Maria Parra (ESP) made herself the best birthday present she could have asked for, when she claimed one of the 20 available LPGA Tour cards finishing 11th in the final stage of the qualifying tournament in Daytona Beach, Florida, last Sunday.
Rounds of 76-71-67-68-71 and a total of 7-under par saw the 19-year old through to the American professional circuit. Even days after this achievement, Parra cannot really explain her feelings: “I still do not understand well that I have achieved the European and American Tour Card in just a short time, only three months.” Talking about her experience at the qualifying tournament, Parra highlighted that she had a relaxed start into the third stage compared to the second stage. Having secured her Ladies European Tour Card beforehand, the LPGA Card was just an additional prize.
Parra can look back on an impressive amateur career. In 2016, she placed third in the European Women’s Amateur Golf Ranking after she started the season with two wins at the Copa de Andalucía and the Portuguese International Ladies’ Amateur Championship and continued her good form with two professional wins on the Ladies’ European Tour Access Series. Parra was also part of the inaugural European Patsy Hankins Trophy Team that played against Asia-Pacific in March and, just before leaving the amateur game, she helped Spain to 6th place in the World Amateur Team Championship in Mexico.
“The best memory I have as amateur is when we won the European Girls’ Team Championship, it was an incredible end and we got the gold! Another championship I will not forget is the 2015 European Ladies’ Amateur Championship, I had a spectacular game that week!”
Unlike many of her peers, Parra did not attend a US College. After already having signed with The University of Miami she second-guessed the decision and stayed in Europe to turn professional; a decision that worked-out well for her up to now.
Bronte Law (ENG), who placed 2nd in the 2016 European Women’s Amateur Golf Ranking, also contended for one of the sought-after places on the LPGA Tour last week. With rounds of 75-68-73-70-72 and a total of 2-under par, Law, who participated in the competition as amateur, missed out on the full status by two shots, but still earned a partial status, Category 17. Law, a major contributor in England’s win in the European Ladies’ Amateur Team Championship, Curtis Cup winning team member and 2016 European Ladies’ Amateur Champion, announced the end of her amateur career via social media shortly after the qualifying tournament was over.
“Well there it is, my amateur career has come to an end. I will be starting 2017 with a partial LPGA tour card after finishing 24th at Q-School, and I am officially a professional golfer. I want to thank my family for supporting me, and @uclawomensgolf for all they have done for me. I unfortunately didn’t have my best game this week, but I managed to make the best out of what I had. I’m excited for what is to come, and will now be taking a well deserved vacation!”
France’s Celine Boutier, who turned professional at the end of this summer, also achieved a Category 17 status on the professional US ladies’ circuit.
With Law’s teammate Meghan MacLaren and Spain’s Luna Sobron Galmes, to name only two more also having recently left the amateur game, there will be quite a change in the ladies’ amateur tournaments next year. According to the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), 34 European female players turned professional in 2016.
The male amateur game also saw a recent exodus of top players. Former World No.3-ranked amateur, Ivan Cantero Gutierrez from Spain and compatriot Mario Galiano, Scotland’s Grant Forrest and Ewen Ferguson, Ireland’s Jack Hume, France’s Antoine Rozner and Ugo Coussaud, many of whom were part of European representative teams, are only a few of the names who will now strive to make their living on the professional circuits.
According to WAGR no fewer than 100 European male players changed their playing status this year. The most successful up to now, may be Spain’s Jon Rahm who, straight out of college, had an impressive start to his professional career gaining PGA Tour membership by accumulating enough points as non-member and France’s Romain Langasque, who turned professional after having played The Masters this spring, and has since impressed on the Challenge and European Tour leading to a full card for the next season.