Stage II of LPGA Qualifying Tournament
Plantation Golf and Country Club – Panther and Bobcat Courses
Venice, Florida
October 22, 2015
First Round Recap
Round 1 Results (PDF)>> Round 2 Pairings>>
VENICE, Fla., October 22, 2015 – Yu Liu (Beijing, China) posted a 4-under, 68, on the Bobcat Course to hold the early lead at Stage II of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament. Players are trying to finish in the top-80 and advance to final stage of Qualifying Tournament where LPGA Tour dreams are realized.
“I started really hot,” Liu explained. “My putting was definitely the key. I was able to read the greens really well out there today.”
Liu started her day with a birdie on the first and added an eagle and two more birdies against a lone bogey on the front to turn in 4-under 32. After exchanging a bogey and birdie on 11 and 12, Liu closed with six pars to post her 68. Liu turned professional last season and just finished up her first season on the Epson Tour.
“It was a rough first year on Tour,” Liu admitted. “I was struggling with my long game so I went back home in July for a month break and figured a few things out with my game. I feel a lot more comfortable with my game and I think it’s shown in my past few events.”
Following her break, Liu made the cut in all five of the events that she entered on the Epson Tour highlighted by a tie for 14th at last week’s Epson Tour Championship.
“I felt like early in the year I was just out there trying to make the cut,” Liu said. “After my break, I just felt so much better about golf and my game and it really became more enjoyable.”
Despite the rough season, Liu has no regrets about leaving Duke early.
“I don’t feel like I turned pro super early,” Liu said citing players like Lydia Ko. “Playing professional golf has always been at the top of my list of goals and making the LPGA would be a dream come true.”
Pavarisa Yoktuan (Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Thailand) sits a shot back after shooting a 3-under 69 on the Bobcat Course. Michelle Piyapattra (Eastvale, Calif.) and Allie Knight (Knoxville, Tenn.) had the low rounds on the Panther Course at 1-under, 71.
Stage II is a 72-hole tournament held at Plantation Golf and Country Club on both the Panther & Bobcat Courses. A total of 195 players, 60 of which advanced out of LPGA Qualifying Tournament Stage I in late August at Mission Hills Country Club, will be competing to advance to final stage. The white line yardage for the Bobcat Course is 6,536 while the total yardage for the Panther Course is 6,363.
The top-80 players plus ties at the end of Sunday’s final round will advance to final stage of LPGA Q-School, which will be held at LPGA International Golf Course – Jones & Hill Courses from Wednesday, December 2 through Sunday, December 6. There is no cut at Stage II and players that complete 72 holes will automatically receive Epson Tour status for 2016.
Players that finish in the top-20 at final stage will receive category 12 status on the priority list for the LPGA Tour while players that finish 21 through 45 will receive category 17 status (conditional).)
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