LPGA Tour card is early Christmas gift for Boston golfer Jaclyn Sweeney
by Emily Kay on Dec 22, 2010 8:52 PM EST
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December 22 -- Boston golfer Jaclyn Sweeney could not have asked for a better holiday gift. After spending the past three and a half weeks earning her Ladies European Tour golf card, the Andover, Mass., native returned from Spain to learn that she’ll have limited status on the 2011 LPGA Tour as well.
“It’s very exciting, a nice surprise,” Sweeney told Waggle Room in a Wednesday phone interview Wednesday from her home in Bradenton, Fla. “It’s a nice Christmas present.”
The 21-year-old IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy graduate credited a new $50 TaylorMade Rosa putter with her solid 6-under second-place finish at LET qualifying school in Spain. The TaylorMade-sponsored player left her old flat stick behind after four three-putts at the LPGA’s final stage of Q-school knocked her out of contention for next year’s home-side tour play.
Or so she believed when she left for Europe -- and until receiving a call last week from LPGA Tour official Jane Geddes.
“Geddes said, ‘We made a mistake and are granting more [tour] cards,’” said Sweeney, who finished in a tie for 44th at LPGA Q-school. “I thought I had missed by one shot.”
In fact, she had missed qualifying but the rules changed somewhere between Florida and Spain. Other golfers were not so thrilled about the tour’s apparent about-face.
“It isn’t right at all, changing rules as we go,” Futures Tour golfer Briana Vega, typed Wednesday night in a Twitter message to Waggle Room. “NOT RIGHT!! We deserve some answers”
Vega, who missed the 72-hole cut, voiced her displeasure after reading Ryan Balengee’s story about the tour granting category 20 status to several golfers who had missed the top-40 cutoff line. Category 20 golfers must play Monday qualifiers and are likely to have few opportunities to tee it up in many events.
Still, the apparent policy alteraton rankled some, including LPGA Tour golfer Maria Hjorth, who re-tweeted Balengee’s story far and wide. A tour statement shed little light on the rationale behind the policy alteration.
“After reviewing the final results from the 2010 LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, we decided that there was an opportunity to create a few more playing opportunities than we had accounted for in category #20 on the LPGA Priority List,” according to the statement. “Although category 20 is not necessarily an opportunity to play in a large number of LPGA tournaments, it does give the players an opportunity to Monday qualify and, if they qualify, the ability to earn official money on the LPGA Tour.”
A tour spokesperson was unavailable for further comment Wednesday night.
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a mistake?
Wow. Thanks for giving me a nugget Emily. I can use Sweeney’s story for a client who tends to give up on the last few holes. My argument being, you just never know. It ain’t over till it’s over. Work on every pre shot, every shot, every putt. Don’t give up. Who knows, maybe the organizing body will get it wrong and you’ll get your card anyway. Amazing story.
I think the “mistake” quote is bogus. It’s more likely that following Q-School the Tour considered the number of players with dual membership, then expanded the number of eligible players to prevent events having fewer than the allotted number of slots filled. As for the discontent other golfers have expressed, Hjorth will never not get into a tournament because a category 20 player Monday qualified and Vega misses as many cuts as she makes on the FUTURES Tour. The only way she’ll ever get to tee it up on the LPGA Tour is on a sponsors exemption.
"(I)f you think you've got an inside track to absolute truth, you become doctrinaire, humorless and intellectually constipated." Saul Alinsky
Diane....oh my gawd, the sky is faling,
the sky is falling…….I agree with you….I held my peace all during the year with the little gal that was posting on here from the Duramed Tour….Stephanie by name….I followed what she was doing during the year, and concluded, it’s a great dream, but you have to look in the mirror some morning and realize you have to do something else…..Those gossamire wings will only take you so far. And yes, the Big Break looks like fun, but it’s not the LPGA or LET….It’s the old story, many come, but few are chosen….Same for the PGA Tour….how many guys pay the money for Q School and do it multiple times and you never know the name or face unless your family.
I have said in the past, and I’ll say it again….there has to be a lever in place, so that the tier 3-4-5 players don’t clutter up the tours…Only than, will we see those with REAL Talent week in and week out….That’s just the reallity of life…..Sorry Kids……STUB
One other thought occurred to me, is there a chance the LPGA is adding players to minimize the number of sponsor exemptions that might be used to fill a field? That would reduce the number of additional opportunities Lexi Thompson would have.
"(I)f you think you've got an inside track to absolute truth, you become doctrinaire, humorless and intellectually constipated." Saul Alinsky
no – sponsor’s exemptions are a part of the tournament agreement. doesn’t matter how many or how few players are in the field, or how many are available to play that don’t get in, the sponsor is given a certain number of spots.
"When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that justifies it." - Frederic Bastiat
The reality of life.
STUB. Interesting comment. Great sentence “those gossamer wings will only take you so far.” Well put. But i gotta get my two cents in on this one.
For all those chasing their dreams to make it to the highest level…the joy is in the chasing, not the arriving. If the tier 3,4,5 players are doing everything they can, staying committed to their dream, working very hard, and above all, ENJOYING themselves, then there is nothing to be ‘chosen’ to. They have come, and the very fact that they are there, participating, grinding, loving the game, means they are chosen. If they have announced to the world that they are Golf Professionals, and are playing the game they’ve loved since childhood, then they have already arrived. And to those pros who may be reading this, if you failed at Q School, work the phones, raise a few bucks, take a well earned break over the holidays, and TRY AGAIN NEXT YEAR. Thinker, your posts always get me thinking (hence your name I suppose), but that is my reality of life.
Don’t get me wrong. I know how this game works. You gotta get it in the hole. We keep score. We want to win. We really want to win. My point is, the best way to get the win, and to break through to the Highest Level, is to abandon the thought of winning, and live for the journey.
David, I like yur point about the chase....It's
the same thing with a man in a bar at 2am closing time….It’s usually not the conquest, but the chase….However, the chase in Pro Golf gets quite expensive. After giving it a real go, and not just going through the motions, with several chases under the belt, and still no success, that’s when I think you have to be realistic….Sorry, that’s my opinion….STUB
Stub, are you saying those who’ve spent more time than they expected on minor tours are just going through the motions? I have the joy of watching those 2nd , 3rd and 4th tier golfers bust their butts, chasing the dream, one weekend a year when the FUTURES Tour comes to town. For some, the money runs out too soon. Others hang on long past having reasonable hope of making it to the next level. But none of them, NONE OF THEM, phone it in. Here’s the FUTURES Tour 2011 schedule. It wouldn’t hurt you to get your butt off the bar stool and spend a few days watching, or even volunteering. It’s human drama at its finest, up close and personal.
"(I)f you think you've got an inside track to absolute truth, you become doctrinaire, humorless and intellectually constipated." Saul Alinsky
human drama.
you know it diane marie. Human drama at it’s finest. I love that at lots of these events there aren’t any ropes so we can stand right on the tee, or the fringe. Doesn’t get any more up close and personal than that.
by David Mangene on Dec 24, 2010 11:09 AM EST up reply actions
the chase.
I hear what you’re saying STUB. But when a client says to me “I’m just being realistic,” what they really mean is “I’m just afraid.” Afraid of working hard again only to be disappointed. Afraid of the sideways glances at their home course and the other players avoiding them. Every player from Westwood on down feels those feelings sometimes. But the very best carry on regardless. They REFUSE to be realistic.
But if a player looks me in the eye and says “David, I don’t want to be a Touring Professional. I really don’t. I don’t want this life.” Then I respect that. The journey sometimes teaches these players that they’d rather have a club job or sell insurance. That’s just fine, obviously. But if I see their eyes light up at the mention of the next tournament, then I know that ‘realism’ is not the way forward.
by David Mangene on Dec 24, 2010 11:28 AM EST up reply actions
Indeed Westwood admitted that he was close
to giving up when his game went south. Thank goodness he stuck it out.
exactly.
He stuck it out. If we read transcripts of interviews over the years, it’s amazing how many great players were close to throwing in the towel. Henrik Stenson is another great example. Or Justin Rose.
by David Mangene on Dec 24, 2010 4:56 PM EST up reply actions
Justin Rose is possibly one of the best ripostes
to STUB’s take on it. Surely someone said “Just give it up, Justin, you’re not going to make it” after all his missed cuts when he turned professional.
and Stenson was just frustrated...
…because they made him play in clothes all the time. :-)
"When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that justifies it." - Frederic Bastiat
lol.....I would have said something else,
but lol is 1/3 of my vocabulary and I used the other 2/3’s in a comment earlier….sorry.
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
David, Diane...Sorry I didn't articulate my Opinion better
When Diane talkes about the money running out, ..some hanging on too long, this is my point…..There comes a time, wether they look you in the eye or not, that they KNOW it’s time to do something else…
If they been on the Duramed for 2-3 years, and still can’t make Hot Dog money, it’s time to sell sweaters in the pro shop…..Same with the men…..have you seen some of the guys at the Hooters tour stops….It’s pathetic, cause they can’t be realistic….
I know what the feelings and trepadations are for those we see competing….Nothing in life really changes, except the REALLITY. Sorry guys, my opinion…..STUB
hanging on.
But here’s the thing STUB – who gets to decide what is pathetic? Isn’t it relative? Maybe that good ole boy playin’ in his 7th year on the Hooters Tour is having a blast. Maybe he’s actually happy out there mixing it up in competition. If he is, I don’t think that’s pathetic even if he’s only making hot dog money.
But if a player is out there trying to prove something, or trying to please his family, friends, or community, but he’s not enjoying the game at all…then that is not an inspiring situation for anybody. Better off doing anything than that. I would coach that player to do some soul searching..find that thing he loves to do and then go do it.
In my book it always comes down to one critical question: why do you play golf? What is your reason for playing?
I loved the game and I still do. I wasn’t good enough and all the love in the world was not going to change that. Chasing a dream is one thing, knowing the dream is not attainable may be heartbreaking, but for most it’s the reality. For every Lee Westwood or Justin Rose, there are thousands – yes I do mean thousands, who will never make a living playing professional golf. That’s the reality and that’s life. The happy one’s, are the one’s who have realised that all the practice, all the coaching in the world, wasn’t going to make them a Tour player. Unfortunately, there a lot of unhappy people out there chasing a dream that is just not going to happen, no matter how much they love it or how hard they try.
Thanks Chip-n...could you put a cover up on over that bikini whilst
we debate here……that’s better, thanks…..I see that David is looking at this from his “work” viewpoint, and that’s OK…Where Diane is coming from, I’m not sure, except she does volunteer work for a futures event in her area….Now, who gets to decide patheric? I do, cause to see these never will be’s still trying to delude themselves because someone says “go chase the dream” is dangerous at best….look at how many are drunkerds, have lost their families, and most of their friends because someone keeps telling them, I see the gleam in your eyes….I think that’s the most dangerous BS of all…..They need to get a life, and that’s what they need to be told…. Still my opinion, sorry…..STUB
Stub
I know plenty who chased the dream and had to give it up because they could no longer sustain it, usually because of money, or lack of. They still resent it to this day and that’s sad. If someone had sat them down and had them have a long hard look at it and where they were at that time, then maybe they would be happier people now. Fairy tales do happen, but not so often as some would have us believe. Becoming a club or teaching pro is not a step down – it’s a way forward and a way of staying with the game we all love.
Cheers Stub and have a fantastic Eve and day!
Ahh Chip darlin... I looked in the mirror
one day, and the gleem was still there, but I was smart enought to know it was time to do something else… We didn’t have all this Psyco babble in my day, and I do believe it was a good thing….Happy? I spent 54 of the happiest days of my life with a fantastic partner who even said " Hon, if that’s reallly what you want to do, we’ll find a way to do it"….I took different avenues to a very rewarding life….Now, if I was jist a tad younger, I’d come down Singapore way and give ya run fur your money….Cheers to you and a fantastic year to come…..STUB
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