UPDATE, 18 NOVEMBER 2023: The deadline has passed to turn pro and participate in Q-Series. Four amateurs--Saki Baba (Japan/no college), Briana Chacon (Oregon), Savannah Grewal (Clemson) and Lilly Thomas (Tulsa) have opted to do so. In addition to Ingrid Lindblad (Sweden/LSU), as detailed below, Charlotte Heath (Florida State), Maddison Hinson-Tolchard (Oklahoma State), Sabrina Iqbal (Colorado) and Jennie Park (Texas A&M) have turned down spots in Q-Series to remain in school, and will accept deferred Epson Tour exemptions for next year.
What happens to a dream deferred?--Langston Hughes
In seven days (as of this writing) is a most critical deadline for some people in America. So, you might think I'm talking about the government shutting down, right? Well...
If you pay attention to LPGA Q-School, you know that Stage II wrapped last month at a single site--namely, the Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida. You probably also know that LSU redshirt senior Ingrid Lindblad from Sweden won the stage, carding a final score of -18/270 across of four rounds. She not only topped the field, but is No 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for women. And next year at this time, she'll be pro, as all Stage II grads are entitled to decent Epson Tour status, if nothing more.
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| Ingrid Lindblad won LPGA Q-School Stage II...now what?! |
But that's where the rewards end for Lindblad. There isn't any hope for her to gain her LPGA Tour card until 2025, barring a win as a sponsor's exemption, qualifier or something thereabouts. For as skilled and successful as she has been and will continue to be, Lindblad's hands have been tied by a Q-School restriction imposed last year that restricts entry into the final stage, AKA Q-Series, to professionals. Since 2018, college players who wanted to finish out their careers had had an option to defer any LPGA status earned via Q-School to after their senior year. It's possible Lindblad would have jumped at the option if offered, as evidenced by what she said after winning Stage II:
"At the beginning of the year, I'm like, I am probably just going to go through the whole Q-Series and, like, peace out. But I was talking to my coaches, and I really like it at LSU. Like, our coaches are awesome. This year we have a really good team, so I just want to give it a chance to get another SEC [title] and maybe a national championship."
A sweetheart deal, it would have been. Not only would Lindblad have gone straight to the big stage out of university, but she would've had that last chance for those SEC and national titles, as well as one last visit to the Augusta National Women's Amateur. Two birds, one stone! But thanks to this tomfoolery, she doesn't have such a chance, and must settle for the Epson Tour instead come graduation.
In justifying its cockamamie decision, the tour pointed out that, of the sixteen young women golfers who would have been eligible, only two--Jennifer Kupcho and Maria Fassi--accepted deferment, while the other fourteen went pro immediately. The two who deferred did keep their cards, but they had to battle to do so, as their seasons started in June rather than January. The others missed out on spring semester and the NCAA regional and national meets.
Regardless, this begs for a solution. The top women golfers in Division I deserve better than having to either leave school or settle for the Epson Tour out of school. Furthermore, these are relatively heady times for women's golf in general, so a solution is surely in the mix. And as the release hints, the LPGA has shown interest in working with college programs to develop such a solution.
To do so, I suggest taking a page from the LPGA's men's counterpart. There's a program called PGA Tour University. Under it, the top players in D-I men's golf get to play with significant professional privileges right upon graduating, which can range from PGA Tour Americas membership for fringe-elite players to Korn Ferry Tour membership for truly elite players...to an outright PGA Tour card for the top player in the program's metrics!!! What if something similar was in place for the LPGA? I was thinking on these things coming home from a Hallowe'en party in Minneapolis, and I have developed a system to reward the top women collegians with enhanced status in the LPGA pyramid. That system is the next part of my essay.
Edward the Scop
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