NWO Golf Links November 2016

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The PGA Tour has eliminated
its Q-School and only accepts
new members through the
Tour. The LPGA
Tour is also changing its path,
namely by eliminating its
Q-school and putting more
emphasis on the SymetraTour.
LPGA Commissioner Michael
Whan has said these changes
could happen as soon as the
2017 season.
The details have yet to be
finalized, but Whan has
spoken publicly about the
transformation. He appears
confident the proposed
changes will have a
positive impact for players,
particularly amateurs and
collegiate players.
College golf coaches will be
glad for a revision. Under the
current Q-School process, a
top-tier college player can try to
earn a card over the course of
a couple of events and skip out
on the balance of her collegiate
years. That player’s college
team loses their best player
right before the postseason.
“The college coach thing has
always bugged me,” Whan
said. “Now I’d say to a kid,
‘Listen, if you can’t come out
June 1 and make your way to
the top 30 on the Symetra, you
aren’t going to make it on the
LPGA anyway.’ ”
The Coaches have not been
happy with the current LPGA
Q-School system, since
USGA rules were changed
to allow amateurs access
to the annual qualifying
process. They have lobbied
for changes to the system for
some time.
Here are a few of the key
points of the new system.
• LPGA Q-school will be
eliminated, ending a
process that spreads out
months from September
to December. Instead, a
Symetra Tour Q-school
would replace it ahead of
the new LPGA qualifying
structure.
• The three stages of
Q-school will be replaced
by a three-tournament
Listen, if you can’t come out June 1 and
make your way to the top 30 on the Symetra,
you aren’t going to make it on the
LPGA anyway.
LPGA Tour Eyes
Changes to
Q-School
By: Ryan Ballengee,
NWO Golf Links