Ryan O’Toole never imagined he’d put this on his December itinerary, but he was playing golf in Alabama last week trying to get his LPGA Tour card back. It was a wise decision.
O’Toole, 38, a UCLA graduate first known as a contestant on Golf Channel’s “Big Break,” has won one tournament on tour and has a chance to win another title with a seven-birdie, bogey-free 65 in the final round of the LPGA Q Series Final Qualifier in Mobile on Tuesday. In the tournament, which was shortened from 90 holes to 72 holes due to a day lost to bad weather, O’Toole finished tied for third at 11 under, making him the top American qualifier. The top 25 and ties earned tour cards, bringing the final total to 31 at the Robert Trent Jones Trail Magnolia Grove.
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O’Toole has finished in the top 10 20 times in his career, but in 2025 he played in only half of his 16 starts, didn’t finish in the top 10, and finished 137th in the CME points standings.
“The last time I was here (at the Q Series) was in 2014, and after that week I said to myself, I never want to go back,” O’Toole said. “But you never know what’s going to happen, and here you are, having to requalify. It’s stressful, it’s hard, it’s mentally and emotionally draining. And this week, just weather-wise, freezing cold, delays, rain, early mornings every morning. … It’s been physically exhausting.
“I think it’s a tough week because there’s so much emotion going into this week. It’s a mixed bag of emotions after 15 years on tour. I didn’t even know if I was going to decide to go back to Q-School or start the next chapter of my life. But at the same time, it’s really weird to start on January 1st and be like, ‘What do you mean I don’t have full status? What does that mean? I’m not a pro at it.'” LPGA? That wasn’t good for me. ”
German golfer Helen Briem earned her LPGA Tour card in spectacular fashion. She shot a 4-under 68 and earned medalist honors at 13 under. Briem, 20, will play on the European Women’s Tour before moving to the LPGA.
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“I’m kind of at a loss for words right now. I went into this week with low expectations,” Bree said. “But overall, I’m really happy to be playing on the LPGA next year. It’s really great.”
Major winner Hinako Shibuno, perhaps the most popular Japanese golfer, also got her tour card back. The 2019 AIG Women’s British Open winner finished with a 72 to take the lead at 5 under. Shibuno, 27, has struggled on the LPGA this season, making just 10 cuts in 23 starts and only one top-10 finish.
Another veteran who has re-earned her card is former European Solheim Cup player Jody Ewart-Shadoff. The 37-year-old, who won his only LPGA title in 2022 and finished in the top 10 in three of the tour’s five majors, shot a 71 and was one of the final eight players tied for 24th place.
Among the notable players who didn’t earn a card was Gianna Clemente, a 17-year-old Florida native who turned pro this year and made it past the second stage, but fell three strokes short. Kim Kaufman, 34, who battled breast cancer this year and finished chemotherapy in the summer, finished 4 over. Past college stars who didn’t get their cards included 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion and Auburn graduate Megan Scofil (even par), 2024 NCAA individual champion Adela Cernousek (Texas A&M) (16 over), USC’s Amari Avery (1 under) and Wake Forest’s Rachel Kuhn (8 over).
