Storylines are plentiful as 74 players continue their bid during the second week of Q-Series to earn membership on the LPGA Tour for 2022.
These two weeks are cocked full of tales of players chasing their dreams of competing amongst the best players in the world, many for the first time, while others are fighting to recapture dreams they had come to realize but somehow let slip away.
It’s a pressure packed two-weeks. But so far, Pauline Roussin-Bouchard has shown she has the wherewithal to endure the intensity. The Frenchwoman has taken the early lead heading into week two. However, as nice as medalist honors might be, the most important number is 45, the number of spots that will be assured status on the LPGA and Epson Tours next year. Here are a few players to keep an eye on in the week ahead.
Stephanie Kyriacou
With a fourth-round 63 in week one at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Magnolia Course in Mobile, Alabama, Stephanie Kyriacou owns the low round of Q-Series thus far. She recorded seven birdies and an eagle to climb into a tie for fourth heading into week two at 13-under par. Kyriacou is already a proven champion having won as an amateur on the Ladies European Tour in 2020, in which she trounced the field in her home country of Australia where she won by eight strokes and immediately turned professional. She added a second win on the LET to her resume in 2021 and is now the third-ranked player from Australia behind major champions Minjee Lee and Hannah Green. Not bad company for a player just beginning her career. Thursday, Kyriacou will go off in the third-to-last group off the first tee at 9:31 a.m. local time at Highland Oaks, another Robert Trent Jones Trail course in Dothan, Alabama.
Attaya Thitikul
Like Kyriacou, Attaya Thitiukl is already a proven champion having won as an amateur on the Ladies European Tour in her home country of Thailand. The 18-year-old rising star continued to impress in her young career as she took home both the LET Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year titles in 2021. Thursday, the young Thai continues her bid for LPGA status alongside Kyriacou as she also sits at 13-under par through the first four rounds.
Emily K. Pedersen
Having lost her status on the LPGA Tour after the 2019 season, Emily K. Pedersen is fighting to return to the Tour where she played between 2017 and 2019. Pedersen has made the most of her time away from the Tour, winning four times on the LET in 2020 in which she also captured the Race to the Costa del Sol as well as the Tour’s Order of Merit. She also impressed as a member of the victorious European Solheim Cup team at Inverness in September where she went 3-0-1 for the week. Pedersen held the first-round lead at Q-Series following an opening round 65. Thursday, she will go off the first tee at 8:14 a.m. local time along with Sarah Jane Smith and Hinako Shibuno. The trio sits at 6-under par through the first 72 holes.
Bianca Pagdanganan
A rookie in 2020, Bianca Pagdanganan was one of the first-year members who maintained that same status in 2021 due to the pandemic. She earned her Tour card via Q-Series in 2019 and enjoyed a standout season in 2020, recording two top-10 finishes, including a T9 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club. That season she also led the Tour in driving distance with an impressive average of 283.07 yards. However, her second bid as a rookie hasn’t gone nearly as well as the first. While she ranked second on Tour in driving distance, she didn’t record a single top 10 in 2021, which sent her back to Q-Series. Thursday, Pagdanganan tees off at 8:36 a.m. local time and sits at 7-under par heading into week two.
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