The LPGA Tour has changed the access rules to its circuit this year. It reduces the cards obtained through the School and increases those won through the Epson Tour, the second division. In this way, the United States satellite circuit becomes a more attractive opportunity.
Specifically, the Epson will distribute at the end of this year 15 cards to the best classified in the Race for the Card, the name given to its order of merit. That is, five more than have been given since 2007. On the other hand, the School, which until last year had distributed 45 cards, reduces the number to 25. The aim of this reduction is that all those who achieve rights through the Q Series can really enter almost all the tournaments of the season, and not as is currently the case where from position 25 the opportunities are very few.
The Epson Tour improves its loot, but a clarification must be made. The top ten classified will continue to enter all tournaments with a high category, while those who finish between the eleventh and fifteenth place will have a slightly weaker category. Exactly, they will share their position in the circuit with those who finish this year in the LPGA Tour ranking from position 101 to 125. They will overlap in the tournament entry list. First the 101, then the 11, 102, 12, 103, 13… and so on. They will receive category 15, which will allow them to play quite a bit, although not everything.
As we have said, these changes provide an extra incentive to play the Epson Tour. This year the Spaniards who plan to play in this circuit are Fátima Fernández Cano, Teresa Toscano and María Parra. The first two, in principle, will combine this circuit with the Ladies European Tour. Later they will make the decision to focus on one or the other depending on the results.
