The amateur deadline to turn professional and compete in Final Qualifying was 5 p.m. ET Friday.
The reigning NCAA individual champion won’t return to Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course in May to defend her title.
Adela Cernousek, a senior at Texas A&M and 10th-ranked amateur in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, announced Monday she was turning professional. The decision comes on the heels of Cernousek advancing to final stage of LPGA Q-Series, with amateurs having to turn professional to compete in Final Qualifying, Dec. 5-9 at Magnolia Grove Golf Club in Mobile, Alabama.
Cernousek is the third amateur who advanced to Final Qualifying to turn professional, joining UCLA’s Zoe Campos and Mississippi State’s Julia Lopez Ramirez, who announced last week. Western Kentucky senior Catie Craig told Golfweek she is retaining her amateur status, as is fellow UCLA senior Caroline Canales in what was an 11th-hour decision.
The amateur deadline to turn professional and compete in Final Qualifying was 5 p.m. ET Friday, Nov. 15. Those who don’t turn professional will receive Epson Tour status.
With Lopez Ramirez (No. 3 in WAGR), Campos (No. 8) and Cernousek (No. 10), college golf is set to lose three of its best seniors for the spring season.
A total of 43 players earned the opportunity to advance to the Final Stage.
NCAA champion Adela Cernousek co-medaled at the second stage of 2024 LPGA Qualifying but, like Ingrid Lindblad before her, won’t turn professional. The Texas A&M senior will instead head back to school, where she’ll tee it up for the Aggies in a tournament next week.
“I think I’m going back to school and staying amateur,” said the Frenchwoman. “I think that’s the plan.”
Cernousek, who had Stacy Lewis’ father Dale Lewis on her bag, finished knotted at the top with England’s Mimi Rhodes at 14 under at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida. Lewis’ husband, Gerrod Chadwell, is head coach at A&M.
A total of 43 players earned the opportunity to advance to the Final Stage, including five amateurs, three of whom are in the top 10 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Players must turn professional in order to compete in Final Qualifying, Dec. 5-9, at Magnolia Grove Golf Club in Mobile, Alabama.
The amateur deadline to turn professional to compete in Final Qualifying is Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. ET.
Two UCLA seniors – Zoe Campos and Caroline Canales – finished in the top 12. Mississippi State senior Julia Lopez Rameriz advanced after taking a share of 23rd. Western Kentucky senior Catie Craig made the cut on the number at 4 under – with a birdie on her final hole – to finish T-31.
UCLA senior Zoe Campos finished in a share of third at LPGA Qualifying. (LPGA)
England’s Rhodes, a recent Wake Forest grad, has been on a tear of late, helping Great Britain and Ireland win the Curtis Cup and then, two weeks later, capturing her first professional title on the LET Access Series.
“I mean, looking back after I graduated, I would never have imagined myself in this position, you know, shooting so many low scores,” said Rhodes, who closed with a 65 in at Plantation Golf and Country Club. “I’m just over the moon, and I’ve worked hard to be here, and I’m just glad that it’s finally paid off.”
When Campos first told UCLA head coach Alicia Um that she wanted to go to Q-School, Um wasn’t enthused. At the time, she would’ve rather Campos made a clean break and turn professional at the end of last spring.
But, after giving it some thought, Um decided that Campos’ leadership this fall was important to the team and told her it was OK to come back for the semester.
“I’m happy for her,” said Um, “truly happy.”
Campos will compete one last time for the Bruins next week at the East Lake Cup before turning professional. She’s the fifth Bruin to leave the program midseason to turn professional, following in the footsteps of Lilia Vu, Bronte Law, Alison Lee and Stephanie Kono.
“I think turning professional, it’s a really big step, and it’s been a dream of mine,” said Campos. “Just to know that I’ll be on tour either way, it’s a really big accomplishment. No matter where I end up, I’m looking forward to growing and just seeing where I’ll be.”
Campos’ teammate, Canales, isn’t quite yet sure about her next step.
“Obviously I am still a senior,” she said. “I’d love to graduate, and I have loved my time at UCLA so far. I have two amazing coaches. I think I’m just going to talk with my coaches and myfamily and see what the best road forward is. Luckily, we have two weeks to decide. It’snot like I have to decided tomorrow, so yeah, we’re just going to take our time with that.”
All players who completed four rounds in Venice will receive Epson Tour status. Those who finished in the top 80 but did not advance to Final Qualifying will be placed into Category I on the Epson Tour Priority List for 2025.
Remaining players who completed 72 holes will be placed into Category K, in order of their qualifying finish. For context, 217 players were ahead of Category K on the 2024 Epson Tour Priority List at the start of the year.
Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson finished in a share of 95th. Other notables who failed to advance include Rachel Kuehn, who missed but one stroke, LPGA winner Christina Kim, Amari Avery and 18-year-old Yana Wilson.
The top 35 and ties after four rounds advance to December’s Final Qualifying.
Isi Gabsa didn’t want to admit it, but she reckons this is probably her 10th trip to LPGA Qualifying School. The 29-year-old German has been there enough to know the goal is always to win at the no-cut event.
The top 35 and ties after four rounds at Plantation Golf and Country Club advance to December’s Final Qualifying. Gabsa carded a 5-under 67 on Wednesday to sit two strokes behind a trio at 9 under that includes two amateurs.
“I think it was just one of those days where the bad shots just end up in a good spot,” said Gabsa of her bogey-free day on the Panther Course.
Texas A&M’s Adela Cernousek, who won the NCAA Championship last spring, carded a 66 on the Panther Course that included two bogeys. Cernousek holds a share of seventh at the midway point, three behind the leaders. She has Stacy Lewis’ father, Dale Lewis, on the bag this week in Venice, Florida. The two-time major winner and victorious Solheim Cup captain is married to A&M head coach Gerrod Chadwell.
Cernousek, one of 19 amateurs in the field, will have to turn professional to participate in Final Qualifying, should she advance.
“I didn’t really set any goals,” said the Frenchwoman. “Just try to do my best and see what happens at the end of this week.”
Adela Cernousek hits a tee shot on the 10th hole during the second round of the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open. (Photo: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports)
UCLA’s senior Zoe Campos, who is also playing this week as an amateur, holds a share of the lead at 9 under alongside fellow amateur Ashley Menne and Roberta Liti. Both Campos and Menne, who wrapped up her collegiate career at Arizona State last spring, carded 67s. Liti followed an opening 66 with a 69.
Other notables include former Wake Forest standout Rachel Kuehn, who moved up the leaderboard to a share of 33rd after a second-round 70. Former Solheim Cup player Matilda Castren vaulted up after a 68 to a share of 28th. Former USC standout Amari Avery shot 69-71 and is T-19.
Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson followed an opening 78 on the Panther Course with a 69 on the Bobcat. Davidson moved from 171st after Round 1 to 108th.
All players who complete four rounds at Plantation will receive Epson Tour status. Davidson would be the second transgender golfer to earn status on the developmental circuit. Bobbi Lancaster earned status in 2013 through Stage I of LPGA Q-School but never actually competed in a official event.
May’s Whataburger Players of the month were recently announced.
Each month, Texas A&M athletics recognizes two athletes as the Whataburger Players of the Month for their achievements in their respective sports.
For May, A&M chose junior Mary Stoiana from the tennis team and junior Adela Cernousek from the women’s golf team. Check out their accomplishments below for May, earning them the honor of player of the month.
Mary Stoiana – May Snapshot
Help lead Texas A&M to their first NCAA team championship
NCAA Tournament MVP
Final four in NCAA Individual Championship
38-4 overall this year
28-7 in dual matches this year
Currently ranked No.1 in the latest ITA rankings
Adela Cernousek – May Snapshot
2024 Individual National Championship
2024 WGCA First Team All-American
2024 All-SEC First Team
Help lead Texas A&M to their third-straight trip to national quarterfinals
Congratulations to Stoiana and Cernousek for being named May’s Whataburger Players of the Month.
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LANCASTER, Pa. – Asterisk Talley arrived at her first U.S. Women’s Open Championship a little later than most. The 15-year-old got her first look at Lancaster Country Club on Tuesday and, like everyone else, thought it was tough.
“When I was on the first hole, I was just like, these greens are stupid,” said Talley with a wide smile full of braces. “It’s just so hard. The pins they had on the practice rounds, I was like, if they put the pins here, I’m going to start crying.
“I was on the verge on a couple holes with the way I was playing. But I’m not mad with where the pins were today, the way I played the course, so I feel like I’m happy with how I did.”
Talley, whose first name means “little star” in Greek, lit up the microphone on Thursday afternoon after she posted an even-par 70 in the first round that included a triple-bogey. She held a share of the lead for some time and was well aware.
“I look at the leaderboard all the time,” said Talley, who won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball earlier this month. “I feel like some people get scared to look at it, but I don’t really do that.”
Adela Cernousek plays her shot from the second tee during the first round of the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally at Lancaster Country Club on May 30, 2024 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
While many of the game’s biggest stars struggled mightily in the opening round of the 79th U.S. Women’s Open, a number of amateurs shined. Recent NCAA champion Adela Cernousek of France is tied for second, a shot off the lead, after carding a 1-under 69 while reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Megan Schofill shot 70 to take a share of fifth.
Yuka Saso shot 68 to lead at 2 under, a shot ahead of Cernousek as well as Andrea Lee and Wichanee Meechai. Those are the only four players in red numbers after 36 holes. There are four amateurs near the top of the leaderboard, including USC’s Catherine Park.
“I was very nervous on the first tee,” said Texas A&M’s Cernousek. “First round of a major, so very nervous.”
In a way, the round must have felt like it started all over again on the par-3 12th after Cernousek’s group had to wait 45 minutes after World No. 1 Nelly Korda made a 10 on the challenging par 3.
“It’s just going to be about who does hard better,” Texas A&M coach Gerrod Chadwell told her.
Cernousek was in between clubs on that hole and opted to hit a 7-iron. She two-putted from the back fringe, and Chadwell said that really settled her for the day.
The top four amateurs on the leaderboard after round one of the U.S. Women's Open are a combined 1-under-par.
The top four in the Rolex Rankings in the field were a combined 21-over.
A long hitter who manages her emotions well, Chadwell said the Frenchwoman has matured greatly since she showed up to campus with lightweight graphite shafts. Chadwell, who is married to LPGA player Stacy Lewis, said they brought Cernousek over to the house often during the Christmas holidays that freshman year.
“We’d call her fish because that’s what freshmen are called (at A&M), but she literally was a fish out of water,” said Chadwell.
Cernousek lives about 50 yards from the Aggies’ practice facility, and she’s there every single day. On the road, she putts at night in the hotel room.
Earlier this spring at the Chevron Collegiate, Cernousek had the overnight lead at the Golf Club of Houston but struggled with three-putts in the final round and dropped down the leaderboard. When they got back to campus, everyone peeled out of the parking lot except an emotional Cernousek, who slammed down her golf bag and putted for an hour and a half.
Lewis happened to drop by the facility and told Cernousek that she did the same thing in college at Arkansas.
“This is what’s going to make you great,” Lewis told her.
Adela Cernousek dominated the field to bring home the first Individual National title in the women’s golf program
The Texas A&M women’s tennis team winning their first championship in team history was not the only first in Aggie athletics over the past few days. Aggie women’s golfer Adela Cernousek capped off her impressive individual season by winning the first individual NCAA title in program history on Monday.
She entered the final day with a six-shot lead and an even par to claim the title at the 2024 NCAA Championships held at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa. She shot a 12-under 276 and helped her team to a top-three finish on the day and they will face UCLA in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
“I told Adela that she will always be a national champion and that no one can take that from her, I couldn’t think of a more deserving person. Adela is the epitome of a student-athlete and a hard worker. She is selfless and only cares about the team. She is beyond worthy of this and we can’t wait to get to match play tomorrow.”
— Texas A&M Women’s Golf (@aggiewomensgolf) May 21, 2024
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Cernousek is the first Texas A&M golfer to win a individual title.
CARLSBAD, Calif. — When Adela Cernousek signed with Texas A&M, she did so under the pretense that Andrea Gaston would be her head coach.
By the time she got to College Station, Gaston, a three-time winner of the national championship was gone, off to her next adventure. Gerrod Chadwell, who had plenty of success at Houston, was hired as successor an hour north. Yet Chadwell knew right away something was off.
“I remember picking her up at the airport, and I didn’t know if she really wanted to be there,” Chadwell said.
The duo had their moments during Cernousek’s freshman year. They butted heads, but Chadwell stayed consistent. Her saw promise in his freshman from France, who showed up with only 13 clubs in her bags that were comprised of mainly beginner clubs.
Chadwell pushed her to be better. Cernousek put in the work, on the range, course and in the gym, to see results.
Cernousek captured the 2024 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship individual title at Omni La Costa’s North Course, shooting 12-under 276 to win by three shots over Florida State’s Lottie Woad. Cernousek is the first NCAA individual medalist from Texas A&M, and she helped the Aggies earn the third seed heading into Tuesday’s match play quarterfinals.
“It’s hard to believe. It’s crazy,” Cernousek said. “I don’t think I was breathing at all during the whole day today. Yeah, I’m just like, yeah, don’t believe it. It’s crazy.”
Stanford is the No. 1 seed for the fourth straight year, with LSU earning the second seed in its first time making match play in school history.
Cernousek’s round of even-par on Monday helped her clinch the first victory of her college career. Last week, she qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open at a 36-hole qualifier where she had to sleep on an 18-hole lead because of weather delays, and now she also earned a spot in the field next week via her victory at Omni La Costa.
She also earned an LPGA exemption into the Dana Open.
“She puts the team first, and that’s all you can ask for,” Texas A&M coach Gerrod Chadwell said. “And then just her humbleness and work ethic. It’s crazy to think that her first (win) would be at this stage.
“I wish I had five of her.”
Chadwell noted it took time for he and Cernousek to gel, saying they butted heads a few times. Early on, Chadwell felt as if Cernousek didn’t want to be there.
She never wavered. Texas A&M was where she wanted to be, and now she’s the Aggies’ first individual champion.
“All the support I have back home by my teammates, the coaches. And yeah, the work I put in every day,” Cernousek said about her motivations.
Cernousek, from France, was on the phone with her parents shortly after finishing her round. With a nine-hour time difference, they were up at 3 a.m. back home watching their daughter achieve the greatest achievement of her life.
Chadwell calls Cernousek “fish,” a name he gives to freshman but that has stuck with Cernousek since she was his first player after taking the job.
Now, Cernousek is going to have a different nickname: NCAA champion.
Cernousek is the only player to reach double digits under par.
CARLSBAD, Calif. — A year ago, Adela Cernousek didn’t think she could do what she is doing now. Even her coach said as much.
However, there seems to be nothing standing in the way of Cernousek becoming the first Texas A&M Aggie to win a national championship.
The junior is running away from the field at the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course, and she’s doing it with consistency and confidence. Cernousek, who earlier this week slept on a lead during a 36-hole U.S. Women’s Open qualifier in Texas before traveling to NCAAs, has shot three consecutive rounds of 68 and sits at 12-under 204 heading into the final round. As of the morning wave Sunday morning, she has a seven-shot lead.
“Before every tournament, I don’t really have expectations,” Cernousek said. “Just try to focus on my game, my progression and our team.
Arkansas freshman Maria Jose Marin is second at 5 under, and Florida State sophomore Lottie Woad was also at 5 under when her third round began Sunday afternoon.
In the team race, Texas A&M is at 10 under, leading top-ranked Stanford by one shot heading into the final round of stroke play Monday. LSU is at 1 under, the only other team under par after three rounds at Omni La Costa.
March’s Whataburger Players of the month were recently announced.
Each month, Texas A&M athletics recognizes two athletes as the Whataburger Players of the Month for their achievements in their respective sports.
For March, A&M chose junior outfielder Braden Montgomery from the baseball team and junior Adela Cernousek from the women’s golf team. Check out their accomplishments below for March, earning them the honor of player of the month.
Braden Montgomery – March Snapshot
SEC Player of the Week
Helped Texas A&M to a 17-3 record in the month
Batting Average – .338
Hits – 29
Home runs – 13
RBI – 35
Fielding – 1.000
Adela Cernousek – March Snapshot
Helped Texas A&M to two runner-up finishes
Mountain View Collegiate – Sixth place finish
Clemson Invite – Second-place finish
On pace to set A&M’s single-season record for scoring average
Congratulations to Montgomery and Cernousek for being named March’s Whataburger Players of the Month.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.
