After five rounds of golf at last week’s LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, 20 players emerged as the top finishers. Those “Top-20” players earned full (Category 11) membership on the 2012 LPGA Tour.
Take a look below at the 20 players who are the top finishers out of this year’s “Q-school” in the order of their finish:
Junthima (“Numa”) Gulyanamitta – 23, of Rayong, Thailand. Rookie professional was medalist of the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, winning by two strokes. Younger sister of former LPGA Tour member, Russy Gulyanamitta. Was the 2011 Big Ten Conference Player of the Year, 2011 Big Ten medalist, 2011 Second-Team All-American, winner of four college tournaments and member of Purdue University’s 2010 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship team.
Christine Song – 20, of Fullerton, Calif., a second-year LPGA Tour member who earned LPGA membership through the 2010 LPGA Futures Tour. She won two tournaments on the Futures Tour in 2010 and finished third on the tour’s money list that year to gain full LPGA status in 2011.
Jennie Lee – 25, of Henderson, Nev. A former All-American, she was a member of two winning NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship teams (2006, 2007) while at Duke University and was the winner of the 2006 North & South Women’s Amateur Championship. She also was a two-time member of the winning (2006, 2008) U.S. Curtis Cup teams and competed on the LPGA Futures Tour in 2009 and 2010.
Dori Carter – 24, of Valdosta, Ga. Was a two-time All-SEC Conference First-Team selection (2008, 2009) while at the University of Mississippi and a 2008 All-American. During her first season as a pro in 2010, she won a tournament on the LPGA Futures Tour. She was a 2011 LPGA rookie in 2011.
Karlin Beck – 24, of Pike Road, Ala. Was a 2010 Auburn University graduate, where she played on the women’s golf team. She was a winner of the 2007 Women’s Alabama Golf Association Stroke Play Championship. Turning pro this year, she played in 13 LPGA Futures Tour tournaments, finishing a season-best tie for 16th in Decatur, Ill.
Jodi Ewart – 23, of North Yorkshire, England. A 2011 LPGA rookie, she played in only two tournaments, but competed in 13 LPGA Futures Tour events. She posted four top-10 Futures Tour finishes in 2011 and five top-10 finishes in 2010. As an amateur, she was a two-time English Amateur champion (2008, 2009) and member of Great Britain & Ireland’s 2008 Curtis Cup team. She recorded five college wins while at the University of New Mexico and earned First-Team All-American honors twice.
Sandra Changkija – 22, of Orlando, Fla. Recorded 16 college wins while at Nova Southeastern University and was a four-time NCAA Division II Player of the Year (2008-2011) and a four-time first-team All-American. Was the individual winner of the 2010 NCAA Division II National Championship. Played in her first professional season on the 2011 LPGA Futures Tour, posting a career-best tie for fifth in Vidalia, Ga.
Maude-Aimee LeBlanc – 22, of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Rookie professional was a three-time, first-team All-Big Ten Conference player while at Purdue University. Winner of four college tournaments, she finished third individually at the 2010 NCAA Championship and was a member of Purdue’s 2010 NCAA Championship team. Working toward completing her college degree.
Rebecca Lee-Bentham – 19, of Toronto, Canada. Was the 2010 Canadian National Junior Girls Championship winner and won the 2007 Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship at age 15. Played college golf for one year at the University of Texas in Austin.
Meredith Duncan – 31, of Shreveport, La. Qualified for the LPGA in 2003 after playing on the LPGA Futures Tour and tying for fifth in the LPGA Qualifying Tournament. Posted a career-best tie for fifth at the 2008 LPGA Corning Classic. As an amateur, she won the 2001 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, consecutive Women’s Western Amateur Championships (2000, 2001) and was a member of the 2002 U.S. Curtis Cup team. Was also a first-team All-American while at Louisiana State University.
Minea Blomqvist – 26, of Espoo, Finland. Turned professional in 2003 and has played on the Ladies European Tour and LPGA since that time, posting a career-best third-place finish at the 2008 Safeway International. A mom, she is the only player from Finland on the LPGA Tour.
Cydney Clanton – 22, of Concord, N.C. A rookie professional on the 2011 LPGA Futures Tour, she posted two top-10 finishes with a career-best tie for seventh at the Eagle Classic in Richmond, Va. Was a two-time first-team All-American while at Auburn University, where she won three college tournaments. Was also a member of the 2010 U.S. Curtis Cup team and the winner of the 2010 Women’s North & South Amateur Championship.
Angela Oh – 23, of Baltimore, Md. Was a two-time winner of the New Jersey State Junior Championship (2005, 2006); At the University of Tennessee, she was on the 2007 All-SEC Conference second team and recorded eight top-10 finishes in collegiate competition. A former member of the LPGA Futures Tour, she qualified for the LPGA in 2008 for 2009 LPGA membership.
Stephanie Kono – 22, of Honolulu, Hawaii. She is a senior at UCLA, where she has been a three-time, first-team All-American. She was also a member of the winning 2010 U.S. Curtis Cup team and a member of UCLA’s 2011 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship team. Plans to complete her college degree while playing professional golf.
Victoria Tanco – 17, of Bradenton, Fla. Was a two-time American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Rolex Player of the Year and a three-time Rolex first-team All-American. Won the 2011 Women’s Western Amateur and seven AJGA tournaments. Is a native of Argentina.
Ayaka Kaneko – 21, Honolulu, Hawaii. Finished second at the 2007 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship and played collegiately at Pepperdine University. Played on the 2010 and 2011 LPGA Futures Tour, posting two top-10 finishes in 2011 with a career-best runner-up finish at the 2011 Vidalia Championship in Georgia. Was an LPGA rookie in 2011.
Tanya Dergal – 27, of Durango, Mexico. Represented Mexico in four Women’s World Amateur Championships. Was a member of the winning 2003 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship team while at the University of Southern California. Qualified for the LPGA Tour in 2010. An LPGA Futures Tour member since 2008, her best finish was a tie for sixth at the 2008 CIGNA Golf Classic in Connecticut.
Hannah Yun – 19, of Bradenton, Fla. Entered the University of Florida before her 16th birthday and played on the Gators’ women’s team. Finished second individually at the 2008 Southeastern Conference Championship and was a 2008 SEC All-Conference First-Team selection. Qualified for the LPGA Futures Tour as an amateur in 2008, and played as a Futures Tour pro from 2009-2011, recording three top-10 finishes this year.
Elisa Serramia – 27, of Barcelona, Spain. Was the 2005 Ladies European Tour Rookie of the Year. Rebuilt golf swing and moved to the United States, qualifying for the LPGA Futures Tour in 2009. Played on Futures Tour for three seasons (2009-2011), recording a win in Kansas in 2009, with five top-10 finishes.
Lizette Salas – 22, of Azusa, Calif. Only four-time All-American from the University of Southern California. Won three times in collegiate competition and was a two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year (2009, 2011). Qualified for the 2011 LPGA Futures Tour, where she posted two top-10 finishes in seven events. Won the last full card in a nine-person playoff at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament.
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