With the current scheduling uncertainties due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the LPGA will essentially carry over players’ status from 2020 into 2021.
“Not knowing exactly when we’ll play, what will happen with travel restrictions; knowing that there will still be changes, we really felt that the right thing to do was make sure that while Covid-19 is going to affect 2020 for everybody, it shouldn’t affect your career,” LPGA commissioner Mike Whan noted in an interview on www.lpga.com.
“You shouldn’t find yourself back trying to play your way onto a tour when you probably didn’t get a chance to play your way on or off a tour in the first place. You’ll essentially have the same priority position in ’21 that you had walking into ’20,” he added.
2020 will still be considered an official season with wins counting as official; however, rookies will remain rookies for the following season.
“You can play ’20; you can win; you can come back from medicals, maternities, that kind of thing; but generally speaking, outside of wins, you’ll likely be starting 2021 with your 2020 starting place,” Whan explained.
As a consequence, the preliminary stages of LPGA Q-School and the Q Series will not be staged in 2020. All pre-tournament qualifying will also be suspended for the remainder of the year, with fields set prior to the week of competition.
