Opening with a 6-under 66 Tuesday in her first round as a contestant for a tour card, teen golfer and Curtis Cup star Lexi Thompson was in a tie for second place heading into Wednesday’s second day of the first leg of LPGA qualifying school.
Thompson, 16, who successfully petitioned LPGA commissioner Mike Whan for a chance to earn her way onto the tour and led her 2010 U.S. Curtis Cup team to victory at Massachusetts’ Essex County Club, shared runner-up status with amateur Camilla Lenarth. Each of the two golfers was one stroke behind UCLA’s Stephanie Kono in the 72-hole contest to determine who will move to the next stage of qualifying.
Kono, who attended the same high school as fellow Hawaiian and struggling tour star Michelle Wie, carded a bogey-free day with seven birdies on LPGA International’s Champions Course in Daytona Beach, Fla. The first-round leader was a teammate of Thompson’s on the 2010 Curtis Cup team and has played in three U.S. Women’s Opens.
Following this stage of Q-school, Thompson will use a sponsor’s exemption to play in the tour’s Safeway Classic in Portland, Ore., in late August.
The top 70 players and ties will make the cut after 36 holes, with 50 of the 150 competitors (and ties) earning the right to advance to Stage II of Q-school at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Fla., from September 27-September 30. The top 70 and ties from Stage II will advance into the final qualifying event, a 90-hole competition on LPGA International’s Champions and Legends courses that will take place November 30-December 4.
Top finishers in the final stage will earn 2012 LPGA membership, with all others who make the cut receiving LPGA Futures Tour status. Click here for a complete list of scores.
(Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
(Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. Check her out on the Waggle Room, Boston Golf Examiner, National Golf Examiner, and GottaGoGolf websites. You may also follow Kay on Twitter @golfexaminer.)
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