Meet The LPGA Q-School Graduates

The LPGA held the finals of their qualifying school this week, and there were a lot of big name players from foreign tours and the amateur ranks that were looking to secure status for the 2015 LPGA season. The LPGA is going to have an incredibly deep rookie class next season, but before we talk about the players who are going to be on Tour next season, we should talk about some notables that were unable to regain their cards.

Birdie Kim - The 2005 US Women's Open Champion has not played in the LPGA Tour for a number of years, and was looking to revitalize her career by regaining her card. It was not to be, as she survived the 72 hole cut but finished near the bottom at the of Sunday's play. She'll likely be playing a full time schedule on the Symetra Tour next year.

Veronica Feibert - Rookie on the LPGA Tour in 2012 and captured a lot of attention for being one of the few South Americans on the LPGA Tour. Has struggled as of late, and will likely be playing on the Symetra Tour next season.

Charley Hull - In incredibly difficult conditions, she shot the round of the day on Sunday with a final round 68, but it was not enough to win her a LPGA Tour card. She will have conditional status on Tour, but with her name recognition, coupled with her LET Tour status, expect her to play a lot more than others in her priority ranking. She will have plenty of opportunity to get to the top of the reshuffle and play a full time schedule.

Stephanie Meadow - Burst on the scene with a top 10 in the US Women's Open last season. The woman from Northern Ireland had to come back and play on Monday, but ultimately fell short in the playoff for her card. She is another player that should expect a few sponsor exemptions on top of the playing time she will receive in her priority ranking, so if she can play well early, she might be able to play a full schedule.

In all, there were 20 players who received full time playing privileges from the Q-School. In order to tell the full story, allow me to break down those who received their cards based on their previous experiences, whether they be on the LPGA Tour or a foreign Tour.

Regaining Their Cards:

Maria Hernandez

Ryann O'Toole

Nannette Hill

Perrine Delacour

Garrett Phillips

Karlin Beck

Of these players, only Ryann O'Toole had full status on the LPGA Tour last season. Maria Hernandez had full status on Tour starting in 2009, but lost her card at the end of the 2012 season and played on the LET Tour last year. Karlin Beck, who won her Tour card by holing a 75 foot birdie chip on Monday, played twice last year, once being the US Women's Open, but has played primarily on the Symetra Tour for the past four years. Garrett Phillips and Nannette Hill both had very conditional status on the LPGA Tour a few years ago, but neither played more than a handful of tournaments and have played primarily on the Symetra Tour. Perrine Delacour played 12 times on the LPGA Tour last year with two top 20s. All of these players, with the exception of Hernandez, Delacour, and O'Toole, will essentially be playing their rookie seasons next year, but will not be officially classified as rookies. They are also complete unknowns and they may all be back here next year, or they may have really good years ahead of them.

EDIT: Perrine Delacour had full status on the LPGA Tour last season as one of the 10 Symetra School graduates from 2013; however, she did not play a full schedule. 

From The Amateur Ranks:

Alison Lee

Minjee Lee

Kelly Shon

Therese Koelbeck

Sophia Popov

SooBin Kim

Laetitia Beck

Laetitia Beck will become the first golfer from Israel to win a card on a US based major golf tour. She played for the powerhouse Duke Blue Devils and qualified for a few tournaments, including the Women's British Open last year. Kelly Shon and Therese Koelbeck are the only players among the group who have experience as touring professionals, as they were both rookies on the Symetra Tour last season. Sophia Popov from Germany played for USC and made her professional debut on the LET Tour last season. SooBin Kim from Korea was one of only two amateurs to win their Tour card. She played at the University of Washington last season. Alison Lee, co-medalist, plays for UCLA and played on the United States Curtis Cup team. She will turn professional after this event. The biggest story of this group, however, is Minjee Lee, the former number one ranked amateur in the world. Lee, 18, has the most experience of any in the group, having played in four of the five majors last season, as well as representing Australia in the International Crown. Minjee jumps towards the top as a Rookie Of The Year candidate. 

From Foreign Tours:

Ariya Jutanugarn

Sei Young Kim

Ha Na Jang

Cheyenne Woods

Sakura Yokomine

Ju Young Park

This is a power group, with a lot of experience being added to the Rookie Of The Year race. Ariya Juranugarn has been playing LPGA events since she was 17, and broke through with her first professional title two years ago on the LET Tour. She played in eleven LPGA events last season, Monday qualifying for a majority of them. She joins older sister Moriya on Tour. Sei Young Kim nearly won the KEB HanaBank Championship two years ago, and won a major on the KLPGA Tour. Ha Na Jang struggled with a final round 80 on Sunday, but had such a large cushion that she was able to hang on to her card. She is a former money list winner on the KLPGA Tour and can hit the ball a mile. Cheyenne Woods will be the talk of the Tour this season. She is the niece of Tiger Woods, and played all over the world, including several LPGA exemptions and Symetra Tour events. She won on the LET Tour last season. Sakura Yokomine brings 23 JLPGA Titles on Tour with her. She has played in numerous majors, including the US Women's Open last year, where she finished T7. She represented Japan at the International Crown last year. At 28, she will be the oldest member of this rookie class. Ju Young Park is the younger sister of Hee Young Park. She has no previous LPGA experience and has played exclusively on the KLPGA Tour since 2010.

In all 14 rookies gained full membership in Q-School, with Charley Hull and Stephanie Meadow also expected to receive plenty on invites. Add that to Hyo Joo Kim and Kyu Jung Baek accepting memberships, and this is expected to be one of the deepest, most competitive rookie classes in a very long time. I will do a breakdown of my Rookie Of The Year candidates, but in the meantime, congratulations to everyone who gained LPGA membership this weekend.