Sunday, September 7, 2008

Futures Tour Sunday: Hey, Stop Bogarting the Top 10!

The final round of the ILOVENY Championship is following a familiar storyline to Futures Tour fans. The top 4 on the money list are near the head of their class yet again, chasing leader Sarah-Jane Kenyon (who herself is already #8 on the list!), which means there's not that much money left to go around for those players hoping to break into the top 20 (and get a free pass to the LPGA's Final Qualifying School), top 10 (and get low-priority status as an LPGA member in 2009), and top 5 (and get that coveted high-priority status). In fact, only 2 players in the top 10 have offered any help to their competitors this week. Let's review:

#1 Vicky Hurst: +1 through 14, -3, T5
#2 Mindy Kim: -5 through 15, -7, 2nd
#3 M.J. Hur: -1 through 15, -2, T7
#4 Jin Young Pak: E through 14, -4, T3

#5 Song Yi Choi: 74, +8, T41

With Choi adding little to her $37,263 for the season, she's going to get passed by Kenyon, barring a late collapse:

#6 Jessica Shepley: 73, +6, T29
#7 Leah Wigger: 73, +5, T26
#8 Sarah-Jane Kenyon: -3 through 14, -10, 1st
#9 Kim Welch: MC
#10 Haeji Kang: +1 through 16, +1, T11

Can anyone knock Welch ($33,768) out of the top 10?

#11 Mo Martin: +1 through 12, +8, T41
#12 Sophia Sheridan: -2 through 14, -4, T3
#13 Lisa Ferrero: 80, +14, 71st
#14 Gerina Mendoza: 73, +7, T35
#15 Kristina Tucker: 73, +4, T20
#16 Stephanie Otteson: 79, +13, T66
#17 Samantha Richdale: MC
#18 Chella Choi: -2 through 16, -2, T7
#19 Sunny Oh: +1 through 14, -3, T5
#20 Sara Brown: 71, +6, T29

With Richdale stuck at $22,491, the door is slightly ajar for a couple of players still on the course:

#21 Caroline Larsson: +4 through 15, +10, T54
#22 Ashley Prange: 79, +13, T66
#23 Briana Vega: 70, +2, T13
#24 Maru Martinez: +4 through 16, +3, T17
#25 Danah Ford: 72, +7, T34
#26 Jenny Suh, +1 through 14, -2, T7

More when the final round is complete!

[Update 1 (6:16 pm): Here are the final results: 6 of the top 10 were already in the top 10 of the money list. Looks to me like Kenyon jumped to #3, Sheridan vaulted into the top 10, Choi fell back into it, and Kang couldn't make enough to knock Welch out.]

[Update 2 (9/8/08, 2:50 am): Here's the FT story on Kenyon's win and a brief interview with the top 5. But the Futures Tour press release surprised me: only #6 through #15 on their money list get a free pass to the LPGA's Final Qualifying School. That, frankly, is b.s. It makes a mockery of the notion that 10 players get LPGA cards this year. If you're going to give #6 to #10 such low priority status that they'll have to go to Q-School anyway, at least give #16 through #20 their ticket to Q-School's 90-hole finale!]

[Update 3 (9/9/08, 9:01 pm): Here are Brent Kelley and Hound Dog on the FT grads.]

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