Former Duke golfers ready for LPGA Q-School final stage

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network
Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network
Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network

DURHAM, N.C. – Four former Duke Blue Devils golfers will be teeing it up during the final stage of play at the LPGA Qualifying Tournament to be held on the Jones and Hills courses at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla, beginning on Wednesday.

Laetitia Beck, Lindy Duncan, Candy Hannemann, and Yu Liu will be in the field of 157 players competing in the 90-hole tournament for LPGA Tour membership in category 12 and 17 on the 2016 LPGA priority list.

Both Duncan and Liu saw action on the Symetra Tour this past year, while finishing 13th and 92nd on the money list.

Duncan is a 2013 Blue Devil alumna and Liu competed for Duke in 2013-14 before turning professional.

Beck, a 2014 Blue Devil graduate and NCAA champion, played on the LPGA Tour this past season and earned $54,278, which ranked her 111th overall.

She collected her best finish of the season at the Manulife LPGA Classic.

Making her return to the course this year has been Hannemann, who is a native of Brazil.

Hannemann is returning to golf in the attempt to compete in the 2016 Olympics in her home country, and has been playing different events on the LPGA and Symetra Tour in 2015.

The top 20 finishers (no ties) on Sunday will earn category 12 membership, or ‘full’ LPGA status, while players who finish 21 through 45 plus ties will earn membership through category 17, or ‘conditional’ LPGA status.

Players will rotate between the Jones and Hills courses over the first four days, and there will be a 72-hole cut made on Saturday to the top 70 and ties who will proceed on to the final round of play that will take place on the Hills Course on Sunday.

Although secondary to earning LPGA membership, there is a $50,000 total purse for the event with the medalist earning $5,000, and those who finish a minimum of 72 holes will earn Symetra Tour membership in category D.