Julia López has competed in the second stage of the LPGA Tour School as an amateur and has secured her place for the grand Final, which will be held from 5th to 9th December in Alabama. The American circuit’s regulations require players to be professional to compete in that Final. Therefore, the golfer from Málaga must now decide whether to turn professional and compete in the tournament with the aim of securing the LPGA card or, on the contrary, decide to remain an amateur until she finishes her studies at Mississippi State University next May.
According to the LPGA Tour regulations, Julia has until 15th November at 5 p.m. Eastern Time, United States, to formally communicate and confirm her change of status to a professional player. If she does not do so, as stated, she would not be able to compete in the School Final.
The decision is not easy and has not yet been made. Ten Golf has contacted Julia to gauge her intentions and she assures that she needs to think about it. She has 20 days ahead to make a definitive decision. “It is not yet certain what I am going to do. I have to consider a few things before taking the step forward or not,” she says.
The decision, as everyone can understand, is delicate and has many facets. Turning professional would mean a significant change in her life. She would have to leave Mississippi State University without the certainty, obviously, of securing the LPGA Tour card. What she does have guaranteed, simply by completing the four rounds of the School Final, is the full card for the EPSON Tour, so at worst, she could play the promotion circuit to the LPGA Tour. Additionally, she would face the possibility of obtaining the card for the Ladies European Tour. Julia is currently ranked Number 3 in the world amateur ranking.
The LPGA Tour School Final will be held from 5th to 9th December at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail complex in Alabama, on the Falls and Crossings courses. All players will play two rounds on each of these courses, and after the fourth day, a first cut will be made. The fifth and final round will be played on the Crossings course, and the top 25 and ties will secure the LPGA Tour card, category 14.
The golfers who qualified from the second stage of the School will be joined in the Final by those who finished between positions 101 and 150 in the Race to CME Globe, the top ten in the order of merit of the Ladies European Tour, the World Number One amateur right after the NCAA Championship, and the top 75 in the world ranking as of 8th October.
