Ask Megan Osland what she is most proud of regarding her professional golf career and the Kelowna native doesn’t have to think long. “My resilience,” she says.
That answer makes perfect sense as Osland has required lots of it in a nearly 10-year professional golf journey that has had its share of ups and downs.
It’s experiences like the one she had this past weekend in Kansas that make the 32-year-old Osland happy she has persevered and never stopped believing in herself.
Osland capped what has been a solid season on the Annika Women’s All Pro Tour with a tie-for-second finish at last week’s Tour Championship in Wichita. More importantly, she finished second on the tour’s Callaway Race to Qualifying points list. The top five players on that list advance directly to the second stage of LPGA Tour qualifying school and have their Q school entry fees covered.
“Obviously, the goal at the beginning of the season on WAPT is to finish in the top five,” Osland said in an interview. “Coming in second is a bonus. They cover the entry fees for the entirety of the qualifying process, so second stage and final stage, which is huge. Q-school is quite expensive, upwards of $6,000 just in entry fees, and then they also provide a bit of support moving forward so depending on where you place, 1 through 5, you are given a little bit of a cash boost as well. So that is really nice.”
Osland, who graduated from San Jose State University in December of 2015 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation Management, is proud of her consistency this season. Her year was highlighted by a win at the St. Louis Women’s Championship in June. In addition to that win, Osland had five other top-five finishes this year and missed just one cut in 12 starts.
“I am really most happy with the consistency of my year,” she said. “I was in contention a few times, so that is always an exciting opportunity. It’s an opportunity to grow a lot because I learn so much when I am in that position. That was great for me this year.”
Her success this season has reinforced Osland’s belief in herself. She acknowledges that belief has at times wavered during particularly difficult times on the course. “I have had some great years and then some not so great years and then I had a couple of years during Covid where I couldn’t even leave Canada, so that was essentially two years of my golf career on hold,” she said.
“I am proud that I kept believing that I could continue on this path and be successful even at times when it doesn’t feel like you can and you question if you are doing the right thing. I always kind of go back to the thought that there is nothing else I would rather be doing. I have got so much support behind me, too, and that really keeps me going.”
Much of that support has come from her parents. Osland has also enjoyed the support of a corporate sponsor for the last five years. That deal came after she played in a pro-am at the CPKC Women’s Open in 2019. One of the players in her group was George Vassallo, president and CEO of Canadian construction company Bothwell-Accurate. After that round, Vassallo offered to sponsor Osland.
“They have been an amazing sponsor,” Osland said. “They have been with me since 2020 and have been unbelievable in supporting me.”
Osland credits work she has done with her Arizona-based coach, Andrew Getson, with helping improve her game. “My coach and I have basically broken down my swing from the ground up,” she said. “We have simplified the movements of my swing. I understand my golf swing a lot better now.”
The second stage of LPGA Tour Q-school goes Oct. 15-18 in Plantation, Fla. Osland will spend a bit of time at home in Kelowna before heading south. Her second-place finish on the WAPT points list earned her an exemption into the Epson Tour Championship, which goes Oct. 2-5 in Indian Wells, Calif. That event should serve as good preparation for Q-school.
Osland is obviously hoping she won’t be back playing on the WAPT in 2026. If you liken women’s pro golf in North America to pro baseball, the LPGA Tour is the Major Leagues, the Epson Tour is Triple A and the WAPT is Double A.
By advancing directly to second stage of Q-school, Osland is guaranteed some status on the 2026 Epson Tour. If she can advance to final stage, she will have, at worst, excellent Epson Tour status. The goal, of course, is try and earn one of the LPGA Tour cards that will be handed out to the top 25 finishers and ties at the conclusion of final stage.
“I am definitely excited,” Osland said. “I think it’s a great opportunity. I am happy to have played well enough to bypass the first stage. I have been to second stage multiple times before, so I know what to expect there. I am really excited.
"As happy as I am about what I did on the WAPT, I know there is still a lot of work to be done to get me to the level I want to be at. But this is an exciting step in that direction.”