DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Aug. 20, 2008 – Following an amendment to the LPGA Constitution, the LPGA today announces the number of LPGA Tour cards awarded to Duramed FUTURES Tour members has expanded from five to 10. Duramed FUTURES Tour members who finish in positions one through 10 on the 2008 Duramed FUTURES Tour money list will earn LPGA membership, with varying priority status, on the 2009 LPGA Tour. Prior to this change, which required a membership vote, only players who finished in places one through five were eligible for LPGA Tour membership.

Since 1999, a total of 37 players have earned LPGA membership by finishing among the Duramed FUTURES Tour's top season money winners. From 1999-2002, the top-three players were awarded LPGA membership. This was expanded to the top-five in 2003. The Duramed FUTURES Tour is the official developmental tour of the LPGA.

The Duramed FUTURES Tour is one of four ways for non-members to earn LPGA Tour membership:
1. via the annual LPGA Qualifying Tournament process (Priority List Category 11, Priority List Category 16 or Priority List Category 20);
2. by winning a LPGA Tour event (Priority List Category 7);
3. by earning enough money in eligible events that would fall within the top 80 of the LPGA Official Money List as of the last official money event of the season (Priority List Category 10); and
4. by finishing in the top 10 on the Duramed FUTURES Tour money list as of the conclusion of the last official money event of the Duramed FUTURES Tour season (for 2008, the ILOVENY Championship in Albany, N.Y., Sept. 5-7). If a player finishes in positions one through five, she would earn Priority List Category 9 and if in positions six through 10, a player would earn Priority List Category 17.

Note: To follow are explanations of the abovementioned Priority List Categories that are included in the LPGA's Priority List for entering standard eligibility LPGA tournaments in 2009.

7. Non-Member Win Category: Winners of at least one official LPGA official tournament during the previous calendar year while not an LPGA member, with priority based on the earliest date of such wins.

9. Top 5 Duramed FUTURES Tour Category: Top 5 on the previous year's official money list of the Duramed FUTURES Tour, with priority based on the position on the list.

10. Non-Member Top 80 Category: Each player who, as of the conclusion of the last official LPGA tournament of the previous year, won an amount of money as a non-LPGA member during such year in official LPGA co-sponsored domestic tournaments with fields of 75 or more, that is equal to or greater than the amount of official money won by the player who was in 80th place on the LPGA Official Money List at that time (with priority based on the amount of money won in such tournaments).

11. Top 20 Q-School Category/Nos. 81-100 Category: In alternating order, top 20 from the previous year's LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament and Nos. 81-100 on the LPGA Official Money List at the end of the last official LPGA tournament of the previous year, with (in the case of the Qualifying Tournament players) any ties broken on the basis of the lowest most recent round in the Final and Sectional Qualifying Tournament, except that in the event of a tie for 20th place at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, the 20th place shall be determined through a play-off held at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament. Alternating order starts with the top finisher at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, then goes to the 81st player on the LPGA Official Money List, then goes to the 2nd place finisher at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, then goes to the 82nd player on the LPGA Official Money List, etc.

16. Nos. 21-30 Category: From the previous year's LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, the 10 players finishing after the player who finished in 20th place, with priority based on the order of their finish at the Qualifying Tournament (and any ties broken on the basis of the lowest most recent round in the final Qualifying Tournament).

17. Nos. 6-10 Duramed FUTURES Tour Category: Nos. 6-10 on the previous year's official money list of the Duramed FUTURES Tour, with priority based on the position on the list.

20. Nos. 31-40 Category: From the previous year's LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, the next 10 players after the 10 players eligible under the Nos. 21-30 Category (regardless of whether they have a priority higher than that category), with priority based on the order of their finish at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament (and any ties broken on the basis of the lowest most recent round in the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament).