HARRIS — Bigger and probably better than ever.

Those are the expectations for this weekend’s Island Resort Championship at Sweetgrass. It will be the first time the Epson Tour flag will wave here after a decade with the Symetra Tour. The new title sponsor has lowered the entry fee by $50 for golfers while increasing the average purse size on the Road to the LPGA.

A record-tying field of 156 players will compete for a record $212,500 purse, with the winner receiving a record $31,875.

The field will be cut after Saturday’s round, leaving about half the field to play in Sunday’s final round. Play starts at 7:30 a.m. (EDT) each day.

The 11th tournament will be on Sweetgrass Golf Course, named the National Golf Course of the Year by the Golf Course Owners Association earlier this year.

“We’re very excited for this,” said Island Resort & Casino general manager Tony Mancilla. He noted a $30 million expansion was finished recently, which added 450 hotel rooms and expanded gaming and dining facilities.

More than 300 Epson-Symetra alumnae have earned LPGA status since Sweetgrass hosted the first tournament in 2011, including 2021 champion Morgane Metraux of Lausanne, Switzerland.

The tourney field will be finalized Thursday, with many of the players coming here after competing in the inaugural Ann Arbor tournament over the past weekend.

Kiira Riihijarvi, a native of Finland, won that event for her first championship. She closed with a bang, getting four birdies over a bogey-free back nine for a 3-under-par 69. She also shot 68-69 to open the tourney, earning $30,000.

Her 206 was two strokes better than runner-up Pavarisa Yoktuan, who led the opening two days.

Amateur Ashley Lau, a University of Michigan golfer, finished third at 210. Tied at minus 5 were Klara Spilkona, Linnea Strom and Grace Kim.

Three former Sweetgrass winners were also in Ann Arbor. Kim Kaufman, the 2013 IRC champion now on the LPGA Tour, tied for 16th at 215, and 2015 winner Dani Holmqvist tied for 20th at 216.

Two former IRC champions missed the cut in Ann Arbor, 2019 winner Daniella Iacobelli and 2016 winner Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong.

Other former IRC champions are Ruixin Liu in 2018, former Big Break winner Emma Talley in 2017, Molly Aronsson in 2014, Leah Wigger in 2012 and Stephanie Kim in 2011.

Seven of the 10 former IRC champions have earned their LPGA cards.

Two entrants in this week’s field have exemptions. Former University of Wisconsin golfer Bobbi Stricker, featured in a Daily Press article last week, and New Zealander Laura Hoskin, are the exemptions.

Stricker, daughter of reigning Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker, finished second in a one-hole playoff at the Wisconsin State Open last week.

Tickets are available at the IRC gate for $10, with food and refreshments for $2 all weekend. Some of the prime viewing locations are near No. 2 green, No. 11 green, No. 12 tee (the No. 15 island green is next to No. 12 tee), the old Nahma bridge that connects to the island green, No. 17 green and the joined nos. 9-18 green.

Some of the players arrived Sunday while many of them will play in pro-am events Wednesday and Thursday. The annual fishing tournament near the island green will be held Wednesday.

“The Island Resort Championship has set a standard for hosting the Epson Tour that continually raises the bar in hospitality, the quality of the venue, and prize money,” said Epson Tour chief business officer Mike Nichols. “To be able to bring our athletes to a golf course recently ranked No. 1 in Michigan by its golf course peers is truly a treat.”

Four previous IRC champions will compete, including Kaufman, Holmqvist, Santiwiwatthanaphong and Iacobelli. Also competing will be Riihijarvi along with four other women who have won tournaments this year, Lucy Li, Grace Kim, Kum-Kang Park and Linnea Strom.

“I love going to Sweetgrass,” said Iacobelli. “I love the people there, I love the course and I’m personally just excited to get back and keep building those friendships. I haven’t even though about the golf paret yet, I think that will happen Friday morning.”

The Road to the LPGA has grown from 15 tournaments and $1.6 million in prize money to $4.41 million awarded across 20-plus events this year. Former Symetra/Epson players have won 459 LPGA titles.