Jessica Porvasnik is a big fan of the year 2024. The former Highland High School and Ohio State University golf standout already has a rather significant list of accomplishments, but now she can add two more huge life events to that list. In August, Jessica tied the knot and married her fiance Sam. Within a month of that momentous occasion, she received notice that she had officially earned a spot on the LPGA Tour.

The moment Jessica found out that she had earned her card is immortalized on Instagram. “How do you guys know that?” Jessica asked in the video. A simple response: “Math.” She had mathematically made the jump every female golfer dreams of and she had not even thought to check into it. “I was like ‘what?'” she explained. There were three events left in the season and she still had some work to do to earn fully exempt status, but one thing was certain: Jessica Porvasnik would be playing on the LPGA Tour in 2025.

Jessica has an untraditional story of her rise in the sport of golf. She was never exposed to the game and her parents were not golfers. “I started kind of late, at age 12,” she said. “I played many other sports and was really into softball. I was visiting my aunt in Battle Creek, Michigan and she suggested we take a golf lesson together.” The pro who gave the lesson was impressed. “Hey, you’re pretty good.” That was all it took. Jessica’s aunt helped her find out that the Highland golf program had a middle school club team. She joined that and made it a point to play with her grandfather every Sunday. Her sister Alicia also picked up the sport around the same time.

Jessica was able to make the Highland varsity team as a freshman. “It was a lot of fun,” she recalled. “It was a family atmosphere for me. It made my game get better just because of the competition. I grew to love the game and loved being with them.” Her best high school memories are the same as pretty much any high school golfer you ask and they include being big into flamingos, singing on van rides, and the camaraderie of the team. One of her goals was to win the individual state championship and she was able to accomplish that goal her senior year. “That was really cool,” she said happily.

It didn’t take Highland golf coach Mary Becker long to know Jessica might be on a different trajectory. “I began to believe that Jessica was a special kid after her freshman year,” Coach Becker explained. “She came back as a sophomore and made a huge jump. Just watching her development, passion and hunger to learn more and more about golf, and how to become a better player was something you saw in her every day.” Going to Ohio State was the right decision, according to Becker. “I was super excited for her to choose Ohio State to play her college golf. Number one, it’s a great national level program with great resources and facilities. Number two, after getting to know coach Hessian from OSU, I knew it was the right choice. She played on the tour and had a track record of developing tour players, which made her program a great fit for Jess.”

Jessica ended up having a stellar career at Ohio State, where she won the Big Ten Tournament her freshman year as an individual while the Buckeyes won it as a team. They ended up winning the conference three of her four years there and also made it to Nationals three of those seasons. After graduating with a degree in finance, Jessica knew she wanted to pursue her golf career. She committed herself and was happy to have more time to dedicate to improving her game. “I could now spend my time focusing on golf, fitness, and nutrition,” she said.

Jessica turned pro in the summer of 2017, right after her graduation. She continues to show appreciation for her coaches from Ohio State, who have been extremely supportive of her and have even caddied in some of her events. She went through LPGA Q-School to try to earn her tour card that fall but did not make it through the first round. She faced similar results the next two years. But she continued to play in state opens and on mini-tours. In 2020, she played on the Women’s All Pro Tour, which had an incentive where the top five on their money list got to skip Stage 1 of Q-School. With her struggles getting through Stage 1, this was exactly what Jessica needed. She won the first event on the WAPT and then the tour shut down due to Covid. “The year was a wash,” she explained. She didn’t back down and was able to get into the top 5 in 2021. In fact, she finished first overall on the WAPT and was able to get status on the Epson Tour as a result of her Q-School performance.

2024 was Jessica’s third season on the Epson Tour. She ended up finishing strong in most tournaments she played in. She had two second place finishes and six top 10s on the Epson Tour. If she finished in the top 10 overall she would receive a full card and 11 to 15 would earn her a partial card. When she found out she had mathematically qualified for the LPGA Tour with three events left, she still had a little work to do. She finished third in the next event to solidify a top 10 finish. With one event left on the Epson Tour, Jessica is sitting in third place and is ready to start making plans for her 2025 season on the LPGA Tour. “It hasn’t quite set in yet,” she said. “I think it will after this last event (at Indian Wells in Palm Springs).”

Jessica is very excited to live the LPGA lifestyle. “I can’t wait to see new courses and travel. I look forward to seeing new places. That was exciting with the Epson Tour. I got to visit a lot of places I had never been to. I can’t wait to see the new places on the LPGA Tour.” She is also excited to visit some of her host families and friends she has made along the way. Many of them still stay in touch and are following her journey.

Jessica has some experience on the big stage. She qualified to play in the 2014 Women’s US Open at Pinehurst. She did not make the cut but still mentioned that it was a great learning experience. She Monday qualified to get into the LPGA event at Toledo at Highland Meadows, where she did make the cut, and at the Pierce Silk Tournament in Virginia. “I haven’t met a lot of people yet,” she said. I’m looking forward to the new journey, meeting new people (she mentioned Nelly Korda), and seeing familiar faces.”

Jessica is ready to face the challenges of being on the top women’s golf tour in the world. There is a lot that goes into being a professional golfer that many people don’t realize. She is currently working on sponsorship deals, finding an agent, and getting a caddie. “I typically pushed (the bag and cart) myself or had my dad, husband, family, or coaches caddy for me,” she explained. She also knows that she needs to constantly work on her game. “I’m still asking people ‘Can you give me a lesson?’ and I am still taking a ton of lessons,” she said. “Your first year on the Epson Tour you are learning the ropes: Pro-Am parties, being in the Pro-Am, etc. I look back and hope my first year on the LPGA Tour will be easier.” She knows that she needs to get advice and continue to ask questions. “Where do I stay? What hotels do you recommend. I didn’t use a lot of the resources on the Epson Tour and it was a learning process. You don’t have a lot of time on the LPGA Tour. You need to perform to keep your card. Going out and asking questions will be huge so I don’t go out and face too many challenges.”

Asking questions is so important. Jessica wanted to remind that to junior players and high school golfers who are looking to make it big one day. “When you are a freshman, be outgoing,” she explained. “Ask the seniors questions. You need to be outgoing and ask questions because it will only help you.” She continued to explain what has worked for her. “The game is growing so much. There are a lot more female golfers right now. Give it your all, stay patient out there: PATIENT AND POSITIVE. It’s a grueling sport. You will have it one day and you won’t have it the next. Stick with it and have fun. That’s the key. I’ve always loved the game. There’s always something to bring me back in and give me that itch. I need to be out there. Most importantly, dream big!”

Jessica also offered some words of wisdom to parents and coaches of young golfers. “Don’t push too soon. I’ve seen a lot of parents make that mistake. If you keep pushing them they are going to get burnt out. Take a step back and be very supportive. They have got to want it themselves. My parents didn’t push me because I had the drive. They would drop me off at the golf course early and pick me up in the evening. I’d spend the whole day there.”

Even those that are not planning to become LPGA pros can really benefit from learning the sport, according to Jessica. “This is a great sport to go play in the business world or go make a bunch of connections. Having a lady in your scramble who plays from the red tees is a huge advantage!”

Coach Mary Becker sums up Jessica’s story perfectly: “Hers is a great story of perseverance and hard work, never giving up on her dream. I could not be happier for her.”

We would like to offer our utmost thanks to Jessica Porvasnik for taking the time to talk about her journey. We wish her the very best and we are really excited to follow her on the LPGA Tour this coming season!