Road to receiving 2018 LPGA card begins at Mission Hills Country Club this week

Rancho Mirage, CA Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage has been home to Stage I of the LPGA Qualifying School for the past 25 years and this year’s Q-School has a record field size. "We’ve got 361 (players) here this week,” Assistant Tournament Director Dean Schneider said. “That’s the most we’ve ever had in LPGA history." Amateurs, college and Symetra players from 41 different countries and 36 different states make up the LPGA Q-School showing how women’s golf continues to grow. "To see how many girls are here for Stage I is really good for the game,” twenty-seven-year-old Michigan native Samantha Troyanovich explained. “Just getting more women exposed to the game in general and then obviously, on the other side, having more girls sign up and play golf is fantastic." "I think it’s great,” twenty-six-year-old Hanule “Sky” Seo of South Korea said. “People say it’s boring but I think it’s fun and there’s a lot of good players, definitely a lot of international player. I love that some of the girls on tour are really growing the game for juniors and making it fun for them so they go to college to play." Setting women up for the opportunity to play professionally by completing 3 total stages. “If they complete Stage I and post scores for all three (days) and get to the final day, they will have Symetra Tour status,” Schneider said. “Then as they proceed to Stage II and Stage III, they will have priority status on the Symetra Tour. The top twenty at Stage III will receive their LPGA tour card for 2018." Stage I of the 72-hole stroke competition begins tomorrow and continues through Sunday.