Alison Lee of Valencia closed with an even-par 72 and tied for medalist honors with Minjee Lee of Australia to earn her LPGA Tour card for 2015 in the final stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament at LPGA International Golf Club in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Lee, the fourth-ranked amateur in the world who is a sophomore at UCLA, said all along that she would leave school and turn pro if she finished in the top 20 to earn full playing status for next season.
“I have a lot of mixed emotions,” said Alison Lee, who announced that she was turning pro right after signing her scorecard. “When I made my par putt and realized I got my LPGA Tour card I was just filled with joy, and when I got off and thought about what it meant to be professional, I thought about my team and my school and my coaches and it made me sad. I get to start a new chapter in my life and hopefully it will be great and I’m really looking forward to the future.”
Ryann O’Toole of San Clemente and UCLA rode four early birdies to a 70 to finish fifth and Sophia Popov of USC and Germany finished with a 75 but still earned her card by tying for 11th.
Cheyenne Woods, niece of Tiger, rallied from a 79 in the second round with scores of 67-71-70 and also tied for 11th.
