The LPGA Tour qualifier at Bradenton Country Club came down to a clutch 30-foot putt
Becca Huffer stood off the side of Bradenton Country Club’s ninth green with her playing partners on Monday.
They tallied their scores, double-checking everything was good.
For Huffer, her 4-under par 67 was more than good. It secured one of two qualifying spots into this week’s LPGA Tour stop along the Suncoast.
The deciding moment came when she dropped a 30-foot putt on the par-5 eighth, her 17th hole.
“That was a nice one to go in,” Huffer said.
She played her last hole, the par-3 ninth, without any missteps. Then the waiting game began.
“Being the first group out is a little hard because we’re done before everyone’s done,” Huffer said.
With Yu-Sang Hou carding the lowest round at 5-under 66, Huffer had to avoid anyone else going lower than her 67. And Riley Smyth was in position to force a playoff or go past Huffer.
But Smyth, who teed off the back nine like Huffer, double-bogeyed No. 8 to stymie her chances. Smyth birdied the last hole to finish one behind Huffer, who secured the final qualifying berth into the first full-field LPGA Tour event of the 2024 season.
LPGA Tour tees off in Bradenton
The LPGA Drive On Championship is making its debut in Bradenton on the Donald Ross-designed Bradenton Country Club, which celebrates its 100th birthday later this year.
Before arriving in Bradenton this week, Huffer’s chances of playing LPGA Tour events were going to come down to her Monday qualifying results.
That’s because the former Notre Dame star narrowly missed on securing her LPGA Tour card through the Epson Tour money list. The top 10 earned their LPGA card, and Huffer finished 11th — just $1,700 in earnings behind 10th place finisher Kristen Gillman.
And then at the Q Series, the Colorado native tied for 45th to get Category 15 status, which does not offer as many main tour playing opportunities.
Huffer qualifies for Drive On Championship
“It’s tough because it’s only one round,” Huffer said about Monday qualifying. “You need to get hot and make birdies.”
She made several birdies on Monday navigating the slippery table-top greens at Bradenton Country Club. Getting a birdie early in the round got things going before the clutch putt on her 17th hole kept her qualifying chances alive.
And a Sunday range session helped get her swing grooved for Monday’s competitive round. Huffer said she only played nine holes in Sunday’s practice round because she wasn’t hitting the ball solid and needed to fix the issue.
On Monday, Huffer put it all together with a 67 on the par-71 track to give herself a chance this week. Bradenton Country Club’s nines are flipped around for the LPGA Tour event. Normally, players would end with the par-3 18th hole, but that hole is No. 9 for this week’s tournament.
The top-four ranked players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, including Bradenton’s Nelly Korda, are in this week’s field. The action begins Thursday with the 72-hole tournament concluding Sunday.
Tickets are $30 for daily general admission, with weekly passes starting at $99. Champions Club hospitality tickets are $225 for daily admission and $800 for the week. There’s a fan activation zone, too, for those seeking to win prizes in the longest putt and longest drive competitions.
Former and current military members get complimentary tickets regardless of sellouts, while juniors 17 and younger can watch for free with the purchase of an adult ticket.
Visit SeatGeek.com for more ticket information.
