DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Sept. 13, 2010 - The first of two LPGA sectional qualifying tournaments will begin this week at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif. The 72-hole California sectional "Q-school" will be staged Tuesday through Friday, Sept. 14-17, on both the Arnold Palmer and Dinah Shore courses at Mission Hills.
A field of 114 players from 21 countries, including the United States, will compete for 30 spots in the LPGA's Final Qualifying Tournament, set for early December. Of the international players in the sectional field, Canada brings seven players to the event, followed by South Korea with six, and Thailand with four contestants.
Among this week's sectional field will be 19 amateur players, including Oklahoma State University's Caroline Hedwall of Barseback, Sweden, who was the individual winner of the 2010 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship. Another headliner will be 17-year old Jessica Korda of Bradenton, Fla., the runner-up in the 2010 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship and a member of the winning 2010 U.S. Curtis Cup team.
Yet another top amateur in the field will be Kimberly Kim of Hawaii, who was runner-up at the 2009 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links and U.S. Girls' Junior Championship. Kim won the 2006 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship, becoming the youngest winner in the history of the tournament at age 14. She also was a member of the 2008 and 2010 U.S. Curtis Cup teams.
Of the professionals in the field, former Duke University All-American Virada Nirapathpongporn of Thailand will return to LPGA Q-School. She is a former individual NCAA champion, U.S. Women's Amateur champion, LPGA Tour member and two-time winner on the Duramed FUTURES Tour. In addition, former LPGA Tour tournament winner, Nicole Perrot of Chile, also will be in the field.
Rookie professional Jennifer Johnson of Carlsbad, Calif., will make her first appearance at LPGA qualifying. Johnson, 19, was the individual runner-up at the 2010 NCAA Championship while at Arizona State University, and was the low amateur at this year's U.S. Women's Open Championship. She was a rookie on the 2010 Duramed FUTURES Tour and is one of 64 FUTURES players in the field.
There will also be some familiar faces from the Golf Channel's popular "Big Break" show. "Big Break" winners in the sectional field include Briana Vega of Andover, Mass., and recent winner Carling Coffing of Middletown, Ohio. Other "Big Break" contestants in the field are recent finalist Lili Alvarez of Mexico, semifinalist Sara Brown of Arizona, Blaire O'Neal of Arizona, Elena Robles of California and Seema Sadekar of Canada.
The California sectional will be followed by the Florida sectional tournament, set for Sept. 28 through October 1, in Venice, Fla., on the Panther and Bobcat courses at Plantation Golf and Country Club. The field at each of the 72-hole sectional tournaments will be cut to the low-70 players and ties after 36 holes. After four rounds, the top-30 players and ties from each sectional will advance into the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament.
The LPGA's final stage of qualifying will be held Dec. 8-12, at LPGA International on the Champions and Legends courses in Daytona Beach, Fla. Sectional qualifiers will be joined at the final stage of "Q-school" by current LPGA Tour members attempting to improve their status for 2011, along with players finishing Nos. 6-10, and the next top 10 players on the 2010 Duramed FUTURES Tour money list (who do not already have LPGA status).
The LPGA's Final Qualifying Tournament will be contested over 90 holes, with a cut made after 72 holes to the low 70 and ties.
To follow scores of these and other contestants throughout the week, visit LPGA.com. A final-round wrap story of Sunday's California sectional also will be posted on both LPGA.com and duramedfuturestour.com.
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