8 Rounds in 4 Days from Next Month 1st to 11th
Must Rank in Top 20 to Secure Full Tour Seed
Imiyang, Park Geumgang, and Others Also Challenge Tour Seed
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seohee] Yoo Hae-ran (21) will participate in the LPGA Tour Qualifying Series held over a total of 8 rounds from December 1 to 11.
The LPGA Tour Qualifying Series is a tournament where players compete for LPGA Tour playing rights for next year. First, 100 players will play 4 rounds over four days starting December 1 at Magnolia Grove Golf Course in Mobile, Alabama, USA, and the top 70 will advance to the second week of competition. The second week of competition will be held over four days starting December 8 at Highland Oaks Golf Course in Dothan, Alabama, USA.
Only the top 20 players in the total 8-round results will secure full playing rights for the 2023 LPGA Tour season. Players ranked 21st to 45th will be granted conditional playing rights. Full status means eligibility to participate in all LPGA Tour events, while conditional status allows players to enter tournaments if a spot opens due to a full-status player not participating. In this case, the player can enter about 17 tournaments.
This year, eight Korean players have thrown down the gauntlet.
Yoo Hae-ran (21), who won Rookie of the Year on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour last year and ranked 2nd in both the Player of the Year points and scoring average this year, is a representative contender.
With five KLPGA Tour wins in total, Yoo Hae-ran said, "I felt I should go (to the U.S.) while I am still young," adding, "I want to compete on the LPGA Tour."
Yoo Hae-ran has maintained good form, winning the LF Hazzys Points Championship held as an event tournament on the 20th after the end of the 2022 KLPGA Tour season.
Last year, Anna Lin (26) finished first and Choi Hye-jin (23) third in the LPGA Tour Qualifying Series, successfully advancing to the U.S.
In addition to Yoo Hae-ran, Lee Mi-hyang (29), who has two LPGA Tour wins, will also participate in this Qualifying Series. Lee Mi-hyang, who won the 2014 Mizuno Classic and the 2017 Scottish Open, fell to 125th in the 2022 LPGA Tour money list and must go through the Qualifying Series.
Hong Ye-eun (20), Jeon Ji-won (25), Kang Min-ji (23), Lee Seul-gi (21), Park Geum-gang (21), and Yoon Min-ah (19) are also challenging to earn LPGA Tour playing rights for the next season.
Jeon Ji-won debuted on the LPGA Tour in 2020, and Hong Ye-eun debuted this year. Park Geum-gang has two wins on the LPGA Symetra Tour.
Korean-American players such as Oh Soo-hyun (Australia) and Jennifer Song (USA), who was runner-up at the 2018 major ANA Inspiration, will also participate.
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