Two of the four college players who qualified for LPGA Final Qualifying have decided to turn pro.
LPGA rules give these qualified players a choice: turn professional now or defer their Epson Tour status until after May’s NCAA Championship. Oregon junior Suvichaya Vinijchaitham and Florida Gulf Coast senior Jordan Fischer have chosen to go pro, meeting last Friday’s deadline.
North Carolina senior Megan Streicher and SMU senior Emily Odwin, however, are heading back to campus to complete their final semester.
“When I first committed, I made a promise to give everything I had for four years,” said Streicher, who tied for eighth at last month’s LPGA qualifying stage in Venice, Florida. The South African native has been on a tear, posting two top-4 finishes in three fall college starts and currently ranks No. 34 nationally.
“When I got back to campus, I knew I had to sit down and think about my decision. … My heart kept telling me there is more to my Carolina story. There’s more I want to accomplish wearing Carolina Blue. When I turn professional, I want to do so with the pride that I finished what I started here at Carolina. Staying isn’t about delaying a dream—it’s about honoring the one that started here.”
Odwin, ranked No. 87 in the country, has been solid with three top-15 finishes in four fall tournaments.
Vinijchaitham’s decision to turn pro is particularly significant for Oregon. She’s the highest-ranked college player to advance through second stage at No. 28 nationally and No. 17 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Her college resume is impressive – she’s finished T-15 or better in 12 of 13 career starts, including a win at the Alice and John Wallace Classic last spring. She also notched top-10s at Big Tens, NCAA regionals and the NCAA Championship as a freshman.
This isn’t the first mid-season departure for the Ducks, who lost Briana Chacon to the pros two years ago. Oregon currently sits at No. 3 in the team rankings.
LPGA Final Qualifying runs December 4-8 at Magnolia Grove Golf Course in Mobile, Alabama.
The field features several notable players, including 17-year-old Gianna Clemente, who’s skipping college altogether and received a special waiver to pursue her LPGA card before turning 18. Other standouts include reigning Annika Award winner Mirabel Ting, Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Carla Bernat, former UCLA player Zoe Campos (who turned pro a semester early last winter), and 34-year-old breast cancer survivor Kim Kaufman.
