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Virada Nirapathpongporn Earns LPGA Card; Finishes Second On FUTURES Tour Money List
8/29/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
DURHAM, N.C. ? With her tied for third place finish at the YWCA FUTURES Classic in York, Pa., on Sunday, former Duke women's golfer Virada “Oui” Nirapathpongporn qualified as a exempt LPGA Tour member for the 2006 season.
Joining Nirapathpongporn receiving their LPGA Tour card were Seon-Hwa Lee of Chonan, Korea; Kyeong Bae of Seoul, Korea; Nicole Castrale of Palm Desert, Calif.; and Sun Young Yoo of Seoul,
Korea. This is the seventh year in the 25-year history of the FUTURES Tour that players have received automatic exemptions onto the LPGA Tour and the third year that five exemptions were presented. Previously the number of awarded cards was three.
Nirapathpongporn, a product of Bangkok, Thailand, was in her second full season on the FUTURES Golf Tour. In 15 starts on the FUTURES Tour this year, the 23-year old recorded seven top-three finishes, including two wins. Her wins came at the Jalapeno FUTURES Golf Classic in McAllen, Texas, and at the CIGNA Chip in For A Cure Connecticut FUTURES Golf Classic in Bloomfield, Conn. With $54,919 in season earnings, Nirapathpongporn finished second on the money list.
“I couldn't wait to hold up this card,” said Nirapathpongporn. “Last year, I saw pictures of my friends with their LPGA cards and I wanted to go to the LPGA Tour with them. It was very inspiring to me.”
A four-time All-America, 2002 NCAA Individual Champion and 2003 U.S. Women's Amateur Champion, Nirapathpongporn led the Blue Devils to the 2002 NCAA Championship, 33 team victories, four ACC titles, while she totaled 27 top-10 finishes and five individual titles.
Nirapathpongporn will join former Duke stars Candy Hannemann, Beth Bauer and Jean Bartholomew who are currently members of the LPGA Tour.
Zayra F. Calderon, president and CEO of the FUTURES Tour, said, “All the players moving to the LPGA Tour have worked incredibly hard. Every year, the players who leave our Tour are dedicated, tenacious and talented golfers ? and these women are certainly no exception. But perhaps more than any year in FUTURES Tour history, this group has shown breakthrough talent. They are among the youngest group in our history, and I'm confident that they will add a terrific new level of excitement to the LPGA because of their extraordinary ability, as well as their energy and fan appeal.”
About the FUTURES Tour
The FUTURES Golf Tour, “the official developmental tour of the LPGA,” has become the largest international developmental tour and the second largest women's golf tour in the world. Since 1989, FUTURES Tour events have raised more than $3.2 million for charitable organizations. Throughout its 25-history, membership has increased from approximately 150 North American players to more than 300 players from 27 different nations. The Tour now conducts 18 tournaments in 13 states. The top five players on the 2005 FUTURES Tour Money List at the end of the season will earn automatic exemptions for the 2006 LPGA Tour.
There are more than 240 FUTURES Tour alumnae who are members or past members of the LPGA Tour and through 2004, they have won a total of 283 LPGA titles, including 30 major championships.
The FUTURES Tour is committed to developing the skills and dreams of women golfers,
establishing role models for youth and creating the LPGA stars of tomorrow.
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