Epson Tour events being held in Michigan for a series called The Pure Michigan Cup, which is also in collaboration with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

It will award an extra $20,000 in prize money, including $10,000 for first place along with a trophy, to the top three point-earners after these back-to-back-to-back events. The Island tourney is the final stop, which follows this weekend’s FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship in Battle Creek and next week’s Great Lakes Championship in Harbor Springs.

In the Epson Tour, now in its 45th year, players can earn an LPGA Tour membership through its Race for the Card. This year, 15 LPGA cards will be distributed to the top point earners after a 20-event season.

Fans of the Island Resort tournament are encouraged to come out and watch the competition. Tickets are $10 that covers all three days for adults, with admission free for youth ages 17 and under.

Tickets are available at the gate during the event, at The Island Club located inside the casino, from the Delta County Area Chamber of Commerce or several Delta County charitable organizations, or by phone with credit card at 877-ISL-HOW (877-475-7469) or 906-466-2941, ext. 5001.

Fans are encouraged to bring a chair or utilize the bleachers around the ninth and 18th greens, as well as at the center of the course. Fans can also follow competitors as they play their rounds and get autographs or photos taken with golfers at the end of their rounds.

Food and beverages are available on the course.