Mobile: Eight South Korean golfers, including notable domestic tour players and a former major champion, are set to compete for LPGA Tour membership at the qualifying tournament starting this week in Alabama. The final stage of the 2025 LPGA Q-Series will commence on Thursday at Magnolia Grove Golf Course in Mobile, Alabama, with the top 25 and ties earning LPGA cards for the 2026 season at the conclusion of the competition on Monday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean group includes Lee Jeong-eun, who claimed the 2019 U.S. Women's Open as her first LPGA title and secured the Rookie of the Year award the same season. Lee, who is 29 years old, has struggled to replicate her past success, having lost her LPGA status this year after making just six cuts in 19 tournaments without securing any top-10 finishes. Lee previously won the 2018 qualifying tournament under a different format to earn her LPGA card.
This week, Lee will be joined by two of the longest hitters on the Korea LPGA (KLPGA) Tour, Lee Dong-eun and Bang Shin-sil. Lee Dong-eun clinched her maiden KLPGA major title at the Korea Women's Open Golf Championship in June and led the tour with an average driving distance of 261.1 yards. Bang, who finished second in driving distance with an average of 258.7 yards, secured three titles this year, tying for the tour lead. She also achieved two runner-up finishes and 12 top-10s in 28 tournaments.
The South Korean lineup also features Junpier Jang, formerly known as Hyo-joon, Joo Soo-bin, Annie Kim, Shin Bi, and Yoon Min-a. Both Jang and Joo competed on the LPGA Tour this year, while Kim and Yoon have previously played on the second-tier Epson Tour.
South Korean players have consistently performed well at recent Q-Series events. An Narin won the competition in 2021, followed by Ryu Hae-ran in 2022, who later earned the LPGA Rookie of the Year title in 2023. Lee So-mi, who claimed her first LPGA title this year, finished second at the 2023 Q-Series.
The tournament will also feature prominent players such as Hinako Shibuno of Japan, the 2019 AIG Women's British Open champion, and England's Jodi Ewart Shadoff, a three-time Solheim Cup participant with one LPGA title.