We’re not yet even to the end of August, but it’s already time to start Q-school, looking ahead to the 2019 season.
This week, Q-school begins for two of the major U.S.-based tours — the LPGA and Web.com circuits.
Stage I of LPGA qualifying runs Thursday through Sunday (Aug. 23-26) in Rancho Mirage, Calif. And the first of six Pre-Qualifying tournaments for for Web Q-school runs Wednesday through Friday (Aug. 22-24), with the others being Aug. 29-31 and Sept. 5-7. No players with strong Colorado connections are competing until next week in the Web qualifiers.
The LPGA qualifying procession has been tweaked for this year, with Stage I and Stage II (in Venice, Fla., Oct. 15-18) leading to an LPGA Q-Series, which replaces the final stage. There, a maximum of 108 players will compete in two 72-hole stroke-play tournaments held on consecutive weeks Oct. 22-Nov. 3 at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. Scores will be cumulative over the two weeks.
Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster, the No. 1-ranked amateur in women’s golf who will soon be starting her senior season at Wake Forest, is exempt into the Q-Series, where at least the top 45 finishers and ties will earn LPGA Tour status in 2019. Amateurs who earn their cards can defer their acceptance of LPGA membership until July 1, 2019.
Among the 340 contestants in Stage I are at least 10 players with strong Colorado ties:
University of Colorado golfer Robyn Choi
Paige Crawford of Colorado Springs
Former CU golfer Brittany Fan
Amateur Emily Gilbreth, a former Denver resident
Samantha Stancato of Colorado Springs
Ashley Tait of Littleton
Amateur Jaylee Tait of Littleton
Hannah Wood of Highlands Ranch
Amateur Elizabeth Wang, who grew up in Colorado
Former CU golfer Natalie Vivaldi
A minimum of the top 60 finishers and ties at Stage I will advance to Stage II.
As for Web.com Tour qualifying, there’s a maximum of four stages to negotiate. Fields haven’t been released for all six Pre-Qualifying tournaments, but the three in the western half of the U.S. are likely to draw local players: Lincoln, Neb., and Lantana, Texas, Aug. 29-31, and Woodland, Calif., Sept. 5-7.
Twelve First Stage tournaments are set for various dates from Sept. 25 to Oct. 9. There are five Second Stage events from Oct. 30-Nov. 9. Then the Final Stage is Dec. 6-9 in Chandler, Ariz.
