Sarawak pro golfer Ashely Lau finishes 31st in 2024 Race for the Card ranking, fails to secure LPGA Tour card

by · Borneo Post Online
Lau finished in second place finish at the Epson Tour Championship in Indian Wells.

KUCHING (Oct 11): Sarawak’s first female professional golfer Ashley Lau Jen Wen failed to secure her LPGA Tour card after finishing 31st in the 2024 Race for the Card ranking.

She experienced a roller-coaster season that ended with an impressive second-place finish for the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells – her best result on the tour.

Lau was the best Malaysian finisher while Alyaa Abdulghany finished in 120th position.

She was also the only Malaysian who competed in the women’s event at the Paris Olympics in August this year.

For the first time in Epson Tour history, 15 players earned their LPGA Tour cards through the Race for the Card based on a points ranking, rather than money.

American Lauren Stephenson finished the season at the top of the Race for the Card ranking, thanks to her maiden professional win in July at the Twin Bridges Championship and eight additional top-10 finishes.

She entered last week’s season-ending Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells in top spot in the Race for the Card, and her T8 finish saw her maintain the No. 1 position and earn Epson Tour Player of the Year honours for 2024.

The Epson Tour is the Official Qualifying Tour of the LPGA.

From 1999 to 2002, three LPGA Tour cards were handed out to the top three.

In 2003, that number increased to five before 10 cards started being distributed in 2008.

Now, in 2024, the Epson Tour has increased the number of LPGA Tour cards to a record-breaking 15.

The athletes who finished in the top 10 of the Race for the Card will be seeded into Category 9 on the 2025 LPGA Tour Priority List.

Those who finish 11 to 15 will be in a lower category that will alternate with LPGA Tour athletes who finish 101-125 in the Race to the CME Globe following the penultimate LPGA Tour event, The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.

The sequence will see the 101st player in the Race to the CME Globe listed first, then the 11th player in the Race for the Card listed second, and that sequence will continue accordingly.