We have been getting questions and lots of hits to here and Golf News Net about the categories that comprise the LPGA Tour's Priority List.  Some of the hits probably came from the competitors themselves trying to figure out what they migh be earning by virtue of a top 20, 30, or 40 finish yesterday.

Well, here's what was at stake at Q-school:

• Finishers 1-20 would earn Priority List status in Category 11
• Finishers 21-30 would earn Priority List status in Category 16
• Finishers 31-40 would earn Priority List status in Category 20

What in the world do those categories mean?  After the jump, we explain.

The LPGA Tour (and PGA Tour for that matter) fill out their fields for events based on a standard set of criteria.  The better you are over the course of the current or past season or over the life of your career, the better status you have to get into LPGA Tour events.  Therefore, winners of major championships, all-time money list leaders, and the like have better Priority List status than your run-of-the-mill player.

For the top 20 finishers at Q-school, they have 10 categories of players ahead of them with better standing.  The number of players in those 10 categories vary in size.  The largest category is the top 80 players on last year's money list.

So, when filling out fields, the LPGA will offer spots in tournament fields to the players in categories 1-10 before getting to the players in category 11.  If the tournament fills out its alloted number of spaces and sponsors exemptions, then category 11 gets no action that week.  If not, then the LPGA Tour will turn to players in this group for entry into that particular tournament.

Category 11, like several other categories, combines a mix of two groups of players - the top 20 finishers at Q-School and players 81-100 on last season's money list.  Their priority order within this group is done in alternating order based off of their finish in either of those criteria.  So, the Q-School medalist (Stacy Lewis) is ranked #1 in category 11.  Then, #81 on the 2008 money list (Gloria Park) comes next.  And so forth.

Categories 16 and 20, though, have one group of player in each.  Category 16 is players 21-30 - in order - from Q-School.  Category 20 is players 31-40.

You might also be wondering why some players who were already in Category 11 bothered with Q-School.  Let's take Mollie Fankhauser as an example.  She finished at 98th on the money list.  In a group with 40 players in it, she was ranked 36th.  When trying to make a career on Tour, those 35 people in front of her each week can add up to a season of few opportunities at high purses.  By virtue of finishing 9th at Q-School, Fankhauser is now 17th in that group.  She improved her lot by 18 places this week - a real difference maker for her next season.

Q-School can make a big difference in the careers of players on that border line between living the dream and having to struggle to keep playing professional golf.