LPGA Final Qualifying finally got underway on Friday after play was postponed a full day due to heavy rain. Canada’s Leah John paces the field after an 8-under 64 on Magnolia Grove’s Crossing Course. The 25-year-old Epson Tour player posted nine birdies on the day.
Helen Briem, the statuesque German player who plays on the LET, sits alone in second after hitting 17 greens en route to a 65. Players who finish in the top 25 at the conclusion of five rounds will earn LPGA cards for the 2026 season. The rest will leave with Epson Tour status.
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“Time-wise, it’s definitely not optimal,” said Briem of coming to Mobile, Alabama, straight from the LET’s season-ender in Spain. “So I was here before Spain, to get some practice and preparation in, and then yeah, I mean it’s a tight schedule, so you’ve got to get here as quickly as possible. But yeah, I mean, coming straight off competition always helps.”
Yuna Nishimura posted the lowest score on the Falls Course on Friday. The six-time winner on the JLPGA shot 5-under 66.
The field will play two rounds each on both the Crossings and Falls Courses before a 72-hole cut is made to 65 and ties. The fifth and final round will likely conclude on Tuesday.
Malaysia’s Mirabel Ting, the Florida State standout who won the Annika Award earlier this year, opened with a 69 on Crossings.
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“Definitely working more on my basic stuff, my alignment, and a little bit of putting here and there,” said Ting. “Alignment was really off during the Maybank Championship, the LPGA event back home, so I just kind of got that fixed, and it was a lot better.”
Kim Kaufman was diagnosed with breast cancer one year ago.
Kim Kaufman was forced to withdraw from last year’s Final Qualifying tournament following a breast cancer diagnosis. Now cancer-free and feeling strong, 34-year-old Kaufman opened with a 70 on the Crossings Course to hold a share of 21st.
“My putter was really cold on the front,” said Kaufman. “I think our whole group kind of struggled with the speed a bit. I said you know, I’m just going to be patient and hopefully get a few chances on the back to go in, and we did, we made three nice putts, and kind of turned it around, so I was really happy with how I played.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Final Qualifying underway in Alabama, with 25 LPGA cards on the line
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