Final Stage of LPGA Qualifying Tournament
LPGA International - Jones and Hills Courses
Daytona Beach, Florida
December 1, 2015
Tuesday Pre-Tournament News & Notes

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., December 1, 2015 - Final Stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament begins on Wednesday, December 2 and concludes on Sunday, December 6 at LPGA International, Jones and Hills Courses.

There are 157 players in the field competing for LPGA Tour membership in category 12 and 17 on the 2016 LPGA priority list.

The top 20 finishers (no ties) come Sunday will earn category 12 membership while players who finish 21 through 45 plus ties will earn membership through category 17. In layman’s terms, the top 20 finishers will have “full” LPGA membership while those that finish 21-45 will have “conditional” status. For perspective, Alison Lee and Minjee Lee, who shared medalist honors in 2014, played in 23 and 29 LPGA events respectively in 2015. Minjee finished 16th on the official LPGA money list with a win at the Kingsmill Championship while Alison finished 23rd on the money list with six top 10 results. Julie Yang, who finished T21 at 2014 Final Stage, made 12 starts on the LPGA in 2015.

MEGAN KHANG TURNS PRO FOR FINAL STAGE: There was much speculation about Megan Khang’s golf future over the last year. Would she turn professional or stay an amateur and play college golf? In a “spur of the moment” decision made in the car while driving to the first round of the Suncoast event at LPGA International last week, Khang decided to turn professional.

“We were driving on the way to the golf course and my dad was like ‘so, do you want to turn pro and I was like ‘not sure’, but he was like there is no difference and I agree,” said Khang. “I now get a paycheck coming in so that’s a good thing.”

Khang said that there has been a weight lifted off her shoulder now that the decision has been made.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do coming into last week and making the decision helps me because I no longer have to decide if I’m going to stay an amateur,” said Khang after playing 18 holes with Su Oh on the Jones Course Tuesday. “It is good to know beforehand.”

Khang, who was the No. 8 ranked amateur in the world, has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success in her young career. In 2015 alone, she was the low amateur at the U.S. Women’s Open (T35), went 3-0 to lead the U.S. to the Junior Solheim Cup victory and won her third Connecticut State Open.

Khang said that one person she watches closely on the LPGA is world No. 1 Lydia Ko, who is just five months older than her.

“I like how Lydia is so mature for her age and she just carries herself in such a great way,” said Khang. “I think I can learn a lot from watching her play because she is such a great role model.”

Just like Ko, Khang has mature-beyond-her-years perspective on this week.

“The LPGA is where the best players in the world play and I want to be there, but I need to get past this tournament first to play on the big time.”

Khang, the third youngest player in the field, will tee off at 8:00 a.m. on the Jones Course from the tenth tee on Wednesday.

SEVEN PLAYERS IN FIELD IN TOP 60 FOR 2016 OLYMPIC GAMES: The 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will include golf for the first time since 1904 and seven players in the field this week are currently in the top 60 in the IGF (International Golf Federation) rankings to represent their country - No. 32 Nicole Broch Larsen (Denmark), No. 42 Stephanie Meadow (Northern Ireland), No. 45 Dewi Claire Schreefel (Netherlands), No. 49 Giulia Sergas (Italy), No. 54 Laetitia Beck (Israel), No. 56 Paz Echeverria (Chile) and No. 59 Lisa McCloskey (Columbia). Earning LPGA status will only potentially help them stay inside the top 60 through strong play in the early 2016 LPGA events.

The women’s portion of Olympic golf begins runs from August 17-20, 2016.

IS SSU CHIA CHENG THE NEXT BIG STAR?: In her Ladies European Tour debut in 2014, then amateur Ssu Chia Cheng won the Xiamen Open at 17-years-old. Now 18, Cheng is competing in her first LPGA Qualifying Tournament.

Cheng played in 12 LET events this year and is 14th on the Order of Merit. She recently finished T4 at the Sanya Ladies Open, just one shot back of Shanshan Feng.

Cheng also plays on the TLPGA (Taiwan LPGA) and finished 2nd on the 2015 money list. She had three TLPGA wins by the time she was 16-years-old.

Cheng has already played in nine LPGA Tour events with her first one coming in 2012. She played in two LPGA Tour majors this year (RICOH Women’s British Open and The Evian Championship) and made the cut in both. Cheng’s best finish on the LPGA is a tie for 15th at the 2014 Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship.

OF NOTE: Annika Sorenstam’s longtime caddie, Terry McNamara, is on the bag this week for Brazilian Candy Hannemann, who returned to professional golf in 2015 to try and realize her Olympic dream. Hannemann played in four LPGA Tour events and 11 Epson Tour events...No college is better represented this week than USC with seven that spent time golfing for the Trojans (Doris Chen, Dewi Claire Schreefel, Lisa McCloskey, Paola Moreno, Belen Mozo, Sophia Popov, Cyna Rodriguez)...There are 11 teenagers in the field this week and 38 players 22 or younger. There are six players that are 40 or older...Virginia assistant women’s golf coach Calle Nielsen is on the bag for her former teammate Brittany Altomare, who finished 22nd on the Epson Tour’s Volvik Race for the Card money list this year...There are three players in the field that have won Epson Tour events on the Jones Course - Sherman Santiwiwatthanphong (2015), Marita Engzelius (2014), Megan McChrystal (2013).