Players Running Hot at LPGA Q-School

There are very few tournaments in the world with the pressure of Q-school. Players play under enormous financial pressure with career-changing implications – to keep or earn a job. At a minimum, their entire season is on the line, and for some, their career. It is the ultimate pressure cooker. Players control what they can but there are some challenges that can’t be accounted for.

The LPGA kicked off its first stage of Q-school on Thursday at Mission Hills Country Club and Indian Wells Golf Course, in the sweltering desert of Rancho Mirage, Calif. Poor course conditions, scheduling questions, and temperatures approaching 110 degrees left players hot and frustrated.  

With an entry fee of $2500 for just the first stage – the Tour calls it a pre-qualifying stage, and players have to pay an additional $3,000 if they successfully advance through it – the players found some of the greens on the Palmer Course at Mission Hills C.C. (one of three courses used) nearly unplayable. Multiple holes also needed to be resodded. 

Multiple caddies, players, and coaches sent me pictures confirming the poor conditions. "The first four (greens) are nearly unplayable," one player said via text. The rest of the greens on the Palmer course "are playable if they put the pins in the right spots."  One player rated the first four greens a nine, with a 10 being the worst greens she has ever seen. The player added that almost every green on the course had at least some bad spots. 

LPGA member Alena Sharp, who has a friend playing in the first stage, said, "It seems like they (the LPGA Tour) think of Q-school as an afterthought." Another LPGA Member, Sarah Kemp, said, "I've never felt pressure in a tournament like I did at Q-school; I can't imagine doing it in those conditions.". 

The conditions were brought to the attention of Jody Brothers, Chief Business and Operations Officer for the Epson Tour,  about a month ago via an email from a player. Brothers immediately got the LPGA agronomist involved, and by all accounts, the course conditions have improved substantially. Brothers toured the three courses Wednesday and said one course was in excellent shape, and one was in good shape. Brothers said the third has a few bad greens, although he thought most could be minimized with pin positions. He also said areas resodded were much better than he thought they would be, though players would still receive relief from seams. 

Along with the course conditions, the weather brought another challenge. On Thursday, the temperature will peak at 109. The rest of the week won't get much better with every day calling for triple digit temperatures. "Scheduling Q-school in the desert in August makes no sense," a coach of one player told me. Players will be allowed to take carts during tournament rounds.

Players also voiced concern with the timing of the stage. The stage is open to anyone without status and players below 125th in Epson Tour points. However, there are still five events left in the Epson Tour season. Last week, the Epson Tour played in Oregon, meaning players below 125th had to travel from Oregon and had just three days to learn three different courses. However, first stage has been held on these three courses for years, so most of the players have likely played the courses before.

Next week, the Epson Tour is playing an event in Indiana and those playing Q-school will travel from California hoping for a heroic performance in the final events of the season. "It's unfair to players trying to keep their card and at the same time trying to get through Q-school. It's ridiculous they have it during the season," an Epson Tour player told me. 

Another frustration of the players is the three course system for one tournament. It is the only Q-school in the world competing on three different courses for the initial stage of qualifying. LPGA member Kemp added, "I've never heard of that." 

Because the LPGA Tour only offers one first stage site and has over 300 players, the field requires three courses. Players are forced to learn three different courses, and the Tour only offers free practice rounds for three days before the first round on Thursday. Practice rounds prior to the three day window were between $100 and $150 per round. Any player who wanted to play all three courses without paying for practice rounds would end up playing seven consecutive days in the heat. 

I received messages from frustrated coaches, parents, caddies, and players. The consistent theme was that they all felt that the Tour was cutting corners to make as much money as possible. With over 300 players in the first stage, the LPGA Tour brought in nearly $800,000 in entry fees. "At the very least, we should get decent conditions," one player told me. 

This is not the first time the first stage has had issues. In 2022, Beth Ann Nichols reported that despite the heat, there wasn't water provided on the course. Later that year, at the final stage, one of the courses being used was undergoing a large-scale tree removal, causing significant areas of the rough to be played as ground under repair. 

In my conversations with Brothers, he explained the Tour was prioritizing all avenues to improve Q-school in 2025 and beyond. 

‍