Lakareber Abe and Sarah White bring Team DOW familiarity and Michigan hometown pride to 2026 Dow Championship
By Elle Chavis
MIDLAND, Mich. -- Back in 2020 at the Founders Tribute at Longbow Golf Club, amateur Sarah White was paired with then-2-year Epson Tour veteran Lakareber Abe. White would go on to win the tournament with a 15-under-par finish before officially joining the Epson Tour.
Fast forward seven years and the pair are now prepared to take part in the 2026 Dow Championship in Midland, Mich., at Midland Country Club. Since the two first met, their friendship has blossomed on the Epson Tour which both refer to as a small “family.”
“We are much more support systems for each other. There are people you lean on, people you can ask questions, people you can ask advice for,” Abe said of the relationships formed between the women on the Epson Tour. “I've leaned on Sarah a ton of times out there just for help doing multiple different things, like any array of anything.”
With the bond the two share, Abe immediately knew who she wanted to partner when extended her sponsor invitation for the LPGA’s only official team event. She’d already given considerable thought to their team name: Lak and White.
“It was an immediate yes,” White said. “I was like, this is hilarious. I asked ChatGPT and nothing came close to what she came up with.”
Both players bring with them a bit of familiarity to the course and the Midland area. White grew up in Michigan and is a former Michigan High School State Champion. Abe has been a member of Team Dow—The Next Generation for the past three years and played in the Dow Championship in 2024.
For White, the Dow Championship represents a homecoming of sorts. She grew up in nearby Grand Rapids and is a former Michigan High School State Champion. White played collegiate golf first for Western Michigan University before eventually transferring to Texas State.
“I will die on the hill that Michigan is the best golf in the country,” White said. “I’m excited to be back also because I feel like this is a home event.”
Coming back to Michigan gives White the rare opportunity to play in front of a home crowd. Several members of her family plan to come from Grand Rapids to see the 28-year-old tee-off beginning on Thursday.
“I think it’s so awesome [Sarah’s] from Michigan and she gets to play close to home,” Abe said. “That’s something that I think every girl on Tour would dream of doing wherever they’re from.”
While Abe may not call Michigan home as White does, she has experience in competing in the tournament and with Midland as a member of Team Dow.
“I think the group, the organization, Dow as a whole and just as a company is so supportive of women’s golf,” Abe said. “It has just been a blessing, their support. It really has helped me continue to play and continue to access resources that I need to keep getting better.”
Between White’s hometown connection and Abe’s Team Dow ties, the crowds at Midland Country Club will have ample reason to root for the pair.
“Midwest people know how to party, and they know how to start a crowd,” White said. “They know how to just be loud and supportive, so it’s going to be a really fun week.”
Lak and White are ready to bring the Midwest energy and Team Dow flair to the greens at Midland Country Club.
