Category: LPGA

2023 Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play prize money payouts for each LPGA player

Check out the prize money payouts at the 2023 Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play.

Pajaree Anannarukarn poured in 12 birdies in 34 holes Sunday to survive a grueling stretch at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play event at Shadow Creek. Anannarukarn defeated Ayaka Furue in the championship match and Linn Grant in the semifinals.

The Thai player claimed her second LPGA title just two days before her 24th birthday. She earned $225,000 for the victory, brining her 2023 earnings to $330,385. She has amassed $1,966,317 in her LPGA career.

A total of 64 players were divided into 16 groups of four at the start of the week. After three days of round-robin matches, competition moved to a 16-player, single-elimination bracket.

There was no consolation match this year. Instead, NFL players Davante Adams, Mark Ingram, Terry McLaurin and Austin Ekeler played in a nine-hole, two-man scramble concurrently with the championship match for charity. A check for $40,000 was presented to the Play Like a Girl organization.

Here’s a full purse breakdown for the week:

Pos Player Money
1 Pajaree Anannarukarn $225,000
2 Ayaka Furue $141,906
T-3 Leona Maguire $91,288
T-3 Linn Grant $91,288
T-5 Celine Boutier $49,723
T-5 Carlota Ciganda $49,723
T-5 Albane Valenzuela $49,723
T-5 Lindsey Weaver-Wright $49,723
T-9 Maja Stark $26,949
T-9 Cheyenne Knight $26,949
T-9 Anna Nordqvist $26,949
T-9 Alison Lee $26,949
T-9 Sophia Schubert $26,949
T-9 Daniela Darquea $26,949
T-9 Angel Yin $26,949
T-9 Perrine Delacour $26,949
T-17 Brooke Henderson $17,023
T-17 Ally Ewing $17,023
T-17 Marina Alex $17,023
T-17 Lilia Vu $17,023
T-17 Jenny Shin $17,023
T-17 Hae Ran Ryu $17,023
T-17 Pei-Yun Chien $17,023
T-17 Yu Liu $17,023
T-17 Lauren Coughlin $17,023
T-17 Karis Davidson $17,023
T-27 Min Lee $10,705
T-27 Muni He $10,705
T-27 Maddie Szeryk $10,705
T-27 Esther Henseleit $10,705
T-27 Jennifer Kupcho $10,705
T-27 Paula Reto $10,705
T-27 Andrea Lee $10,705
T-27 Allisen Corpuz $10,705
T-27 Sei Young Kim $10,705
T-27 Amanda Doherty $10,705
T-27 Jeongeun Lee $10,705
T-27 Mina Harigae $10,705
T-27 Maria Fassi $10,705
T-27 Aditi Ashok $10,705
T-41 Eun-Hee Ji $6,312
T-41 Caroline Inglis $6,312
T-41 Celine Borge $6,312
T-41 Gemma Dryburgh $6,312
T-41 Danielle Kang $6,312
T-41 Frida Kinhult $6,312
T-41 Stacy Lewis $6,312
T-41 Emma Talley $6,312
T-41 Nanna Koerstz Madsen $6,312
T-41 Pornanong Phatlum $6,312
T-41 Na Rin An $6,312
T-41 Matilda Castren $6,312
T-53 Gaby Lopez $4,817
T-53 Xiyu Lin $4,817
T-53 A Lim Kim $4,817
T-56 Jodi Ewart Shadoff $3,971
T-56 Yae Eun Hong $3,971
T-56 Sarah Schmelzel $3,971
T-56 Linnea Strom $3,971
T-56 Sarah Kemp $3,971
T-56 Lauren Hartlage $3,971
T-56 Lucy Li $3,971
T-56 Elizabeth Szokol $3,971
T-56 Jaravee Boonchant $3,971

 

Stanford superstar Rose Zhang hires veteran LPGA caddie as she embarks on professional career

Zhang’s 12 career college titles sets a school record at Stanford.

Rose Zhang makes her professional debut at this week’s LPGA Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National, and she’ll have a veteran caddie by her side.

Jason Gilroyed, who most recently worked for Minjee Lee for five seasons, will be part of Zhang’s team as she makes the transition from Stanford.

Zhang, 20, became the first woman to win back-to-back NCAA titles last week in Arizona. She won 12 times in 20 starts at Stanford, including eight wins this season. Tiger Woods once won eight times in a single season at Stanford.

Zhang’s 12 career college titles set a school record at Stanford, besting Woods (26 events), Patrick Rodgers (35 events) and Maverick McNealy (45 events) who all won 11 times. Zhang matched Lorena Ochoa for the most wins in Pac-12 history. She finished the season with a 68.81 scoring average over 31 rounds, nearly a stroke better than her 69.68 NCAA record from freshman season.

2022 U.S. Women's Open
Minjee Lee prepares to hit her tee shot with her caddie Jason Gilroyed on the 12th hole during the final round of the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina. (Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images)

Zhang has exemptions into all four majors this summer, including the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. Gilroyed and his son Tyler, a student at SMU, recently visited with Zhang at Stanford. After a tour of campus and dinner, they went to Pebble Beach the next day for a practice round where Zhang teed it up with the director of golf.

“She shot 4 under pretty easily at 6 a.m. at Pebble when it was pretty cold,” said Gilroyed, who started caddying on the LPGA in 1996, working long stints with Rosie Jones, Cristie Kerr, Anna Nordqvist, Alison Lee and Minjee Lee.

The even-keeled Gilroyed has been on the bag for 26 LPGA wins, including four majors.

Last fall, Zhang set a new women’s course record at Pebble Beach when she shot 9-under 63 in the second round of the 2022 Carmel Cup.

“If I had to describe her game it would be more a Jin Young (Ko),” he said, “you know it’s going to be about precision.”

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Pajaree Anannarukarn claims second career LPGA title at Bank of Hope Match Play after 116 holes

With the victory, Anannarukarn earned a spot in the field at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach.

Pajaree Anannarukarn outlasted Ayaka Furue to claim her second LPGA title at the Bank of Hope Match Play. The Thai player thrived in a marathon week of golf at picturesque Shadow Creek, pouring in eight birdies in a semifinal match against Linn Grant and then hanging tough to defeat Furue, 3 and  1, on a hot and windy day in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Anannarukarn, 23, claimed her first LPGA title two years ago at the ISPS Handa World Invitational in a playoff against Emma Talley in Northern Ireland. When it was over in Vegas, Anannarukarn talked about the grind it took to get back to the winner’s circle.

“Golf is just, sometimes it’s hard to come back up,” she told Golf Channel after the round. “I tried in every possible way to improve on my game and keep believing.”

With the victory, Anannarukarn earned $225,000 and a spot in the field at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links. She notched 12 birdies in 34 holes on Sunday.

Anannarukarn has worked with Claude Harmon III since November 2019. Because Harmon is on a different travel schedule, mostly working on the men’s tours, the pair only see each other a couple times a year. She noted that she’s mostly focused now on her swing rotation.

It was an early birthday present for Anannarukarn, who played a total of 116 holes over the course of the week, beating the likes of Carlota Ciganda, Cheyenne Knight and Karis Davidson in a playoff just to advance out of the round-robin portion of the event. She turns 24 in two days.

Now in her fifth season on tour, Anannarukarn joins Atthaya Thitikul (2), Moriya Jutanugarn (2), Jasmine Suwannapura (2) and Ariya Jutanugarn (12) as Thai players with at least two LPGA titles in their career.

Japan’s Furue played her way into the championship match for a second consecutive year and nearly pulled off some late-round heroics when her final shot from the bunker flirted with the hole.

Because there was no consolation match this year, Leona Maguire and Grant split third-place points and prize money. This was Grant’s first start in the U.S. as an LPGA member.

The former Arizona State player has competed around the world – quite successfully – since turning professional nearly two years ago, but could not compete in the U.S. due to COVID-19 restrictions that require international visitors to be fully vaccinated against the virus

Jessica Korda announces indefinite break from LPGA due to lingering back injury

Jessica Korda is taking a break from the LPGA and isn’t sure when she’ll be back.

Jessica Korda is taking a break from the LPGA and isn’t sure when she’ll be back. The 30-year-old has struggled with a back injury for some time now and said she’s reached a point where the pain is not improving, forcing her to withdraw from several events.

“As a competitor, it’s upsetting to have to do this time and time again,” Korda wrote on her social media accounts. “At the advice of my medical team, I have made the decision to stop playing until I can get my back fully healthy.”

A six-time winner on the LPGA, Korda last teed it up at the Cognizant Founders Cup where she withdrew after a first-round 72. Her best finish this season in six starts is a share of 18th at the Dio Implant LPGA Open.

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Last year, Korda took two months off in the spring and stopped playing in late September due to lingering back pain.

“At this point, we don’t have a firm timeline for my return,” Korda wrote, “but I’m working with the best of the best and am focused on coming back as soon as possible.

The LPGA has two majors in the span of three weeks beginning June 22 with the KPMG Women’s PGA at Baltusrol followed by the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

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Linn Grant makes deep run at Bank of Hope Match Play in first LPGA start in U.S. after vaccine restrictions were lifted

Grant, who is currently No. 22 in the world, missed the first major of 2023.

Linn Grant made the most of her first start in the U.S. as an LPGA member. The former Arizona State player has competed around the world – quite successfully – since turning professional nearly two years ago, but could not compete in the U.S. due to COVID-19 restrictions that require international visitors to be fully vaccinated against the virus.

With the national public health emergency expiring earlier this month, Grant was permitted to compete in the Ladies European Tour event in West Palm Beach, Florida, last week. This weekend, she advanced to the semifinals of the Bank of Hope Match-Play at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas. Grant ultimately fell to Pajaree Anannarukarn on Sunday morning. The Thai player will face Japan’s Ayaka Furue in the final Sunday afternoon.

Grant, who is currently No. 22 in the world, missed the first major of the year in Texas as well as the chance to represent Sweden at the Hanwha International Crown.

In her LPGA rookie year last season, Grant spent much of 2022 competing around the world on the LET. She won four times on the LET last year, including the history-making Scandinavian Mixed, in which she beat the men on the DP World Tour. She also topped the season-long Race to Costa del Sol.

In six LPGA starts last season held outside the U.S., Grant carded four top-eight finishes and a T-19 at the AIG Women’s British Open.

Earlier this month, she won the Jabra Ladies Open in Evian, France. Grant will soon return home to Sweden to defend her title at the Scandinavian Mixed.

When Grant qualified for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship last November, which boasted a record-setting $2 million first-place prize and $7 million purse, but still wasn’t in the field, she provided a statement to Golfweek that read in part:

“I understand some people want to know why I am not playing in the U.S. I respect that. The simple reason is that I am not vaccinated. Regarding why, I ask the same respect back. It is something I want to keep internally with my family and team.”

Earlier this week in Las Vegas, Grant was asked during a pre-tournament new conference what it felt like to miss so many events as a rookie due to vaccine restrictions.

“I think actually looking back at it now, I really appreciate not coming here earlier,” she said. “I think I wouldn’t have had the experience I’ve had with the LET and all the confidence that I’ve gained through the that year.

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“I think that was a great year for me to kind of get into professional golf and learn about my game and traveling and getting used to all the stuff you have to get used to.

“So I feel like I’m more prepared now coming here than I would’ve been a year ago. I think everything happens for a reason. I think there was a reason for that.”

Stanford’s Rose Zhang announces plans to turn professional after back-to-back NCAA titles, set to play all four summer majors

Rose Zhang says it’s time to move on.

Rose Zhang says it’s time to move on. After the best two-year stint in the history of college golf, the Stanford star has announced her decision to turn professional and the anticipation of what she might do to grow women’s golf is palpable.

There hasn’t been an American player this promising since Michelle Wie West, though for vastly different reasons. Wie West’s head-turning power and presence dazzled on the professional stage long before she earned a paycheck.

Zhang’s awe-factor and respect, however, comes from the titles she has won against her peers. Simply put, she has won everything that matters – sometimes twice – and often in dominant fashion. She has won every way there is to win, most notably hanging on at Augusta National last April in brutal conditions when she mostly looked uncomfortable. She has won time and again when she’s expected to win.

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“She is truly spectacular,” Wie West told Golfweek. “There’s so much pressure on her and yet she delivers time and time again.”

Photos: Rose Zhang through the years

Zhang took to Instagram to deliver the news after becoming the first woman to win two NCAA Championship titles. She’ll make her professional debut at next week’s inaugural Mizuho Americas Open, hosted by Wie West, and enjoy a packed summer of LPGA starts, including four major championships.

“Stanford is truly a special place with special people,” Zhang wrote on Instagram. “I would never take these incredible memories and experiences for granted. With that in mind, while I am pursuing my professional career, I will continue to earn my degree in the years to come. Stanford fam forever.”

Non-members are allowed up to six LPGA exemptions per season, plus special invitations from the U.S. Women’s Open and AIG Women’s British Open. Zhang has received special invites from both championships, held this year at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Walton Heath Golf Club, respectively.

In addition, she’ll compete in the KPMG Women’s PGA at Baltusrol, the Dana Open, Amundi Evian Championship, CP Women’s Open and Kroger Queen City Championship.

Last year, the LPGA changed its top-10 rule to allow non-members to earn a start in the next week’s field after a top-10 finish in designated events. In other words, strong play could help Zhang earn even more professional starts in 2023.

Zhang could play her way onto the LPGA and avoid Q-Series in December with a victory on tour or by finishing the season with CME points that are equal to or greater than the official points earned by the LPGA member in 40th place.

The new NIL era makes the financial transition easier for Zhang, given that she already had relationships with several high-profile companies, including Callaway and Adidas. Her full portfolio of sponsorships is expected to be released next week, but Zhang’s off-the-course earnings have the potential to be the strongest for a U.S. player since Wie West made her professional splash nearly 20 years ago.

Zhang won 12 times in 20 starts at Stanford, including eight wins this season. Tiger Woods once won eight times in a single season at Stanford.

Zhang’s 12 career titles sets a school record at Stanford, besting Woods (26 events), Patrick Rodgers (35 events) and Maverick McNealy (45 events) who all won 11 times. Zhang matched Lorena Ochoa for the most wins in Pac-12 history. She finished the season with a 68.81 scoring average over 31 rounds, nearly a stroke better than her 69.68 NCAA record from freshman season.

“I think the biggest thing I’ve learned from her is that she’s nowhere near perfect,” said Stanford teammate Megha Ganne, “and that her score seems as though she is. She puts it together better than any player I’ve ever seen.”

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Head coach Anne Walker told Zhang during the recruiting process that where she could help her grow the most was to become better prepared to be a professional. Zhang no doubt leaves Palo Alto more comfortable in the limelight, more confident with her position in the game, and with a better of understanding of what it means to be the CEO of her own company.

“She has a great board of directors around her,” said Walker. “At the end of the day, no matter who’s on the board, you have to make the decision, and right or wrong, you’re the one who has to take the accountability for that. When she showed up, I’m not sure she was the one making those calls.”

Zhang’s performance as CEO will no doubt impact her ability to succeed long-term at the next level, that includes everything from the makeup of her team to where she plays and what contracts she signs. There will be no shortage of opinions.

Walker said when she’s asked, “What’s the biggest thing you’ve taught Rose Zhang?” the answer is to stop giving away her cell phone number to folks who come out to watch her play.

That’s the kindness that people often talk about with Zhang. As her star-power grows, she remains the same humble player she’s always been – thankful that people came out to watch.

Wake Forest’s Emilia Migliaccio appreciates the way Zhang takes the interact with new people at events, recalling at time at the ANWA when she saw Zhang having dinner several younger players.

“She doesn’t need to do that,” said Migliaccio, but she does because she knows that it means a lot to people.

“People aren’t asking her questions about golf. They’re just enjoying their time with her. So, yeah, when it comes to growing the game, she’s kind of the pinnacle of what that is.”

Inaugural Mizuho Americas Open promises an unparalleled experience for LPGA players in a world-class field

The Mizuho Americas Open created a new standard on the LPGA Tour before the first shot was struck.

The Mizuho Americas Open created a new standard on the LPGA Tour before the first shot was struck.

LPGA players competing in the inaugural event received complimentary lodging at the Conrad New York Downtown, a perk that’s unheard of on the LPGA at full-field domestic events. In addition, players will take the nearby ferry each day to the steps of the Liberty National clubhouse, just as the men did for the Presidents Cup and the PGA Tour’s Northern Trust.

“It doesn’t seem like a big deal,” said tournament host and Mizuho ambassador Michelle Wie West, “when you hear of NBA players, they’re chartered everywhere and staying in the Four Seasons every week. But that’s one of the unseen pain points in a female athlete’s career.”

Mizuho Americas, headquartered in New York City, is the fastest-growing region within Mizuho Financial Group, with 55,000 employees and $2 trillion in assets. Sponsoring an LPGA event is the bank’s entrée into the sports marketing space.

“It’s been really amazing to see their commitment to everything,” said Wie West, “and their commitment to do it right.”

The Mizuho Americas Open takes place June 1-4 in Jersey City, New Jersey, and features a field of 120 players vying for a purse of $2.75 million, one of the largest among non-major events.

Jerry Rizzieri, president and CEO of Mizuho Securities USA, said that while they did look at several PGA Tour options for sponsorship, which would’ve been more advantageous in terms of viewership numbers, that’s not what drove the mission. Mizuho views this as a purpose-driven sponsorship.
“Our organization, I feel, has done a good job at creating opportunities for women,” said Rizzieri. “Two of our three largest divisions are actually headed by women. In general, I feel like women are very underrepresented, certainly in our industry, and certainly at the very senior levels. But also I believe that the athletes themselves, whether it be the WNBA or the LPGA, are very much under-appreciated. Not only for their skill, but their dedication.

“When I think about the progress that has been made over the years, it’s certainly commendable, but still, there’s a long way to go.”

Wie West, 33, decided to step away from tour life after last year’s U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles. The only event that remains on her competitive golf calendar is the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. Husband Jonnie West has volunteered to caddie at Pebble next July.

“I’ve had a really busy couple months surprisingly,” said Wie West from South Korea. “I said at the beginning of the year, I’m going to start grinding in March and now it’s April, but now I’m going to start grinding in May.”

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Wie West first made national headlines when she became the youngest player to ever qualify for a USGA amateur championship at age 10. She’d go on to become the youngest player to ever qualify for an LPGA event at age 12, the youngest to win an adult USGA championship at age 13 and the youngest to make the cut at an LPGA major when played her way into the last group of the 2003 Kraft Nabisco (now the Chevron), thanks to a third-round 66.

It was her adventures against the men, however, that truly made the 6-foot phenom with the 300-yard drives a household name. In 2004, Wie West shot 68 at the Sony Open, the lowest round ever recorded by a woman at a PGA Tour event. She missed the cut by a single stroke.

She’d go on to compete in six more PGA Tour tournaments, advance to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur Public Links in her quest to play the Masters, and create never-before-seen buzz at U.S. Open sectional qualifying, when she had another legit shot at competing in a men’s major.

Wie West won five times on the LPGA, including the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, and now steps into her new role as tournament host.

While Wie West won’t be teeing it up at Liberty National, she’s paying close attention to all the aspects that mattered greatly to her on the road — such as food. It’s important to the self-described “foodie” that dining for players and caddies be top notch, including a smoothie station stocked by Happy Viking, a Venus Williams-owned company in which Wie West is an investor.

In fact, a number of Wie West’s partners will be heavily involved in the event, such as Nike giving custom Air Force Ones and sunglasses to all juniors and pros.

One of the most unique aspects of the event — and another first — is the AJGA invitational that will be running concurrently with the LPGA event. Twenty-four of the brightest stars in girls’ junior golf will compete alongside the LPGA’s best with the glimmering New York City skyline as a backdrop.

Wie West views this as a tremendous mentorship opportunity and hopes that many phone numbers are exchanged at the Mizuho. Juniors will be paired with the pros through Sunday’s final round.

“We want to really support the next generation,” said Wie West. “For these girls to really know what it feels like to be a professional golfer. … They’re going to see how nervous these players get, how they handle the pressure down the line.”

Lexi Thompson Q&A: How she’s ‘forever grateful’ of friendship with Donald Trump and why she took a break in 2023

At 28, Thompson is still going strong, though she has taken a respite in 2023, playing few events.

Though the Aramco Team Series is a Saudi Arabian event at the Trump International Golf Club, South Florida product Lexi Thompson gets a chance to play in her backyard this week and on her home course owned by one of her favorite people.

Thompson, a Coral Springs native who now lives in Delray Beach, shot to fame when she was 12, winning a USGA qualifier to earn a spot in the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open, becoming the youngest to do so.

Crediting her two golf-playing brothers, Thompson turned pro at 15 and won her first LPGA event at 16.

At 28, the 6-footer has 11 LPGA titles, still going strong, though she has taken a respite in 2023, playing few events.

The Aramco Series, now in its third year, is part team event, part individual tournament with its sponsor a Saudi Arabian oil company.

The format calls for a foursome of three pros from either the LPGA or Ladies European Tour linked with one amateur. The tournament takes place Friday to Sunday at the suburban West Palm Beach course.

The team event is Friday and Saturday and the individual title is up for grabs in Sunday’s final round. (The scores of the pros are added up from the three days of rounds).

The tournament is the second Aramco event of 2023 after March’s Singapore event won by Lydia Ko, who also is entered here. The tournament continues in London, Hong Kong and Riyadh.

More: Lexi Thompson in photos through the years

In October, Thompson won the first Aramco event on American soil, held in The Bronx at Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point. Thompson is now on home turf trying for an American sweep.

Thursday, the pre-tournament pro-am will be held and is closed to the public and media. Sources indicated former President Donald Trump is expected to compete.

Thompson held a news conference at Trump International, then conducted this Q&A with The Palm Beach Post.

Q&A: Lydia Ko weighs in on the state of her game, her first time at Pebble Beach, playing four majors in a row and caddying for her husband at an amateur event

“Chevron, I think, was a little bit more of a wake-up call.”

It’s an off-week for the LPGA, but Lydia Ko joins Lexi Thompson and Jessica Korda in headlining the Ladies European Tour event this week — in Florida — for the latest installment of the Aramco Team Series at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The LPGA’s season-ending ADT Championship was held at Trump International for eight years.

This year’s total prize fund on the LET is a record-setting 35 million euros ($37M). There are once again six Saudi-backed events on the LET’s 2023 schedule, with the Aramco Team Series featuring five stops worldwide, each with a $1 million purse. The series began in Singapore last March.

Other Aramco stops include the Centurion Club in London next July, Hong Kong in October, and one final leg in Saudi Arabia Nov. 3-5 at Riyadh Golf Club. The events remain controversial given the wide-ranging human rights abuses Saudi Arabia has been accused of, especially toward women.

Ko began 2023 with a victory at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International, which featured a $5 million purse, but has yet to contend this season on the LPGA. She missed the cut at the year’s first major, the Chevron Championship, and hasn’t finished inside the top 30 since February.

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Golfweek caught up with Ko ahead of the LET event to talk about her recent form, playing Pebble Beach Golf Links for the first time and how she fared caddying for husband Jun Chung on the U.S. Am Tour in Monterey, California, last month. Spoiler: She was “super proud.”

Here are excerpts from that conversation:

Gabriela Ruffels, Jenny Shin, Annie Park and two Alabama teammates among those who qualified on Monday for historic U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach

“I love Pebble, it’s one of my favorite places, so being able to go this year is just amazing.”

Former U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Gabriela Ruffels will make her third U.S. Women’s Open appearance this summer at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Ruffels, 23, currently leads the Epson Tour money list after winning her second event of the season earlier this month in record fashion.

The former USC star finished at 7 under over 36 holes to top the qualifying field on Monday at The Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, British Columbia. Ruffels tied for 13th at the 2020 USWO.

“I love USGA events, especially at Pebble it’s going to be really historic and unique,” Ruffels told Golf Canada. “I love Pebble, it’s one of my favorite places, so being able to go this year is just amazing.”

Lauren Kim, 17, of Surrey, British Columbia, finished at 5 under to take the second spot. Both Kim and Ruffels competed at the Women’s Open at Pine Needles last year. Kim heads to the University of Texas in the fall.

A number of LPGA players teed it up at the Echo Lake qualifier in Westfield, New Jersey. LPGA winners Jenny Shin and Annie Park qualified, as did Haeji Kang and rookie Natthakritta Vongtaveelap.

In Georgia, it was an Alabama sweep at Druid Hills Golf Club as amateurs Sarah Edwards and Benedetta Moresco qualified. Edwards, a senior from Jay, Florida, won the qualifier with rounds of 69-68. Italy’s Moresco finished one shot back.

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