The PGA Tour eliminated its grueling Q-School and prospective tour applicants must now play their way onto the men’s tour via the Web.com Tour, the European Tour or through sponsor’s exemptions.
The LPGA Tour has already welcomed 10 brand new tour players via season-long competition on the Symetra Tour. 90 holes of golf on the Hill’s and Jones’ courses at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida will add 45 more young women to tour membership at the end of this week.
Play will begin on Wednesday and conclude on Sunday, with the top-20 qualifiers earning full membership and Nos. 21-45 earning conditional status.
Among the 155 hopefuls are some very familiar names. Topping the list is a Ladies European Tour standout, Charley Hull. She has been one of the leading performers on that tour for two years and was a member of the winning 2013 European Solheim Cup Team.
Another teenager, who has performed well as an amateur in professional events around the world, Minjee Lee will try to earn full-time status on the LPGA Tour. Prior to turning professional, she was the No. 1 ranked amateur woman golfer in the world and collected a host of top-10 finishes in professional tournaments.
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn, sister of LPGA Tour member Moriya, will try to earn her 2015 playing privileges. She has already won on the Ladies European Tour and has been a factor in several LPGA Tour events.
2005 U.S. Women’s Open Champion Birdie Kim has used up her exempt status on tour and will try to regain her card for next year.
Ryan O’Toole and Vicky Hurst were both members of the 2011 U.S. Solheim Cup team, but will not have status on tour next year unless they finish in the top-45 this week.
Northern Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow, who finished third in the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst in June, is also in the field along with Alison Lee.
Tiger Woods’ niece, Cheyenne and Morgan Pressel’s sister, Madison are also trying to earn LPGA Tour cards.
With 33 events on the LPGA Tour schedule and a total of $61.6 million in prize money, the rewards can be great, but it is a grueling and heart-wrenching five rounds that requires patience and fortitude to survive.
World travel, celebrity status and big checks await the hopefuls at this year’s LPGA Tour Q-School.