The stubborn weather system that has been plaguing the LPGA Q-Series Final Qualifying at the Robert Trent Jones Trail Magnolia Grove’s two courses had one more deluge left in it Sunday morning.
It was enough to leave the Falls Course and the Crossings Course unplayable until the middle of the afternoon. There wasn’t a whole lot of light left, but all the players got their third rounds started.
Tournament officials decided to shorten the Final Qualifying from 90 holes to 72 holes. Players will return Monday morning and complete their third rounds and the final round will be played Tuesday.
The leaders were playing the par-71 Falls Course, so they should finish up with the par-72 Crossings Course Tuesday.
The top-25 finishers will earn playing privileges on the LPGA Tour for 2026. By making it to Final Qualifying, all the players in the field have status on the Epson Tour, the LPGA’s developmental tour, for 2026.
Helen Briem, the talented 20-year-old German, had taken a one-shot lead into Sunday’s third round. She only got four holes in and was 1-under par for her round, leaving her at 10-under for the championship and still holding a one-shot lead.
The tournament was originally scheduled to start Thursday, but heavy rains prevented the players from getting on the course.
Briem opened with a sparkling 7-under 65 at the Crossings Course in Friday’s opening round and added a 2-under 69 at the Falls Course in chilly, rainy conditions in Saturday’s second round.
Briem earned her spot in the Q-Series Final Qualifying field by finishing in ninth place on the Ladies European Tour (LET) Order of Merit.
Perrine Delacour, a veteran from France, and Canadian Leah John also completed just four holes and were trailing Briem by a shot when play was suspended by darkness Sunday.
Delacour, who had carded a 5-under 67 at the Crossings Course in Saturday’s second round, was 2-under through four holes. Delacour has split time on the LPGA Tour and the LET during her professional career.
John, coming off a solid season on the Epson Tour, had grabbed the lead with a sizzling 8-under 64 at the Crossings Course in Friday’s opening round. She moved up into the tie for second place by matching Delacour’s 2-under start.
Slovenia’s Ana Belac, who helped Duke capture a national championship in 2019, and Dongeun Lee of South Korea were a shot behind Delacour and John in a tie for fourth place, each standing at 8-under when play was called for the day.
Belac, who had surged into contention with a 6-under 66 in Saturday’s second round at the Crossings Course, was even-par through four holes at the Falls Course.
Lee, coming off a 3-under 68 in the second round at the Falls Course, was also even through four holes Sunday to join Belac at 8-under.
Yu Liu, a veteran from China, made the biggest early move Sunday as she was 3-under through six holes that left her among a group of five players tied for sixth place at 7-under.
Another entry from China, Mohan Du, was 1-under through five holes to join her country woman at 7-under. Du, who played on the Epson Tour this year, had tallied a 6-under 66 in Friday’s opening round and has been hanging around near the top of the leaderboard all weekend.
Camille Boyd, a Yorba Linda, Calif. native who was a collegiate standout at Washington, is the low American on the leaderboard as she was even through four holes to join the group at 7-under.
Rounding out the quintet tied for sixth place at 7-under were Italy’s Carolina Melgrati, a collegiate standout at Arizona, and Japan’s Yuna Nishimura.
Melgrati was off to a good start, going 2-under through five holes, and Nishimura was 1-under through five holes.
Gianna Clemente, the 17-year-old junior standout who was granted a waiver to try to earn a spot on the LPGA Tour before turning 18, was still very much in the hunt for one of those 25 LPGA Tour cards that will be handed out at the conclusion of play Tuesday.
Clemente of Estero, Fla. via Warren, Ohio was even-par through six holes at the Falls Course, leaving her at 4-under for the tournament and among a large group tied for 16th place.
With six straight pars to open her third round, Clemente still hasn’t make a bogey since her first hole in Friday’s opening round at the Falls Course. Clemente, who Monday qualified for three straight LPGA events as a 14-year-old in 2022, had surged into contention with a 5-under 67 at the Crossings Course in Saturday’s second round.
Samantha Wagner, an Easton native who played her college golf at Florida, started her third round Sunday at the Falls Course off the 10th tee as the lousy weather forced tournament officials to use split tees.
Wagner, who earned her first professional win in the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship at Battle Creek Country Club in Michigan on the Epson Tour in the summer, was even-par for the first eight holes on the Falls Course’s incoming nine.
That left Wagner among the group tied for 34th place at 1-under. Certainly in with a chance with 28 holes to play.
Such is the quality of the field at Magnolia Grove that there are two major champions trying to battle their way back to full-time status on the LPGA Tour, Japan’s Hinako Shibuno, winner of the AIG Women’s Open at Woburn Golf Club in 2019 and South Korea’s Jeongeun Lee6, winner of the U.S. Women’s Open at the Country Club of Charleston, also in 2019.
Shibuno was 2-under through seven holes Sunday, which left her among the group tied for 12th place at 5-under.
Lee6 was even through eight holes and was among the group tied for 27th place at 2-under.
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