Final Stage of LPGA Qualifying Tournament will be here before you know it. After the Lorena Ochoa Invitational and the CME Group Tour Championship, your Thanksgiving hangover should be spent following final stage, December 2-6 at LPGA International in Daytona Beach. There are 20 more “full” cards up for grabs and there are several top players in the field for a variety of reasons. Here is a look at some players to watch.
Belen Mozo – A little over a year ago, Belen Mozo teamed with Azahara Munoz, Carlota Ciganda and Beatriz Recari to win the inaugural International Crown for Team Spain. In 23 LPGA events in 2015, Mozo finished No. 101 on the official money list and will try to better her status for the 2016 season. She has three career top 10 finishes on Tour. Mozo first earned her LPGA card with a top 20 finish at Final Stage of LPGA Qualifying Tournament in 2010. She finished 67th on the LPGA Tour money list as a rookie in 2011. Mozo’s best year on Tour was 2014 when she finished 55th on the money list with over $300,000 earned.
Megan Khang (a) - Through two stages of Q-School, amateur Megan Khang has been the most consistent player. She finished second at Stage I in California with a four-day total of 13-under and finished third at Stage II in Venice with a four-day total of even-par (only two players in the field were under-par). At just 17, Khang has already played in three U.S. Women’s Open’s. She finished in a tie for 35th this year. The Massachusetts native also won medalist honors at the Kingsmill Championship Monday Qualifier and made the cut in the event. Khang has also played in one Epson Tour event each of the last two years. She posted top 20 results in both. Khang is the No. 8 ranked amateur in the world by the World Amateur Golf Rankings. She played a significant role this summer in leading the U.S. Ping Junior Solheim Cup Team to a 13-11 win over Team Europe.
Nicole Broch Larsen – One of the top Ladies European Tour (LET) players in the field is Nicole Broch Larsen, who is second on the LET Order of Merit in 16 starts. The native of Denmark is No. 73 in the world by the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, which is the highest ranking in the preliminary field. In September, she won the Helsinborg Open on the LET. She finished T20 Stage II of LPGA Qualifying Tournament.
Doris Chen – The recent USC graduate and 3-time All-American won the 2014 NCAA individual title and was a major contributor to the 2013 NCAA team national championship. Chen finished in a tie for fifth at Stage II in Venice. Although she just turned professional, Chen has already played in seven career LPGA Tour events. She qualified for the 2011 and 2012 U.S. Women’s Open and played in the 2013 Kraft Nabisco Championship. This year, she Monday Qualified of the Cambia Portland Classic (along with Brooke Henderson, who won the tournament) and made the cut. In her debut as a professional, Chen finished in a tie for 2nd at the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada, just two shots back of Brooke Henderson. Chen was born in New York, raised in Taiwan and then moved to Florida where she graduated from the IMG Academy in Bradenton before going to USC.
Dana Finklestein – The 2014-15 WGCA First Team All-American from UNLV finished T17 at Stage I and T45 at Stage II to advance into Final Stage. Finklestein has already won at the professional level. She won three times in six events on the Arizona-based Cactus Tour. At the conclusion of her UNLV career, she was the No. 4 ranked collegian by Golfweek and No. 6 by the World Amateur Golf Rankings (has since turned pro). Finklestein became the second player in conference history to be named Mountain West Golfer of the Year three times (Jodi Ewart, New Mexico). Finklestein won five times in college including three times as a senior. She was the runner-up for the ANNIKA Award.
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