20 Players Earn LPGA Tour Cards for 2015


Twenty players survived 90 holes - with another three enduring a three-hole playoff - at the final qualifying tournament to earn priority status on next year's LPGA Tour. California's Alison Lee carded an even-par 72 Sunday at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla., to share medalist honors with Australian Minjee Lee.

Alison Lee matched Minjee Lee (73) at 10-under 350, with each player earning $5,000. Sharing third one stroke further back were Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn and Spain's Maria Hernandez.

Play rotated over the five rounds between the Arthur Hills and Rees Jones courses at LPGA International, with the Jones course the site of the final round.

"I have a lot of mixed emotions," said Alison Lee, who played her collegiate golf at UCLA and was a member of the 2014 American Curtis Cup team. "When I made my par putt (on the final hole) and realized I got my LPGA Tour card, I was just filled with joy and when I got off and thought about what it meant to be professional, I thought about my team and my school and my coaches and it made me sad.

"I get to start a new chapter in my life and hopefully it will be great and I'm really looking forward to the future."

Minjee Lee, who won the 2012 U.S. Girls Junior Championship and is a two-time winner of the Australian Women's Amateur in 2013 and '14, played in several professional events as an amateur, getting a win in the 2014 Oates Victorian Open on the Asian LPGA. She turned pro before tying for 16th at this year's Evian Championship in France.

The 18-year-old from Perth is now looking forward to pursuing her budding career as a touring professional. "Now that I'm officially part of the LPGA Tour I feel really good. I am relieved that I am finished and I am excited to play next year on the tour," she said. "I am definitely relieved after this week and I never want to do Q-School again."

Ryann O'Toole, who played on the 2011 U.S. Solheim Cup team, closed with a 2-under 70 to take solo fifth at 8-under 352.

Ha Na Jang, who enjoyed a three-stroke lead entering the last round, stumbled to an 8-over 80 and dropped into a tie for sixth at minus-7 with China's Simin Feng (75) and fellow South Korean Sei Young Kim (73).

The other top-20 finishers who earned category 12 status on the LPGA Tour priority list include Nannette Hill, Kelly Shon, Sakura Yokomine, Cheyenne Woods, Sophia Popov, SooBin Kim, Perrine Delacour, Therese Koelbaek and Ju Young Park. Woods is the niece of Tiger Woods.

SooBin Kim was a member of the No. 1-ranked University of Washington women's team but decided to turn pro after earning her tour card. Also turning pro is another Husky player, Jing Yan, who finished 34th and earned partial status on the 2015 LPGA Tour.

After finishing tied for 18th place, Garrett Phillips, amateur Julie Yang, Stephanie Meadow, Laetitia Beck, Karlin Beck, Jacqui Concolino and Casey Grice endured a three-hole playoff to determine the last three players to finish in the top-20. Phillips, Laetitia Beck and Karlin Beck (no relation) came through in the playoff to gain priority status. (Carlin is from Alabama and Laetitia, a Duke grad, is the first Israeli to earn full status on the either the LPGA or PGA tours.)

For all the scores, visit http://www.lpga.com/golf/news/2014/12/qschool-final-rd-5-results.aspx.