Sue Kim of Langley, B.C. will lead more than 20 Canadians into LPGA Futures Tour qualifying school in Florida this week. The 72 hole tournament will be staged over three courses to determine the playing status for the developmental Tour's 2011 membership.
Kim, who has also advanced to the LPGA Tour's final q-school, left the University of Denver earlier this year to turn pro. She failed to make the cut at the CN Canadian Women's Open, her only LPGA Tour appearance since leaving college.
Former colleage teammate Stephanie Sherlock of Barrie, Ontario, a three-time All-American, will also be in this week's field. The 2007 Canadian Women's Amateur Champion has also advanced into the LPGA Final Q-school.
Other LPGA q-school qualifiers who will compete in the Futures Tour event this week include Ashley Smith of Calgary, Alberta and Kirby Dreher of Fort St. John, B.C.
Other Canadians entered in this week's event are Futures Tour past champion Salimah Mussani of Burlington, Ontario, Seema Sadekar of Toronto, Ontario, Morgan Bell of Charlottetown, PEI, Melissa Mabanta of Langley, B.C., Kristin Berretta of Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Lisa Maunu of St. Thomas, Ontario, Emma Calderone of Toronto, Ontario, Ashlee Claydon of Parksville, B.C., Natalie Desjardins of Haileybury, Ontario, Alison Quinlan of Victoria, B.C., Nicole Forshner of Banff, Alberta, Natalia Ghilzon of Windsor, Ontario, Ashley Sholer of Hamilton, Ontario, Maggie Steciuk of London, Ontario, Tiarra Honce of Kelowna, B.C., Victoria Thompson of Akwesasne, Ontario, Christin Thomson of Fort Frances, Ontario, Kyla Inaba of Kelowna, B.C., and Sara-Maude Juneau of Fossambault, Que., who is coming off a seventh place finish at the Women's World Amateur Team Championship in Argentina.
Other notables in the field include Jessica Korda, the 2010 U.S. Women's Amateur Champion, Jennifer Johnson, runner-up at the 2010 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship and the low amateur at this year's U.S. Women's Open and Nicole Perrot of Vina del Mar, Chile, who won twice on the Futures and once on the LPGA Tour.
Nine players each from South Korea and Australia, and seven players each from Sweden and Taiwan are also in the field while players from Brunei, the Channel Islands and Latvia will make their first appearance at LPGA Futures Q-School.
The first three rounds of the tournament will be played at Lake Region Yacht & Country Club in Winter Haven, Fla., Lake Wales Country Club in Lake Wales, Fla., and at Ridgewood Lakes Golf & Country Club in Davenport, Fla. Following the 54 hole cut, the remaining players will return to Lake Region for the final round.