Final Canadian Results:

5.  Jennifer Kirby (-12) 71-69-69-71-68 – 348
T32. Maude-Aimée LeBlanc (-2) 71-73-73-71-70 – 358
T44. Lorie Kane (E) 72-73-73-72-70 – 360
T65. Erica Rivard (+5) 77-72-69-70-77 – 365
T70. Jessica Shepley (+8) 73-76-750-67-77 – 368
— MISSED CUT —
T71. Natalie Gleadall (+4) 73-73-71-75 – 292
T71. Stephanie Sherlock (+4) 73-74-72-73 – 292
T79. Sara-Maude Juneau (+5) 77-70-74-72 – 293
T102. Ashely Sholer (+8) 73-78-71-74 – 296
T122. Nicole Vandermade (+11) 78-74-79-68 – 299

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Paris, Ont. native and former Team Canada member, Jennifer Kirby, finished 5th at the LPGA‘s Final Qualifying Tournament Sunday to earn exempt status on the Tour for 2014.

Kirby took to Twitter shortly after earning her card.

Couldn’t be happier with this week! So excited to play the LPGA tour this year!! Thank you everyone for the amazing support!!!!!!!!!

— Jennifer Kirby (@kirbyjennifer) December 8, 2013

The 22-year University of Alabama alumnae tallied five solid sub-par rounds (71-69-69-71-68) to finish the five-day, 90-hole event at 12-under par.

Kirby joins fellow Canadians Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Lorie Kane of Charlottetown and Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto as full-time LPGA Tour members in 2014.

Kim and Sharp earned their way back onto the LPGA Tour via their play on the Symetra Tour, while Lee-Bentham finished in the top 80 of the Tour’s money list just one year after she won medalist honours at Q-School.

Kirby was the only one of the 10 Canadians who started the week to gain full (Category 12) status.

Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que. tied for 32nd at 2-under par. She will have conditional status next year.

Kane, a four-time winner on the Tour, finished tied for 44th. She was looking to improve her priority standing in order to get into more tournaments in 2014.

Jaye Marie Green of Boca Raton, Fla. completed the wire-to-wire victory to earn medalist honors. The 19-year-old finished 29-under with a 10 shot victory over South Korean Mi Rim Lee.

Green set the record for the lowest score at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament since it moved to a 90-hole event in 2004. Eight-time LPGA Tour winner Stacy Lewis set the previous record in 2008 when she posted an 18-under 342.

Green, who placed second to New Zealand star Lydia Ko at the 2012 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, played on the Symetra Tour this season and tallied three top-10 finishes to end the season ranked 29^th on the Volvik Race for the Card.

Finishing runner-up at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament was South Korea’s Mi Rim Lee, a two-time winner on the Korean LPGA Tour, who finished with a 3-under 69 and 19-under for the tournament.

Two-year LPGA Tour veteran Tiffany Joh finished third with a 15-under 354 total to improve her status for the 2014 season. The Californian, who celebrated her 27^th birthday, said the solid finish was quite the present today.

Twenty-six additional players also earned 2014 LGPA membership and will fall in Category 17. Others who finished T49 and below and made the 72-hole cut earned Symetra Tour status.

Lydia Ko didn’t waste any time picking up her first victory in only her second start as a professional at the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters on Sunday in Taiwan.

The two-time Canadian Women’s Open champion bested a strong field that included four of the top seven players in the world. Her 11-under 205 total left her three strokes clear of So Yeon Ryu, after a final round 4-under 68.

“I didn’t know I’d do it this quickly,” Ko told reporters of her first title as a pro. “I’m just so fortunate to do it at such a great tournament. I was nervous, but I just said to myself, `Concentrate on your game.’”

With the victory, Ko, 16, took home the $150,000 first place prize cheque for her fifth professional title.  Her next start is scheduled for the LPGA Tour’s 2014 season opener, the Pure Silk Bahamas Classic, January 23-26.

Canadian Round 4 Results:

T9.  Jennifer Kirby (-8) 71-69-69-71 – 280
T58. Erica Rivard (E) 77-72-69-70 – 288
T46. Maude-Aimée LeBlanc (E) 71-73-73-71 – 288
T56. Lorie Kane (+2) 72-73-73-72 – 290
T63. Jessica Shepley (+3) 73-76-750-67 – 224
— MISSED CUT —
T71. Natalie Gleadall (+4) 73-73-71-75 – 292
T71. Stephanie Sherlock (+4) 73-74-72-73 – 292
T79. Sara-Maude Juneau (+5) 77-70-74-72 – 293
T102. Ashely Sholer (+8) 73-78-71-74 – 296
T122. Nicole Vandermade (+11) 78-74-79-68 – 299

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All that stands between Jennifer Kirby and a 2014 LPGA Tour card is 18 holes of golf on the Jones Course at LPGA International. The Paris, Ont. native posted a fourth-round 1-under 71 Saturday to sit tied for 9th at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament with a four-day total 8-under 280.

The 90-hole tournament concludes Sunday on LPGA International’s Jones Course.  Kirby, a former Team Canada member, only needs to finish within the top 20 to earn exempt LPGA Tour status for next year. Players who finish in 21 to 45 spot (as well as ties) will also earn conditional status for 2014.

Jaye Marie Green Green (-25) leads all players and entered Saturday’s fourth round with a seven-shot advantage, marking the lowest score after three rounds since the Final Qualifying Tournament moved to 90 holes in 2004. She wasted little time in increasing her lead with birdies on holes five, six and eight, quickly becoming her fourth sub-70 round of the event.

The 19-year-old from Boca Raton, Fla. closed her round with birdies on 12 and 13 to end her third-straight round without a bogey.

Chasing Green, although a long way behind, is South Korean Mi Rim Lee, who fired the second record-breaking score in the Jones Course on Friday with an 11-under 61 to take solo second heading into Saturday’s round. Posting a 3-under 69 on the Hills Course, Lee sits at 16-under 272 for the tournament.

Lee is two shots ahead of two-year LPGA Tour veteran Tiffany Joh (-14), who shot a 4-under 68 to remain in third and three shots behind Joh at 11-under 277 is Stage II LPGA Qualifying Tournament medalist Amy Anderson. The North Dakota State standout carded a 2-under 70 during Saturday’s round.

Seon Hwa Lee of South Korea and Sharon Township, Ohio native Kathleen Ekey are 10-under 278, in a tie for fifth.

After the 72-hole cut, a total of 70 players are on their way to earning LPGA and Symetra Tour status for the 2014 season. The cut fell at 3-over-par 291.

Other notables who made the 72-hole cut include four-time LPGA Tour winner Lorie Kane from Charlottetown (T56); 2005 U.S. Women’s Open champion Birdie Kim (T27); China’s youngest female professional Xiyu Lin (13); and nine-year LPGA Tour veteran Reilley Rankin (T18).

Natalie Gleadall of Stratford, Ont. , Stephanie Sherlock of Barrie, Ont., Sara-Maude Juneau of Fossambault, Que., Ashely Sholer of Hamilton, Ont. and Nicole Vandermade of Brantford, Ont. failed to make the fourth-round cut. Other notables missing out included Wake Forest standout Cheyenne Woods, who missed the cut after rounds of 77-73-73-73, finishing at 8-over 296.

Canadian Round 3 Results:

T7.  Jennifer Kirby (-7) 71-69-69 – 209
T46. Maude-Aimée LeBlanc (+1) 71-73-73 – 217
T46. Natalie Gleadall (+1) 73-73-71 – 217
T58. Erica Rivard (+2) 77-72-69 – 218
58. Lorie Kane (+2) 72-73-73 – 218
T65. Stephanie Sherlock (+3) 73-74-72 – 219
T86. Sara-Maude Juneau (+5) 77-70-74 – 221
T96. Ashely Sholer (+6) 73-78-71 – 222
T116. Jessica Shepley (+8) 73-76-75 – 224
T146. Nicole Vandermade (+15) 78-74-79 – 231

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It was another record-breaking day on the Jones Course at LPGA International as South Korean Mi Rim Lee produced the low-round of the week with an 11-under-par 61 to take sole possession of second place. The KLPGA standout broke Jaye Marie Green’s previous record of 10-under 62, which she posted during the opening round on Wednesday. Green still holds a 7-shot lead heading into Saturday’s fourth round.

Green, who played the Jones Course, carded a 6-under 66 on a day that featured a bogey-free, six-birdie performance with a four birdies on the back nine. Her three-day total of 20-under 196 marks the lowest score since the Final Qualifying Tournament moved to a 90-hole event.

“I think being where I was at 14-under to start the day, I was like, ‘Ok, just make it through the day let’s put that behind you,’” said Green. “My goal was to get to 20-under before Sunday and it was cool that I did that today. So that was nice.”

Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. fired her second straight 69 to climb four spots into a tie for 7th. The bogey-free round puts the former Team Canada member at 7-under par.

Natalie Gleadall of Stratford, Ont., with her best round of the week on Friday, is tied for 46th along with Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que. Eric Rivard of Tecumseh, Ont. posted her best round of the week, 69, to move up into a tie for 58th along with Lorie Kane of Charlottetown.

Kane, a four-time winner on the LPGA Tour, is playing this week to try and improve her priority standing which would get her into more tournaments next year.

Stephanie Sherlock of Barrie, Ont. is tied for 65th which leaves her right on the cut line at 3-over heading into Saturday’s fourth round.

Sara-Maude Juneau of Fossambault, Que., who earned her card at Q-School a year ago, is two strokes off the cut line while Ashley Sholer of Hamilton, Ont., Jessica Shepley of Oakville, Ont., and Nicole Vandermade of Brantford, Ont. all have some work to do if they hope to make the final round cut.

A field of 153 players are in this week’s event, hoping to either earn membership or improve their current member status for the 2014 LPGA Tour season. Qualifiers from Stage I and II along with current LPGA Tour members attempting to improve their status, are in the field. In addition, players who finished Nos. 11-20 on the 2013 Symetra Tour season-ending money list (who do not already have LPGA status), are also in the field.

The 90-hole, five-round qualifier will cut to the low 70 players and ties after 72 holes. Those who make the cut will compete in Sunday’s final round on the Jones Course.

Round 2 Canadian Scores:

T11.  Jennifer Kirby (-4) 71-69–140
T43. Maude-Aimée LeBlanc (E) 71-73–144
T53. Lorie Kane (+1) 72-73–145
T66. Natalie Gleadall (+2) 73-73–146
T80. Sara-Maude Juneau (+3) 77-70–147
T80. Stephanie Sherlock (+3) 74-74–147
T109. Jessica Shepley (+5) 73-76–149
T109. Erica Rivard (+5) 77-72–149
T130. Ashely Sholer (+7) 73-78–151
T138. Nicole Vandermade (+8) 78-74–152

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Canada’s Jennifer Kirby jumped 22 spots up the LPGA Tour Q-School leaderboard Thursday. The Paris, Ont. native and former Team Canada member fired a 3-under par 69 at LPGA International’s Hill Course to sit tied for 11th thru 36 holes in Daytona Beach, FLA.

Jaye Marie Green continues to hold on to medalist position as she carded a second-round 4-under-par 68 to climb to a five-stroke lead over Vanderbilt graduate Megan Grehan. Green sits at 14-under with three rounds remaining in the event.

Erica Rivard of Tecumseh, Ont. carded an ace – her second of the week – Thursday on the 3rd hole of the Jones course.

The players were split between LPGA International Jones and Hills courses and are repaired by scores for the third round based on the course they started on for the first round. The 153-player field will be cut to the low 70 players and ties after the fourth round on Saturday.  A total of 20 exempt spots on the 2014 LPGA Tour are up for grabs this year, while those who place 21^st through 45^th and ties will receive conditional status.

Jaye Marie Green fired a 10-under-par 62 on the Jones Course at LPGA International to set a course record and take the first-round lead at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament. The 19-year-old Boca Raton, Fla. native takes a four-shot lead over LPGA Tour veterans Tiffany Joh and Seon Hwa Lee heading into Thursday’s second round of the 90-hole event.

As a 2013 Symetra Tour rookie, Green tallied four top-10 finishes in 15 events to end the season ranked 29^th on the Volvik Race for the Card. On Wednesday, she sent an early statement that she’s more than ready for the LPGA Tour as she carded 11 birdies and one bogey to leave her mark on the Jones Course at LPGA International.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Green of her record-breaking round. “I switched my irons back to my old ones because of the shafts. But it was really just everything. I really only just missed one fairway and two greens. You know how people say, ‘if I just made putts I would have shot this?’ Well it was just one of those days that the putts went in and I did shoot it. It was cool. The putting was just on point.”

Green began her first round on the 10^th tee and rattled off consecutive birdies on her first four holes. With two more birdies on the 16^th and 18^th holes, Green made the turn at 6-under. Her lone bogey of the day came on the par-3 sixth hole following birdies on three of the first five holes, and managed to finish her round with birdies on the final two holes. She says posting a 10-under-par score was much easier than expected.

“It was weird because I looked over at my dad and I was seven under through ten holes and I was like, I don’t feel like I’m 7-under,” said Green. “I’m just hitting it, finding the ball and then putting it. It was like, I don’t understand, like what’s going on?”

San Diego, Calif. native Joh, who also played the Jones Course, teed off on No. 1 and began the day with a bogey on the fourth hole but quickly recovered with two birdies on the fifth and seventh holes. Joh admits after seeing the leaderboard while making the turn, an aggression set in for the back-nine as she went on to record five birdies to end the day in second place at 6-under 66.

“I wasn’t really making a ton of putts on the front-nine and I think I was just a little more aggressive on the back-nine,” said Joh. “I think at Q School you kind of come into it with a mentality of just trying to play solid instead of taking it deep. I think it was just that and changing my mindset and being more aggressive.”

Sitting one stroke back at 5-under is a group of five which includes Ladies European Tour players Megan Grehan and Line Vedel, Japan native Haru Nomura, 2011 Symetra Tour Player of the Year Kathleen Ekey and 19-year LPGA veteran Nicole Jeray.

Maude-Aimee Leblanc and Jennifer Kirby lead the 10 Canadian contingent in the field. The pair sit tied for 33rd with a slew of players at 1-under par. Lorie Kane is tied for 48th after recording an even par 72.

The 90-hole tournament is staged at LPGA International, where 153 players will play the Jones and Hills courses twice, hoping to be among the top-70 and ties to advance to Sunday.  After Sunday’s final round, the top-20 finishers will earn Category 12 status for the 2014 LPGA Tour season, while those who finish 21^st through 45^th and ties will earn Category 17.

The LPGA’s Final Stage of qualifying kicks off on Wednesday at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla., with 154 players in search of 20 fully exempt tickets to the LPGA Tour for the 2014 season.

A strong contingent of Canadians are entered into the field this week, including 4-time LPGA Tour winner, Lorie Kane of Charlottetown, PEI. Five former members of Team Canada’s National Amateur Team Program will also vie for LPGA Tour status including, Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont., Sara-Maude Juneau of Fossambault, Que., Stephanie Sherlock of Barrie, Ont., and Nicole Vandermade of Brantford, Ont.

Final Stage of LPGA Qualifying is contested over 90 holes on LPGA International’s Jones and Hills courses from December 4-8. The top 20 qualifiers on Sunday will earn Category 12 status for the 2014 season on the LPGA Tour, while players who finish 21st through 45 and ties will earn membership in Category 17.  The final stage of Q-School will be cut to the low 70 players and ties after 72 holes. All others who make the cut will receive Symetra Tour status.

Canadians in the field this week:

• Lorie Kane, Charlottetown, PEI.
• Maude-Aimee Leblanc, Sherbrooke, Que.
• Ashley Sholer, Hamilton, Ont.
• Natalie Gleadall, Stratford, Ont.
• Jennifer Kirby, Paris, Ont.
• Sara-Maude Juneau, Fossambault, Que
• Stephanie Sherlock, Barrie, Ont.
• Erica Rivard, Tecumseh, Ont.
• Jessica Shepley, Oakville, Ont.
• Nicole Vandermade, Brantford, Ont.

For scoring, information and pairings for Stage III of LPGA Qualifying, click here.

Top-ranked amateur Lydia Ko has chosen an unusual method to announce her decision to turn professional at the age of 16 and after foregoing more than $1-million in potential prize money.

Ko, ranked No. 4 in the world, chose not to hold a formal news conference but released a short, scripted video in which she debates the merits of turning profession with the All Blacks rugby player Israel Dagg.

The video shows Dagg losing to Ko in a golf match, then telling her: “If you can beat me, then you can definitely handle the pressure of going pro. It must be time now.”

Ko nods and replies: “Okay, I’ll do it … right now, right this second.”

Ko alerted her Twitter followers to the video and her decision by posting “made a monumental decision today with a little help from my @AllBlacks friend @Izzy–Dagg #LOVEGolf.”

New Zealand Golf chief executive Dean Murphy said Ko “was reluctant to hold a traditional press conference” because she “didn’t want to make a big fuss about news that had already been reported in the media in recent weeks.”

“This is a very momentous day for Lydia and we are so thrilled that she has chosen such a unique and entertaining way to share her news with her fans today,” Murphy said. “She has also been very busy studying for exams and wanted to make this announcement in a different way.”

The LPGA Tour confirmed Oct. 10 that it received a petition from Ko asking that it waive its minimum age requirement of 18.

Ko was born in South Korea but moved to New Zealand with her parents and took up golf aged five. She first took lessons at Auckland’s Pupuke Golf Club from professional Guy Wilson, who has been her coach ever since.

She was the world’s leading female amateur in 2011, 2012 and 2013 and became the youngest person, male or female, to win a professional tournament when she won the 2012 New South Wales Open at the age of 14. That record has since been broken.

Ko was also the youngest winner of an LPGA tournament when, aged 15, she won the 2012 CN Canadian Women’s Open, a title she defended this year in Edmonton. She has yet to miss a cut in 23 professional tournaments.

After finishing runnerup at the Evian Championships in France in July, Ko hinted that she would be turning professional but said she wished to complete exams before making any announcement.

She is expected to play for the first time as a professional in the LPGA’s season-ending event in Florida.

Murphy said Ko’s career as an amateur “has been phenomenal.”

“Her amateur record ranks right up there among the greats of the game,” Murphy said. “She has won four (tour) titles, claimed the U.S. and Australian Amateur titles, climbed to No.4 on the World Rankings and has been the World No. 1 amateur for more than two years without ever losing that title.

“That is a record that is unlikely to be matched by a 16-year-old ever again.”