There are few things as unique as a Monday Qualifier in professional golf. The idea of someone playing their way onto some of golf’s biggest stages with little-to-zero prior experience at the highest level may sound kind of crazy, and that’s because it is. Golf is the only sport that gives aspiring professionals or even amateurs the chance to compete with the world’s best players by way of a qualifier. It is also where fans can find some of the best stories in golf.
Not every Monday qualifier generates a great story or a player to watch, but when they do, it can truly be something special. On the PGA Tour, there have only been two players in the past 15 years who Monday qualified and went on to win the event: Arjun Atwal at the 2010 Wyndham Championship and Corey Conners at the 2019 Valero Texas Open.
The last Monday qualifier to win on the LPGA Tour was much more recent however, as the last player to do so won during the 2023 season. Thailand native and 2023 LPGA Tour rookie Channette Wannasaen won the 2023 Portland Classic with a 9-under final round, winning by four shots after qualifying on Monday.
Qualifying for an LPGA Tour event can be the turning point in a season or even a career for many players. It can be what validates how well you’ve been playing, or it can be what gets you out of a slump.
Emily Lauterbach hopes she falls into the latter category. The University of Wisconsin alum joined the Epson Tour in 2023 and struggled to adjust to the professional golf scene in her rookie season. She made one cut during her inaugural year on the Epson Tour, and while she has 2024 status, it is not where she would like to be.
The 23-year-old has only played in one event in 2024 because of her rank on the priority list and that start ultimately resulted in a missed cut. Now, after a 6-under round in Arizona on Monday, Lauterbach finds herself competing in the LPGA Tour’s Ford Championship presented by KCC with all of the best players on the planet.
“I have not played well on Epson,” said Lauterbach. “But it is definitely great preparation, and I may have finished last in the last event I played in, but that was also a factor that helped me get into the event this week, so I am grateful for the experience.”
The bogey-free, 6-under 66 was not quite good enough to get Lauterbach directly into the event, as two other players also signed for a 6-under round on the day. With only two qualifying spots available, one of which was secured by Muni He, who turned in a 7-under round, three players battled it out in a playoff to decide the final qualifier.
Lauterbach faced off against a 2023 Epson Tour champion in Nataliya Guseva and Ladies European Tour winner Alexandra Forsterling to earn her spot in the Ford Championship, which is no easy feat, although she made it look that way. Lauterbach made birdie on the first playoff hole to secure a spot in the field in her first-ever LPGA Tour start, and the reality of what she accomplished is still sinking in.
“That round was just so incredible, it was just so exciting,” said Lauterbach. “I saw a mental coach last week, and it really turned things for me. I don’t think I have had a bogey-free round in a long time and then I won the playoff with a birdie on the first hole, which mentally I would not have been able to do a few weeks ago. I know a few girls from Epson last year and they have all texted and reached out, it has just been a lot of fun.”
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