Tag: Race for the Card

LPGA is changing how tour cards will be allotted for 2025

This change will allow all athletes earning LPGA membership from Q-Series more access into LPGA tournaments.

On Friday, the LPGA and Epson Tour announced changes to how LPGA tour cards will be allotted for the 2025 season.

At the end of 2024 LPGA Q-Series, the top 25 finishers and ties will earn LPGA status for the 2025 season. In addition, the Epson Tour will now award five additional LPGA cards through the new points-based ranking system at the conclusion of the season finale, the Epson Tour Championship.

This change will allow all athletes earning LPGA membership from Q-Series more access into LPGA tournaments and place greater emphasis on rewarding full-season performance for players in Category 15 (LPGA 101-125 and Epson 11-15).

Previously, players who finished in the top 45 and ties at LPGA Q-Series would earn LPGA status in Categories 14 (Nos. 1-20) or 15 (Nos. 21-45). Players who complete all rounds before the cut at LPGA Q-Series will earn Epson Tour status.

“Changing the number of cards awarded at LPGA Q-Series aligns with the mission of the LPGA to identify the very best players in the world and provide the opportunity for the most talented athletes to succeed at the highest level,” LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan said in a release. “This change aims to reward full-season performance while also giving the world’s rising talent an opportunity to compete for coveted LPGA Tour status.”

The Epson Tour’s Race for the Card will now offer an increased opportunity for aspiring women’s golfers to reach the top professional tour in the world. In addition to the fully exempt cards awarded to the top 10 finishers on the Epson Tour, five additional cards will be awarded LPGA status in Category 15. The introduction of these five cards is the first increase in card opportunities through the Epson Tour since the expansion from five to 10 in 2007.

“We are thrilled to announce the news of expanded access to the LPGA for Epson Tour Members at the end of the upcoming season,” said the Epson Tour’s Chief Business and Operations Officer, Jody Brothers, in a release. “We annually review the performance data of our recent graduates, and the additional access substantiates that Epson Tour athletes are arriving to the LPGA ready to perform at the highest stage.”

The top 10 in the Epson Tour’s Race for the Card will continue to earn status in Category 9 on the LPGA’s priority list for 2025. Beginning in 2024, those finishing Nos. 11-15 will earn 2025 LPGA status in Category 15. They will be zippered with LPGA members finishing Nos. 101-125 on the Race to CME Globe Points List, alternating in the following order: LPGA No. 101, Epson No. 11, LPGA No. 102, Epson No. 12, and so forth.

Epson Tour announces Ascensus as new Race for the Card sponsor through 2025

Notable Ascensus Race for the Card or Epson Tour alumni include Nelly Korda, Inbee Park, and Lorena Ochoa.

The Race for the Card has a new name, as Ascensus has signed a three-year agreement with the Epson Tour. This marks the first sports sponsorship for the financial services company. The Ascensus Race for the Card awards LPGA membership to the top 10 players on the Epson Tour’s money list at season’s end.

The partnership extends through the 2025 calendar year.

South Korea’s Kum-Kang Park currently leads the money race with $47,083. Lucy Li, who burst onto the golf scene as an 11-year-old at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, ranks second on the list while former Stanford standout Andrea Lee is third.

“The talented athletes competing in the Ascensus Race for the Card—and the drive and determination they demonstrate—are great examples of never giving up on your goals and being willing to do the hard work to get there,” David Musto, president and CEO of Ascensus, said in a statement. “We’re proud to champion these outstanding individuals on their journey to the biggest stage in women’s professional golf, and we look forward to watching their success for years to come.”

Notable Ascensus Race for the Card or Epson Tour alumni include former No. 1s Nelly Korda, Inbee Park, and Lorena Ochoa.

The 2022 season includes 21 tournaments, including this week’s Inova Mission Inn Championship at Mission Inn Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. The Ascensus Race For the Card top 10 will be finalized at the conclusion of the Epson Tour Championship on October 6-9 at LPGA International in Daytona Beach.

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