- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,194,224
- Reaction score
- 59
For the second year in a row, a top amateur could earn her LPGA card at the Amundi Evian Championship.
Last year, Lottie Woad nearly won the whole tournament, finishing one shot out of a playoff and ultimately taking a share of third. England's Woad still left France with an LPGA card, securing her 20th point in the LEAP standings (LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway). She then won in her pro debut shortly thereafter at the Scottish Open and currently ranks No. 4 in the world, winning twice on the LPGA in less than a year.
Woad, in fact, was on the verge of winning a third time last month at the Meijer LPGA Classic, before suffering a short miss from 3 feet on the 72nd hole.
"Just trying to remind myself that I'm still 22 and I've won twice already," said Woad. "If you told me that coming out of college this year, I would've bit your hand off for it."
Now, it's Kiara Romero's turn. The No. 1 amateur in the world will secure her 19th point this week at the Arnold Palmer Cup, July 3-5, where she will represent the U.S. team at Tralee Golf Links in Ireland. The Oregon senior will need to make the cut next week at the Evian to earn her 20th point and secure her card.
Romero is one of six amateurs in the field at the LPGA's fourth major of the season. She's joined by junior hotshots Aphrodite Deng, the 16-year-old who committed to Stanford earlier this week, and Asterisk Talley, who heads to The Farm as well in the fall of 2027.
Farah O'Keefe from the University of Texas, the 2026 NCAA champion, will make her Evian debut along with reigning Augusta National Women's Amateur and 2025 NCAA champion Maria Jose Marin, who made the cut last year in France and finished tied for 70th.
Also in the field is South Korea's Yunseo Yang, who earned her place by winning the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship. Yang recent finished runner-up against a field of pros at the Korea Women's Open.
Both O'Keefe and Arkansas' Marin will earn their 16th points this week at the Palmer Cup. A made cut at the Evian is worth one point, while a top-25 finish is worth two.
At the 2026 U.S. Women's Open at Riviera, Romero took low amateur honors with a share of sixth, while Marin finished tied for eighth. Those top-10 finishes earned them both a spot in the field next year at Inverness.
Deng (T-17), Talley (T-22) and O'Keefe (T-34) rounded out the impressive list of amateurs who made the cut in L.A. In the third round, 17-year-old Talley's bogey-free 5-under 66 made history as the lowest weekend round ever recorded by amateur. "The hole was just so big, I mean, I couldn't miss," said Talley, who made the cut on the number.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: No. 1 amateur Kiara Romero can earn LPGA card with made cut at Evian
Continue reading...
Last year, Lottie Woad nearly won the whole tournament, finishing one shot out of a playoff and ultimately taking a share of third. England's Woad still left France with an LPGA card, securing her 20th point in the LEAP standings (LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway). She then won in her pro debut shortly thereafter at the Scottish Open and currently ranks No. 4 in the world, winning twice on the LPGA in less than a year.
Woad, in fact, was on the verge of winning a third time last month at the Meijer LPGA Classic, before suffering a short miss from 3 feet on the 72nd hole.
"Just trying to remind myself that I'm still 22 and I've won twice already," said Woad. "If you told me that coming out of college this year, I would've bit your hand off for it."
You must be registered for see images
Now, it's Kiara Romero's turn. The No. 1 amateur in the world will secure her 19th point this week at the Arnold Palmer Cup, July 3-5, where she will represent the U.S. team at Tralee Golf Links in Ireland. The Oregon senior will need to make the cut next week at the Evian to earn her 20th point and secure her card.
Romero is one of six amateurs in the field at the LPGA's fourth major of the season. She's joined by junior hotshots Aphrodite Deng, the 16-year-old who committed to Stanford earlier this week, and Asterisk Talley, who heads to The Farm as well in the fall of 2027.
Farah O'Keefe from the University of Texas, the 2026 NCAA champion, will make her Evian debut along with reigning Augusta National Women's Amateur and 2025 NCAA champion Maria Jose Marin, who made the cut last year in France and finished tied for 70th.
Also in the field is South Korea's Yunseo Yang, who earned her place by winning the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship. Yang recent finished runner-up against a field of pros at the Korea Women's Open.
Both O'Keefe and Arkansas' Marin will earn their 16th points this week at the Palmer Cup. A made cut at the Evian is worth one point, while a top-25 finish is worth two.
At the 2026 U.S. Women's Open at Riviera, Romero took low amateur honors with a share of sixth, while Marin finished tied for eighth. Those top-10 finishes earned them both a spot in the field next year at Inverness.
Deng (T-17), Talley (T-22) and O'Keefe (T-34) rounded out the impressive list of amateurs who made the cut in L.A. In the third round, 17-year-old Talley's bogey-free 5-under 66 made history as the lowest weekend round ever recorded by amateur. "The hole was just so big, I mean, I couldn't miss," said Talley, who made the cut on the number.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: No. 1 amateur Kiara Romero can earn LPGA card with made cut at Evian
Continue reading...
