Five-time South Korean tour winner Lee So-mi will be an LPGA Tour rookie in 2024.
Lee finished tied for second at the six-round LPGA Q-Series, the annual qualifying tournament for the top women's competition, at 26-under 404 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Alabama, on Wednesday (local time).
Those finishing inside the top 45 and ties earned their LPGA cards for 2024, with the players inside the top 20 and ties able to enter most of the tournaments. The rest, from 21st to 45th and ties, will have conditional status on the LPGA Tour and full status on the second-tier Epson Tour.
Lee had been alone in the lead heading into the final round but carded a one-over 73 on Wednesday to end up three strokes behind the winner, Robyn Choi of Australia. Lee was attempting to become the third straight South Korean to win the Q-Series, following An Narin in 2021 and Ryu Hae-run in 2022.
Lee was one of six South Korean players to earn their LPGA card for 2024 at the Q-Series.
Sung Yu-jin, a three-time Korea LPGA champion, and Jang Hyo-joon, an LPGA rookie in 2023 who lost her card, ended up tied for seventh at 19-under. They both shot 70s in the final round.
Im Jin-hee, who led the KLPGA Tour with four titles in 2023, tied for 17th at 13-under, following her second consecutive round of 72. Im was the highest-ranked player in the Q-Series at world No. 40.
Lee Jeong-eun, a 35-year-old veteran whose LPGA rookie season came in 2015, settled for conditional status for next year after tying for 23rd at 12-under.
Hong Jung-min made the cut on the number, tying five others for 45th place at eight-under after shooting a 74 in the final round. The 21-year-old will be an LPGA rookie next year. (Yonhap)
