LPGA Q-School Wednesday: Have Experience, Will Travel

Lisa Mickey focuses on leaders Reilley Rankin, Aree Song, and Libby Smith following the 1st round of LPGA Q-School today. A quick rundown of the notables' scores shows how much experience matters; not every LPGA veteran did well, but they took a strong majority of spots in the top 20 thus far. Among the less experienced players who did well, Belen Mozo and Ayaka Kaneko played bogey-free golf.

(Note: [L]=Legends, [C]=Champions, [a]=amateur)
T1/-5 Reilley Rankin [L], Aree Song [L], Libby Smith [C] (67)
T4/-4 Belen Mozo [L], Pernilla Lindberg [C] (68)
T6/-3 Jimin Jeong [C], Ayaka Kaneko [C] (69)
T8/-2 Mollie Fankhauser [L], Angela Oh [L], Dewi Claire Schreefel [L], Nicole Jeray [L], Ashleigh Simon [C], Angela Buzminski [C], Shasta Averyhardt [C] (70)
T17/-1 Allison Fouch [L], Young-A Yang [L], Christi Cano [L], Pornanong Phatlum [L], Adrienne White [L], Jennifer Johnson [L], Sophia Sheridan [C], Nicole Hage [C], Christel Boeljon [C], Caroline Hedwall [C], Kimberly Kim [C], Jeehae Lee [C], Alison Walshe [C] (71)

T33/E Paola Moreno [L], Sara Brown [L], Jessica Korda [a] [L], Katie Kempter [C] (72)

T47/+1 Michelle Ellis [L], Mallory Blackwelder [L], Nannette Hill [L], Jaclyn Sweeney [L], Junko Nakada [L], Jean Reynolds [C], Tiffany Joh [C], Esther Choe [C], Cathryn Bristow [C], Sarah Brown [C], Shayna Miyajima [C] (73)
T61/+2 Beth Bader [L], Leah Wigger [L], Hannah Jun [L], Jessica Shepley [L], Mo Martin [L], Sydnee Michaels [L], Jane Rah [C] (74)
T77/+3 Meredith Duncan [L], Yukari Nishiyama [L], Lucy Nunn [C] (75)
T85/+4 Becky Brewerton [L], Danielle Downey [L], Samantha Richdale [L], Ryann O'Toole [L], Harukyo Nomura [a] [L], Lisa Strom [C], Dorothy Delasin [C] (76)
T96/+5 Song Yi Choi [L], Kim Welch [L], Jennie Lee [L], Danielle McVeigh [a] [C] (77)
T108/+6 Briana Vega [C] (78)
115th/+7 Jodi Ewart [C] (79)
T116/+8 Whitney Wade [L], Virada Nirapathpongporn [C] (80)
118th/+9 Miriam Nagl [C] (81)
T119/+11 Kelli Kuehne [C] (83)

Brewerton's round would have been a lot worse if she hadn't eagled the par-5 14th. It's hard to imagine how Ewart's and Nirapathpongporn's could have been worse--nowhere to go but up the leaderboard for these top 20 picks of mine!

[Update 1 (8:30 pm): Be sure to check out Beth Ann Baldry on Mozo, Rankin, and Brewerton and Sarah Brown, and Julie Williams on Lindberg and Kempter.]