Every year, someone from outside the top 10 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list makes a run to squeeze into the top ten at the end of the season to earn an LPGA Tour card. Last year, Brianna Do finished second at each of the last two events to skyrocket from 18th to 3rd on the final money list. Here are five players outside the current top 10 that wouldn’t surprise anyone if they got a card. Remember, just eight events left in the year.

Emma Talley – She currently ranks 21st on the money list after a tie for second last week at the Kansas City Championship. Talley had a very strong amateur and college career that included an NCAA individual national title in 2015 and a U.S. Women’s Amatuer title in 2013 so most expected her to fly through the Epson Tour. She’s been a hair inconsistent with three missed cuts in seven starts, but when she has her “A” game she has proven to be a contender. She has finished inside the top 15 in each of the four events that she has made the cut with three top 5 results. The good news for Talley is that in just seven starts, she is only approximately $11,000 shy of tenth place on the money list. She will likely need a couple big finishes to earn a card and she has already gained experience being in contention. She was in a playoff in her Tour debut with Jackie Stoelting.

Laura Gonzalez Escallon – The Belgium native is currently 15th on the money list after her win at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship and a tie for sixth at the Kansas City Championship. She is 20-under in her last four rounds and has three top 10 finishes in her last four starts. She definitely hit a rut from late May through the middle of June, but she has bounced back very nicely. Gonzalez Escallon also has experience on her side. She has been in the hunt for a card each of the last two years. She finished 35th on the money list in 2015 and 23rd in 2014. Maybe the only concern you’d have for Gonzalez Escallon is she will certainly miss at least one event since she has qualified for The Evian Championship and will play in France the week of the Garden City Charity Classic at Southwind. Maybe the appearance in the major will fuel her when she returns to the U.S. to play in the final three events.

Therese O’Hara – She has been one of the more consistent players outside the top 10 this year. O’Hara, who ranks 18th on the money list, has four top 10 finishes and nine top 25 results. The question for O’Hara right now is can she win to really make a dent and jump up? Her best finish this season is a tie for fourth at the Four Winds Invitational. O’Hara has nine top 10 finishes in her career on the Epson Tour, but no wins. Maybe the biggest reason why O’Hara is on this list is because she can flat out putt. She is eighth on Tour in Putts per GIR (1.81) and 16th in putting average (16th). We talked to a course staff member who played with her in a recent pro-am that said “she has a phenomenal putting stroke” so she definitely has a chance. O’Hara also ranks eighth on Tour in scoring average. Finally, she played on the LPGA in 2015, so you’d think she has a burning desire to get back through the top 10 rather than trying her luck at Qualifying Tournament again.

Emily Tubert – She has the game to win on Tour – we think most people that have followed her amateur and college career would agree. Can she put it all together? Tubert is currently No. 30 on the money list so she definitely has ground to make up. She is approximately $19,000 outside of the current top 10 so she will need some top five results to have a shot. Last year, it took $53,867 to earn a card so if you factor the increase in the year-long purse, you’d have to assume that it will take $55,000+ to earn a spot in the top 10 this year. What does that mean for Tubert? She’ll need a good $35,000+ to have a chance and that may require a win plus some other strong finishes. Tubert’s best finish is a tie for fifth at the Four Winds Invitational, an event she led going into the final day. She leads the Tour in driving distance (279.11).

Erynne Lee – Wouldn’t it be a neat full circle story if Erynee Lee can say she won her Tour debut (IOA Championship to open the year) and then went onto earn a Tour card. Lee hasn’t won since the eye-opening start to the year, but she does have two additional top 10’s and seven total top 20 results. Lee finished in a tie for 18th at the Kansas City Championship and she currently ranks 13th on the money list, which is the perfect spot to chase from. Lee ranks sixth on Tour in greens in regulation and 14th in average driving distance so she definitely gives herself chances for birdies. Her T2 at the Tullymore Classic in early July is a more recent example of her ability to contend and win. It’s been a very strong year for rookies and Lee could be another in the 2017 class.

Five Players On the Outside with an Eye on the Top 10

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