College Stars Make Big Decisions On Turning Pro After Reaching Final Stage Of LPGA Tour Q-Series

The second stage of LPGA Tour Q-Series in Florida saw a field of 195 compete for a place in the top 35 and ties to advance to December's final stage and the chance of an LPGA Tour card for next season.

Among the players to make it to December’s event at Magnolia Grove Golf Club in Alabama were five amateurs, including Adela Cernousek and Zoe Campos.

French star Cernousek finished joint top of the leaderboard following a final round of 70 while Campos was just one behind her in T3 with fellow amateurs Caroline Canales, Julia Lopez Ramirez and Catie Craig also booking their places in the final stage of Q-Series.

However, there is a catch - in order to take up their places in the field, the amateurs will need to turn professional, with a decision due by 15 November. Per Golf Digest, Cernousek and Campos have already made up their minds.

Texas A&M’s Cernousek won the individual title in the biggest event in college golf, the NCAA Division I Championship, in May, and rather than join the professional ranks, she has chosen to complete her senior year at the university despite her achievement this week.

Meanwhile, UCLA’s Campos, who was one of the US team in its defeat to Great Britain & Ireland in the Curtis Cup, believes the time has come to leave her amateur career behind.

Per Golf Digest, Campos said: “I think my goal coming into this week was to make the top 35, to make it to final qualifying. Obviously I was able to skip the first stage and come here, so I didn't want to miss that opportunity, and I do feel ready for the next step. Yeah, I'm excited."

Regardless of the outcome for Campos, there is some security for the American with the knowledge that her finish in Florida has already secured her status on developmental circtuit the Epson Tour in 2025. That also applies to the other amateurs, even if they choose to retain their status.

Among the other qualifiers for the final stage of Q-Series are Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup stars Mimi Rhodes and Sara Byrne, who turned professional in September.

Meanwhile, transgender golfer Hailey Davidson missed out on the top 35, but her finish of T95 was enough to earn limited status on the Epson Tour in 2025.

However, she faces an anxious wait to see if she will be able to take up her place. That’s because, per The Telegraph’s golf correspondent James Corrigan, the LPGA Tour is reviewing whether to ban male-born golfers from competing in its events. A decision is due by the end of the year with any changes coming into effect in time for next season.