2006 Qualifying School | Final Field

Christina Baena

The second and final LPGA Sectional Qualifying Tournament begins next week in Venice, Fla., at Plantation Golf and Country Club, Oct. 3-6. A field of 140 players, including 17 amateurs, will begin the four-day quest with aspirations of competing on the LPGA Tour in 2007.

The 72-hole sectional will be played on the Bobcat and Panther courses, and the field will be cut to the low-70 players and ties after 36 holes.

One name highlighting the sectional qualifier is Cristina Baena. Baena and her sister, LPGA Tour winner Marisa Baena, represented Colombia in the 2006 Women's World Cup of Golf, where they finished sixth out of 20 teams. She also qualified for the U.S. Women's Open conducted by the USGA in 1999 and 2006, but missed the cut both times. Baena has competed on the Duramed Futures Tour for the past three seasons and has compiled 12 top-10 finishes, including a win in 2005.

Ludivine Kreutz of France is another name to keep an eye on next week in Venice. Kreutz is a three-time winner on the Ladies European Tour and was a member of the 2005 European Solheim Cup Team. She has played in multiple LPGA Tour major championships, including the Kraft Nabisco Championship, U.S. Women's Open and the Weetabix Women's British Open.

Mexico's Marcela Leon is also set to play next week. Leon, who was the runner-up at the 2001 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Championship while playing collegiate golf at San Jose State, has played on the Duramed Futures Tour the past three seasons. She was the medalist at the U.S. Women's Open qualifier in 2001. She has also competed in three LPGA events that have been held in Mexico, the MasterCard Classic Honoring Alejo Peralta (2005-06) and once in the Corona Morelia Championship (2005).

Ludivine Kreutz

Consistent with the LPGA's history as being a true “World Tour,” the 142-player field features 53 international players from 18 countries outside the United States and one player from Puerto Rico. South Korea is represented by the most players with 11, followed by Canada (9), Australia (4), Sweden (4), England (4) and France (4). Mexico and Thailand are represented with three players, while Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Scotland and Taiwan are represented with one player each.

There is no shortage of homegrown talent either. Twenty-nine states are represented in the second LPGA Sectional Qualifying Tournament, with California leading the way with 22 entrants, followed by Arizona (7), Florida (6), Texas (6) and Georgia (4). Idaho, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Oregon and Washington each has three players competing in Venice.

The first stage of the LPGA Sectional Qualifying Tournament was held Sept. 19-22 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif. The top-30 players and ties from Florida sectional will join the 32 players that qualified in the California sectional in advancing to the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, Nov. 29-Dec. 3, in Daytona Beach, Fla., at LPGA International's Champions and Legends Course. They will join current LPGA Tour members attempting to improve their status, as well as the players who finished sixth through 15th on the final 2006 Duramed Futures Tour money list.

All media interested in covering the upcoming LPGA Sectional Qualifying Tournament in Venice should contact Pam Warner in the LPGA Communications Department at 386-274-6200.