Half of the four current college players who qualified for LPGA Final Qualifying have turned professional.
LPGA rules require all competitors in its final stage of Q-School to turn professional or defer their Epson Tour status until after the NCAA Championship in late May. Oregon junior Suvichaya Vinijchaitham and Florida Gulf Coast senior Jordan Fischer opted for the former by last Friday’s deadline.
North Carolina senior Megan Streicher, though, will return for her final semester, as will SMU senior Emily Odwin.
“When I first committed, I made a promise to give everything I had for four years,” said Streicher, a native South African, who tied for eighth at the LPGA’s qualifying stage last month in Venice, Florida. She also posted two top-4 finishes in three fall college starts, and she ranks No. 34 individually in the country.
“When I got back to campus, I knew I had to sit down and think about my decision. … My heart kept telling me there is more to my Carolina story. There’s more I want to accomplish wearing Carolina Blue. When I turn professional, I want to do so with the pride that I finished what I started here at Carolina. Staying isn’t about delaying a dream—it’s about honoring the one that started here.”
Odwin, ranked No. 87 nationally, had three top-15s in four fall starts.
Vinijchaitham, at No. 28 in the nation and No. 17 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, was the highest-ranked college player and second highest-ranked amateur (behind Wake Forest grad Carolina Chacarra) to advance through second stage. She had finished T-15 or better in 12 of her 13 career college starts, including a win at the Alice and John Wallace Classic last spring, plus top-10s at Big Tens, NCAA regionals and the NCAA Championship as a freshman.
The Ducks, who lost Briana Chacon to the pros midseason two years ago, are currently ranked third as a team.
LPGA Final Qualifying will take place over five rounds Dec. 4-8 at Magnolia Grove Golf Course in Mobile, Alabama.
Among the notables in the field are 17-year-old Gianna Clemente, who is bypassing college to turn pro and will be granted a waiver to chase her LPGA card as she’s not yet 18 years old; reigning Annika Award winner Mirabel Ting; last April’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Carla Bernat; UCLA product Zoe Campos, who turned pro a semester early last winter to play in final stage; and 34-year-old breast cancer survivor Kim Kaufman.