Tag: LPGA Q-Series

Samantha Wagner self-reported a rules violation last year at LPGA Q-Series and missed the cut by one stroke. Now she’s tour-bound

It was a group effort on Sunday for Wagner, who had her dad on the bag, mom in the gallery and brother on the phone.

Samantha Wagner called Sunday at LPGA Q-Series a group effort. Her dad was on the bag, her mom was in the gallery and her brother was on FaceTime as she came down the 144th hole.

“I tried not to cry all day,” said a relieved Wagner.

At age 26, the former University of Florida player has at long last wrapped her hands around an LPGA card. What a difference a year makes.

Wagner’s efforts at last year’s Q-Series came to an early end after she called a penalty on herself and missed the first cut by just a single stroke.

Samantha Wagner of the United States and her mom embrace after the final round of the 2022 LPGA Q-Series – Dothan at Highland Oaks Golf Course on December 11, 2022 in Dothan, Alabama. (Photo by Hannah Ruhoff/Getty Images)

“It was the sixth hole of the first round,” Wagner recalled to EpsonTour.com earlier this year. “I think I was 1 under at that point. I hit a good shot into the par five and I walked up, and I had my hands full. I had my yardage book and a tee to fix my ball mark and my caddie was waiting for me to throw him the ball. And I just picked it up. I literally had gotten 6 inches off the ground with it, and I was like, ‘Ah, shoot.’ I put it back down, marked it, no one had seen it. I knew right away it was wrong.”

After she finished out the hole, Wagner walked over to playing partner Maddie McCrary and told her what happened. No one else had seen the violation. They called over a rules official to confirm the penalty.

“After that it kind of got away from me the rest of the week,” said Wagner, “and I missed the first cut by a shot, and you could nitpick 10 different holes out of that. But one thing I just had never counted on was like losing my mind for five seconds.”

Wagner, whose rookie year on the Epson Tour was 2018, finished 31st on the money list this season. She closed the season with five top-35 finishes, including a pair of top 10s to play her way into this year’s Q-Series.

“There is definitely a lot of emotions going back into last week,” said Wagner after play wrapped up on Sunday at Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Alabama.

“I think last week I literally would walk on every green with the ball marker in my hand. I was like, we’re not doing that again.”

Samantha Wagner of the United States and her caddy chat on the green during the sixth round of the 2022 LPGA Q-Series – Dothan at Highland Oaks Golf Course on December 9, 2022 in Dothan, Alabama. (Photo by Hannah Ruhoff/Getty Images)

Last year, Wagner felt like she rushed a lot of things and got too excited. This year, she came into the eight-round grind with a more level approach. She finished the fortnight in a share of sixth, one of 20 players in the field to earn category 14 status on the priority list. A total of 46 players earned LPGA cards, with those outside the top 20 falling in category 15.

Players in category 14 will be ranked higher on the priority status list that fills tournament fields. Players are listed in the order of their finish at Q-Series.

“I’m so excited,” said Wagner. “It’s just been a long journey. That’s what everyone here is working for. For me, I know I can compete there and I’m really excited to have the chance now.”

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Meet each of the 46 players who earned LPGA cards at Q-Series for 2023, including rookies who span in age from 18 to 31

Meet the players who played their way onto the LPGA for 2023.

After a fortnight of pressure-packed golf, 46 players representing 21 different countries earned LPGA status for 2023 through Q-Series. A total of 23 of the 46 players will be LPGA rookies.

Hae Ran Ryu earned medalist honors, finishing at 29 under. The KLPGA player came into the event ranked 50th in the world. Ryu broke 70 in six of the eight rounds.

“I didn’t think that I could earn the LPGA tour card so soon,” said Ryu. “It’s still unreal to me that I could play on the LPGA tour.”

Three teenagers earned LPGA status for the first time, including former Netflix star Alexa Pano. Two players who are 30 and over are LPGA members for the first time.

Former Wake Forest player Ines Laklalech made history by becoming the first LPGA member from Morocco as well as North Africa and the Arab region.

Six players turned professional at the start of Q-Series. Two of those players earned LPGA status: Valery Plata and Natthakritta Vongtaveelap.

Plata, a fifth-year senior at Michigan State, prepped for final exams all throughout the tournament.

“I think it was good for me to just go home, stop thinking about what happened on the golf course and just think about school,” said Plata, who was 4 over in her first nine holes on Day 1 and finished the tournament 25 under.

Players who finished in positions 1-20 earned category 14 LPGA status, while those in positions 21-45 will be in category 15. Players in category 14 will be ranked higher on the priority status list that fills tournament fields. Players are listed in the order of their finish at Q-Series.

Check out the complete list of players who earned LPGA status below:

Eight-round Q-Series gauntlet ends with 46 players securing LPGA status for 2023

The first full-field LPGA event of the season is in March in Arizona.

Charlotte Thomas described this week as a “do or die” chapter of her professional career. Six years into the play-for-pay ranks, Thomas felt that whatever happened at Q-Series over the last eight rounds could be a sign.

In the end, the sign read: Back to the LPGA.

“I’m exhausted and ready for a drink,” said Thomas, who tied for 28th to earn back her tour card for 2023. A total of 46 players earned LPGA cards at Q-Series, a 144-hole grind that takes places over a fortnight in Alabama.

“I think when I look back on last year, I initially was disappointed that I lost my card and had to come back here,” said Thomas, “but I think the fact that I didn’t play golf for 16 months was – I kind of don’t give myself enough credit sometimes I don’t think.”

Thomas missed the 2021 LPGA season while struggling to find a treatment for chronic eczema.

Everyone in the field in Dothan has a story. Some have been toiling in the professional ranks for years, while others, like Michigan State’s Valery Plata, turned pro just before Q-Series. Plata tied for third with recent Stanford grad Aline Krauter.

Tournament winner Hae Ran Ryu, a KLPGA veteran, is ranked 50th in the world. (Epson Tour photo)

South Korea’s Hae Ran Ryu, currently No. 50 in the Rolex Rankings, topped the field at 29 under, clipping Bailey Tardy by two strokes.

Two years ago, Tardy missed out on earning her LPGA card through the Epson Tour by $343. Once again, Tardy finished 11th on the money list this year, missing the 10th spot by $1,765.

“I actually told my caddie just walking down, I think 15, and really anybody close to me knows that I wasn’t even going to sign up for QII,” said Tardy. “I think I signed up 15 minutes before the deadline, and that was because my coach told me to and was like, this is your opportunity, you can’t give that up.

“And I didn’t want to come to Q-School at all. Even at the beginning of the year I told everyone, I’m not going to Q-School. I’m not doing it. That’s not what I want to do.

“And I’m so happy I did.”

The top 20 players and ties earn category 14 status on the LPGA, while those who finished 21-45 and ties earned category 15 status. Players who finished outside the top 45 and completed all four rounds before the cut earned Epson Tour status for 2023.

“Feels good, especially since our first event of the year would be my home course in Phoenix,” said Dana Finkelstein, who tied for 15th.

LPGA Q-SERIES: Leaderboard

“Superstition Mountain is kind of where golf started for me. The Safeway Open out there, I was like 12 or 13 and I went to go watch Annika [Sorenstam] and Morgan [Pressel] and all them. I have pictures of my awkward 12-year-old self at the golf course, and now it’s cool that I’m going to be playing and some other 12-year-old is going to be watching me. It’s pretty cool.”

The first full-field LPGA event of the season, the LPGA Drive On Championship, will take place March 23-26, 2023, in Gold Canyon, Arizona.

Finkelstein, an LPGA veteran, shared 15th with 2022 Alabama grad Polly Mack, who held on despite a closing 76. Mack played the first 72 holes without a caddie but employed a good friend for the second week.

Alexa Pano, the 18-year-old who starred in the Netflix series “The Short Game,” shot 68-67 over the weekend yet missed the top 20 by one stroke. Pano turned professional in the spring and finished 13th on the Epson Tour money list this season.

Jaravee Boonchant was one of three former Duke players who finished in the top 45. Boonchant had former Blue Devil teammate Gina Kim on her bag for Q-Series. The pair, along with Ana Belac (T-38), helped Duke win the 2019 NCAA title. (Kim earned her LPGA card earlier this year via the Epson Tour.)

Lindy Duncan, a former NCAA Player of the Year at Duke, shot three consecutive 73s to also take a share of 38th.

“I keep asking Gina questions that probably shouldn’t be asked on the course, but she was really helpful and very supportive,” said Boonchant, who tied for 21. “And she honestly was like the one who kind of put me in place and shape my thought and my mental game.

“I’m really thankful for that.”

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These former Duke Blue Devils once teamed up to win an NCAA title; now they’re working together to earn an LPGA card at Q-Series

A total 75 players made the 72-hole Q-Series cut, including four former Duke players.

On the eve of the start of Week 2 of LPGA Q-Series, former Duke teammates Jaravee Boonchant and Gina Kim planned to eat steak at their rental house. Kim thought she might bake brownies for dessert.

During the heavy fortnight that is LPGA Qualifying School, talk of food isn’t just practical, it’s a welcome distraction. After Boonchant won the Epson Tour Championship in early October to finish 12th on the money list, Kim offered to caddie in the final stage. Kim finished eighth on the money list, which secured her LPGA card for the 2023 season. The top 10 players earn cards; Boonchant finished $1,765 behind 10th place.

A total of 100 players began the two-week grind of Q-Series last week and 75 made the 72-hole cut. Four Duke players were among them, including Ana Belac, Lindy Duncan, Miranda Wang and Boonchant. They’ll tee it up again Dec. 8-11 at the Highland Oakes Golf Course in Dothan, Alabama. The scores carry over from Week 1.

Boonchant, Wang, Belac and Kim were on the 2019 Blue Devils team that won the NCAA Championship. Both Kim and Boonchant were rookies on the Epson Tour this season. Kim decided to forgo her final semester of college golf after finishing T-36 at last year’s LPGA Q-Series. She graduated with a degree in psychology this May. Boonchant drove to Durham for the ceremony.

“I’ve been telling Gina every day, I think she has more confidence in me than I have in myself,” said Boonchant, who describes herself as an indecisive golfer.

The Thai native carried a 71.99 stroke average in college, which ranks as the third-best career stroke average in Duke history.

Jaravee Boonchant and Gina Kim and celebrate a shot at Q-Series. (Epson Tour photo)

When Boonchant came back to college at the start of 2021 during the covid-19 pandemic, Kim would stop by her room at the Duke hotel where the athletes stayed, and they’d walk down together for practice. They asked each other the same question that they ask every day this week: “What’s for dinner?”

While the pair worked independently at practice, building a routine together helped them to push each other.

Kim praised her friend’s consistent ball-striking, noting that the stability in her game perfectly suits a pressure-packed marathon like Q-Series.

“I think that’s why she’s in a good position now,” said Kim of Boonchant’s share of 11th through 72 holes. “She played smart.”

Boonchant was a freshman the when Leona Maguire was a senior at Duke. Boonchant, who’d never been part of a team before college golf, was motivated by Maguire’s work ethic. Maguire owns the lowest stroke average in NCAA history among golfers with 100 or more rounds (70.97). She broke through earlier this year to become the first Irish player to win on the LPGA.

“Hopefully one day we get to experience that,” said Boonchant.

The top 45 players and ties this week will earn LPGA cards for 2023. Those who finish in the top 20 earn Category 14 status, and those from 12-45 earn Category 15. Everyone outside the top 45 earns Epson Tour status.

Kim said being back at Q-Series in a different role is a humbling experience.

“The No. 1 thing that came to mind,” said Kim, “was why was I so stressed about this last year? When I look at the course, it seems like a pretty straightforward course.”

Now it’s just a matter of helping a more than capable Boonchant across the finish line.

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Alana Uriell disqualified from LPGA Q-Series after signing an incorrect scorecard

LPGA Q-Series was especially brutal for Alana Uriell.

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect the LPGA’s clarification that Alana Uriell signed for a birdie when it should have been a par.

Few things in golf are tougher than the grind of Qualifying School. Particularly the LPGA’s eight-round marathon that started this week. But Friday at LPGA Q-Series in Mobile, Alabama, was especially brutal for Alana Uriell.

The 26-year-old signed for a wrong score in the second round – signing for a birdie that should’ve been a par – and was disqualified. An LPGA media official relayed that Uriell came into the tournament office after the fact and self-reported the error.

Uriell opened with an even-par 72. She would’ve been 4 under for the tournament and in a share of 18th. The top 45 players this week earn LPGA status for 2023. The field is cut to top 70 and ties after the first four rounds, played at Magnolia Grove over the Crossings and Falls courses.

The former Arkansas player from Carlsbad, California, competed in 21 events on the LPGA this season and finished 130th on the Race to CME Globe points list. She earned $66,506 this season.

Riley Rennell and Manon De Roey pace the field at 10 under.

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LPGA Q-Series: Former Netflix star, an NAIA history maker and freshly-minted pros set for 144-hole grind

Meet 12 of the players set for the 144-hole grind.

One hundred players will tee it up this week at LPGA Q-Series, an eight-round grind that begins on Dec. 1 and ends Dec. 11. The first week will be contested at the RTJ Trail at Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Alabama, at the Crossings and Falls courses.

The field will be cut to top 70 and ties after the first week of competition. The second week of competition will take place at Highland Oaks Golf Course in Dothan, Alabama.

A total of 45 players will receive LPGA status in 2023. This is the first year that players were required to turn professional before entering Q-Series. A total of six players turned pro for this week: Nataliya Guseva, Minji Kang, Ashley Lau, Heather Lin, Valery Plata and Natthakritta Vongtaveelap.

Players in the top 75 of the Rolex Rankings automatically advanced to the final stage. Those players include: Yuna Nishimura (44), Hae Ran Ryu (51) and Minami Katsu (56).

Players who finish in the top 20 of Q-Series will fall under Category 14 of the LPGA Priority List. Those who finish 21-45 and ties earn Category 15 and Epson Tour status Category C.

Those who complete all four rounds before the cut earn Epson Tour status.

This year’s field features an eclectic group of players, including former college hotshots, up-and-comers and a former Netflix star.

“No one really wants to be here,” said Dewi Weber, who finished 101st on the CME points list this year, one position shy of a full card.

“The vibes are always really, really weird at Q-school. But I was a rookie on the LPGA, but I feel like I’m kind of a vet when it comes to Q-school because I’ve done this now four times, even though I don’t want to but I have.”

Gabriela Ruffels, who missed the entry deadline for LPGA Q-Series, will instead tee it up in her first Australian Open this week

“I guess it was all on myself, and that’s something I need to work on ­— being more on top of deadlines.”

Gabriela Ruffels drove up from Orlando, Florida, to Mobile, Alabama, in early November on a scouting trip for LPGA Q-Series. Ten minutes away from the course, a thought crossed her mind: Had she entered the tournament?

Ruffels looked on the player portal and saw that she had not registered. The deadline for Q-Series — her last chance to qualify for the LPGA in 2023 — had passed nearly one month prior. Just two days after the Epson Tour finale.

Needless to say, it was a long and sad solo ride home.

“It was tough,” said Ruffels, a promising 22-year-old who finished 15th on the Epson Tour money list. The top 10 earn LPGA cards.

“I basically just called my whole team and let them know the situation … they were all extremely sad and disappointed. I guess it was all on myself, and that’s something I need to work on ­— being more on top of deadlines.”

The final stage of LPGA qualifying, an eight-round grind that spans over two weeks, begins on Thursday at Magnolia Grove in Mobile. A total of 45 players will receive LPGA status for 2023.

Ruffels, whose parents played professional tennis, will instead spend the week competing in her first ISPS Handa Australian Open. The event, which also begins on Dec. 1, will be contested over Victoria and Kingston Heath Golf Clubs. Ruffels learned to play the game at Victoria Golf Club, and this marks her first time in Melbourne in five years. She’s staying with friends in the neighborhood where she used to live, frequenting her favorite restaurants.

From there, the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion will head to Spain to compete in LET Q-School.

2022 U.S. Women's Open
Gabriela Ruffels hits her tee shot on the first hole during the first round at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. on Thursday, June 2, 2022. (Photo: Darren Carroll/USGA)

Ruffels works with former PGA Tour winner Grant Waite, who told her that the sooner they can get over this misstep and keep working, “… the LPGA will come.”

Ruffels said she’s inspired by what Linn Grant and Maja Stark were able to accomplish on the LET this season, pointing toward the co-sanctioned events and majors that LET players can play their way into. While that’s not possible on the Epson Tour, there are 10 LPGA cards at stake each season. She could have options.

“I definitely feel like I’m gaining more golf knowledge and knowledge about my own swing,” said Ruffels, who didn’t take up the game until age 15. The former USC star rocketed up the amateur rankings in short order but has hit several speed bumps in her young pro career.

Last year, Ruffels missed out on advancing to Q-Series by a single stroke at Stage II.

This time it was paperwork that kept her out. Both are brutal.

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College golf: Oregon’s Cynthia Lu, Georgia’s Jenny Bae will return to school instead of entering LPGA Q-Series

With the new LPGA rules, college stars had a decision to make.

Five women’s college golfers had a decision to make.

Pursue a professional career or return to school for the spring semester? Michigan fifth-year senior Ashley Lau, Oregon junior Cynthia Lu, Georgia senior Jenny Bae, Michigan State senior Valery Plata and Miami sophomore Nataliya Guseva finished in the top 50 at the LPGA’s stage two qualifying last week, meaning a spot in final stage qualifying.

That is, if they turned professional.

This year, LPGA rules stated that only professionals can compete in the final stage. Eight amateurs, including the five college players, had to decide whether to turn professional and forego the spring semester of college golf or return to school and wait to pursue their future.

Oregon’s Lu, a junior, decided to stay in school.

“I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to play in LPGA Q-School stage I & II because it highlighted certain areas of my game that still need work before I turn professional,” Lu told Golfweek in a text. “With that said, I have decided to stay amateur and defer attending the Q-Series. I believe in Coach Derek (Radley) and Coach Monica (Vaughn) who will continue helping and supporting me until I make the decision to turn professional. I am so excited to play this upcoming spring season with my team. Go Ducks.”

Lu is ranked 28th in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and 35th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. She finished second in the stroke play portion of the East Lake Cup and has the defending runner-up Ducks looking to make another title push this spring.

Senior Jenny Bae is also returning to school, but Lau and Guseva have decided to forego the remainder of their seasons and enter Q-Series. Golfweek has yet to confirm Plata’s decision.

Q-Series begins Monday at Magnolia Grove Golf Course in Mobile, Alabama. The top 70 and ties advance for a 72-hole final for LPGA cards Dec. 5-11 at Highland Oaks Golf Course in Dothan, Alabama.

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Mariah Stackhouse, eight amateurs among 50 players who advanced to final stage of LPGA qualifying

Becca Huffer and Seulki Lee were co-medalists in the event, which featured a field of 178 players.

The same day Lydia Ko collected $2 million at the CME Group Tour Championship, the biggest winner’s check in LPGA history, 50 players took a step closer to having that same opportunity. Stage II of LPGA Qualifying, delayed due to Hurricane Ian, was staged last week at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida.

Becca Huffer and Seulki Lee were co-medalists in the event, which featured a field of 178 players.

“I love accomplishing my goal,” said Huffer, who was an Epson Tour rookie in 2019. “And I’m especially glad for a day like today where the back nine was just rain and wind and nastiness, that I put myself in the position to not have to worry too much about it. That was great, and I’m very excited to play at Q-Series.”

LPGA veteran Mariah Stackhouse, fellow Stanford alum Aline Krauter and two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur Kristen Gillman were also among the 50 who advanced through to the final stage, which will be held in December over the span of two weeks in Alabama.

“I think the course, considering all the weather they got over the last month or two, was in great shape,” said Gillman, who finished 175th in CME rankings.

“I know that they worked really hard to get it back to where we can play. I think the course is in great shape and it was fun to play.”

Becca Huffer tees off in Stage II of LPGA qualifying. (courtesy LPGA)

Eight amateurs also advanced and will have until noon on Tuesday to let the LPGA know if they intend to play in Q-Series. This year, LPGA rules state that only professionals can compete in the final stage. Those amateurs include collegiate players Valeria Plata (Michigan State), Ashley Lau (Michigan), Hsin-Yu Lu (Oregon), Jenny Bae (Georgia) and Nataliya Guseva (Miami).

Bailey Shoemaker, a high school senior and USC commit, missed the cut by one. Former LPGA player Haley Moore closed with a 78 to fall below the cutline at T-65. Bobbi Stricker, eldest daughter of PGA Tour winner Steve Stricker, also did not advance.

Everyone who completed four rounds received limited Epson Tour status.

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Meet each of the 46 players who earned LPGA cards at Q-Series for 2022

Get to know the players who earned status for 2022.

A total of 29 players earned LPGA status for the first time following an eight-round grind at Q-Series over the last two weeks. Winner Na Rin An was among them, carding Sunday’s lowest-round, 6-under 66, to finish at 33 under.

In all, 46 players left Dothan, Alabama with LPGA status. Among the high-ranking elites was a major winner in Hinako Shibuno and a hotshot from Thailand, Atthaya Thitikul, who dominated in Europe this season, and a couple of sisters from Taiwan. A total of four amateurs earned LPGA status for 2022, should they accept.

Here’s a closer look at the 46 who earned their LPGA cards for 2022.