The Final Qualifying Stage of the 2025 LPGA Qualifying Series marks the final chance for athletes to earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2026 season. Between LPGA and Epson Tour winners, major champions and notable young stars who are looking to jumpstart their professional careers, the 116-player field is stacked with talent and storied backgrounds.

The tournament, played on the Crossings and Falls courses at Magnolia Grove – RTJ Golf Trail, begins on Thursday, Dec. 4, and concludes on Monday, Dec. 8, and will see the top 25 and ties secure LPGA Tour status for next season.

Here are three things to know about 2025 Final Qualifying:

Top 25 Earn LPGA Membership for 2026

Following the final round on Monday, Dec. 8, the top 25 and ties will earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2026 season. In 2024, the tournament saw 26 athletes finish in the top 25 and ties, including Japanese twin sisters and now LPGA Tour winners, Akie and Chisato Iwai.

The Iwais were not the only athletes who earned their cards from Final Qualifying to have success, however. Their fellow Japan native, Miyu Yamashita, went on to become the 2025 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year after finishing medalist at 2024 Final Qualifying with a score of 27-under in Mobile, Ala.

And while some athletes in the 2025 field, like Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Hinako Shibuno, are once again battling for LPGA Tour status, others, like 17-year-old Gianna Clemente and 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Carla Bernat Escuder, are hoping to follow in the footsteps of Yamashita and the Iwai twins and earn their first big professional break next year.

The Tournament is Played on the Falls and Crossings Courses

The 116-player field will take on the Falls and Crossings courses of Magnolia Grove – RTJ Golf Trail from Thursday, Dec. 4 to Monday, Dec. 8, and will play a total of 90 holes. After four tournament rounds (72 holes), the 116-player field will be cut to the top 65 and ties.

On Monday, Dec. 8, the remaining athletes will all tee off on the Crossings course for their final chance to finish within the top 25 and ties and gain full LPGA Tour membership for the 2026 season.

Fans can follow along with live scoring HERE.

Notable Names Teeing it Up

In what’s generally a stacked field of athletes at LPGA Q-Series, it can be difficult to stand out, as everyone is vying for a coveted spot in the top 25 and ties, some with more experience than others. But there are some athletes who will turn fans’ heads this year, whether they walk away with an LPGA Tour card or not.

Two of those names belong to a pair of major champions. Hinako Shibuno and Jeongeun Lee6 took home the 2019 AIG Women’s Open and 2019 U.S. Women’s Open trophies, respectively, but find themselves competing in 2025 LPGA Q-Series to maintain full LPGA status. Shibuno finished the 2025 season at No. 104 in the Race to CME Globe rankings, while Lee6 was No. 118.

Kim Kaufman is trying to pull off an incredible feat. Having lost her full status on the LPGA Tour following the 2019 season, the South Dakota native accepted dual membership on the Epson and LPGA Tours. Since the 2020 season, Kaufman has primarily played on the Epson Tour, embracing the challenge and acting as a mentor to younger professionals.

However, in October of 2024, she was diagnosed with stage 2b breast cancer, sidelining her for the 2025 season. Now, cancer-free and more motivated than ever, Kaufman is returning to Magnolia Grove in hopes of regaining her spot amongst the best in women’s golf next year on the LPGA.

There are also several new faces to the professional ranks who will be looking to make a splash early in their young careers. Seventeen-year-old Gianna Clemente and 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Carla Bernat Escuder are among some of the top-ranked amateurs to turn professional this year ahead of the Final Qualifying stage.

Clemente was granted a waiver from LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler to compete in the last leg of Q-Series before her 18th birthday. Bernat Escuder is fresh off her senior season at Kansas State University and was the No. 16-ranked amateur in the world, according to WAGR, when she turned professional in early August.

The Spaniard has already proven she deserves to have LPGA Tour status, having competed in two major championships in 2025, The Amundi Evian Championship and the AIG Women’s Open. But Bernat Escuder is ready for the test of Final Qualifying and excited to see if she will achieve her dream of becoming a member of the LPGA Tour in 2026.

Three Things to Know About the Final Qualifying Stage of 2025 LPGA Q-Series

Related Articles