Golfweek

LPGA Q-School: How one of golf's most expensive weeks got even worse When the LPGA postponed the second stage of Q-School last month, players got organized, building a group chat with more than 175 names. Everyone in the field stood to lose money when the 72-hole event was scrapped 90 minutes into the first official practice round on a Sunday, due to unplayable conditions. The superintendent at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida, thought they might be able to get mowers out on the Bobcat Course by Tuesday, but it wouldn’t be until Friday before they could cut the grass on the Panther Course. It was common for players to be out $3,000-plus on flights, prepaid rental cars and hotel rooms. Some lost as much as $9,000 traveling overseas with members of their team. Then there’s the lost revenue from missing two weeks of competition – in the case of the LET, two of the most lucrative weeks on the schedule in Korea and Taiwan. Group chat members drafted a letter to send to tournament officials asking for a partial refund of their entry fee: $4,500 for those who were exempt into Qualifying Stage and $3,500 for those who had advanced through the pre-qualifying stage. The total entry fee cost for three stages of Q-Series can be as much as $6,500. Before the letter was sent, the tour announced a refund of $1,000. “I think the money is more of a gesture of good faith,” said Maria Fassi. “The way I read it was they knew they had made a mistake, and that’s why we were given that $1,000. I haven’t been around that long, but I’ve been around long enough to know the LPGA, or anybody, is just not going to give you money without asking.” This week, LPGA hopefuls returned to rainy Venice, Florida, for a second go at second stage. The original tournament dates were Oct. 13-16, and the new dates are Nov. 3-6. The tour has hosted Q-School at Plantation Golf and Country Club for three decades, so there's plenty of institutional knowledge for the staff. The original field of 204 players has been reduced to 198 for make-up week, meaning not everyone came back. The top 55 and ties will advance to Final Qualifying later this month in Mobile, Alabama. Visually, it’s still not great at the Panther and Bobcat Courses, admits Jody Brothers, GM of the Epson Tour and LPGA Qualifying Series. But each green only needs two good hole locations, and preferred lies will be in effect for both courses to take care of mud balls and patchy turf. Full story below: