LPGA Q Series 5R Leaderboard Top
Choi 2nd, Saigo 3rd, Yoshida 4th in Pursuit
Jang Hyojun and Sung Yujin Tied 5th, Lim Jinhee 13th
Lee So-mi, who has won a total of five times on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, has seized the opportunity to top the leaderboard at the LPGA Tour qualifying school in the United States.
On the 5th (local time), Lee So-mi surged to the lead (27-under 331) by shooting a 9-under 63 in the fifth round of the LPGA Tour Qualifying (Q) Series held at Magnolia Grove Golf Course (par 72) in Mobile, Alabama. Robin Choi, an Australian Korean with Korean parents, is in second place (25-under 333), followed by Mao Saigo in third (24-under 334), and Yuri Yoshida (both from Japan) in fourth (21-under 337).
Lee So-mi surged with a 9-under-par in the 5th round of the LPGA Tour Q-Series, jumping to a 2-stroke lead. [Photo by LPGA]
Starting three strokes behind in a tie for second, Lee So-mi recorded one eagle and seven birdies. She made birdie on the 2nd hole (par 3) and eagle on the 4th hole (par 5), then reduced one stroke each on the 6th and 9th holes, finishing the front nine at 5-under. On the back nine, she secured 'stepping stone birdies' on the 13th and 15th holes, and added consecutive birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to take control of the leaderboard. Leading by two strokes, she is poised to become the third consecutive Korean player to top the qualifying school, following Anna Lin in 2021 and Yoo Hae-ran last year.
Robin Choi fought hard, lowering her score by four strokes but shared the lead. She debuted on the LPGA Tour in 2019 and has experience playing in 12 tournaments. From Korea, Jang Hyo-jun shot 4-under to rise to a tie for 5th place (17-under 341). 'Match Queen' Sung Yu-jin is also tied for 5th, and this year’s KLPGA Tour multiple winner Lim Jin-hee is tied for 13th (13-under 345). Lee Jeong-eun 5 and No Ye-rim (USA) are tied for 20th (12-under 346), and Hong Jeong-min is tied for 27th (10-under 348).
The Q Series initially cut the field in half after four rounds (72 holes), and will conclude with the final sixth round on the 6th to determine the players who will advance to the LPGA Tour next season. The top 20 players will earn full status for next year’s regular tour. Those finishing 21st through 45th will receive conditional LPGA Tour status and eligibility to compete on the Epson Tour (the LPGA’s developmental tour).
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