Samantha Richdale - Officially Has Her LPGA Card

She did, however, finish tied for third in the tournament and added some additional cash to her bank account to bring her season earnings total to $59,292, putting her in fourth place for the season. She'll now join Canada's only two regular LPGA members, veteran Lorie Kane of Charlettown, PEI and Oshawa, ON's Elana Sharp.

"I definitely felt I needed to make a big move towards the end," said Richdale, after accepting her valuable card. "The win in Harrisburg (last week) was huge for me. I was able to come out this week and just have fun."

Richdale made a run for it Sunday, rolling in a birdie on the 14th hole to jump into a tie for the lead at seven under, but she bogeyed the 17th and wasn't able to convert for birdie on the last hole to move up in the standings.

The top five players among the season's money winners are guaranteed full playing status on the LPGA for 2010. Players finishing 6th through 10th have earned the right to Monday-qualify and squeeze into tournament fields whenever there is room.

That's where Angela Buzminski of Oshawa, ON finds herself. In fifth place for the season coming into the New York event, Buzminski came in 13th in the tournament and slipped from fifth to seventh in season earnings.

In order of finish the new LPGA members are: 1. Mina Harigae of Monterey, Calif.; 2. Jean Reynolds of Newnan, Ga.; 3. Misun Cho of Cheongju, South Korea; 4. Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, British Columbia; 5. Song Yi Choi of Seoul, South Korea.

Partial status members are:
6. Whitney Wade of Glasgow, Ky; 7. Angela Buzminski of Oshawa, Ontario; 8. Christine Song of Fullerton, Calif.; 9. Alison Walshe of Westford, Mass.; and 10. Dewi Claire Schreefel of Diepenveen, Netherlands.

The 2009 season is the eleventh year in the 29-year history of the Duramed FUTURES Tour that players have been able to earn automatic exemptions onto the LPGA Tour and the seventh year that at least five LPGA memberships have been awarded. From 1999 to 2002, three exemptions were offered to top money winners. The 2009 season marks the second time 10 LPGA memberships were awarded.

Also, the next five players on the Tour's money list, excluding current LPGA members, earned automatic entry into the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla., set for Dec. 2-6. Those players, in order of finish, are as follows: Pernilla Lindberg of Bollnas, Sweden; Gerina Mendoza of Roswell, N.M.; Danah Ford of Indianapolis; Lisa Meldrum of Montreal, Quebec; Jenny Suh of Fairfax, Va.; and Liz Janangelo of West Hartford, Conn.

Duramed FUTURES Tour 2009 Current Money Leaders
(Thru $110,000 ILOVENY Championship)

1 Mina Harigae Monterey, Calif. $88,386
2 Jean Reynolds Newnan, Ga. $76,647
3 Misun Cho Cheongju, South Korea $64,118
4 Samantha Richdale Kelowna, BC $59,292
5 Song Yi Choi Seoul, South Korea $42,939
6 Whitney Wade Glasgow, Ky. $41,393
7 Angela Buzminski Oshawa, Ontario $37,048
8 Christine Song Fullerton, Calif. $35,130
9 Alison Walshe Westford, Mas. $34,225
10 Dewi Claire Schreefel Diepenveen, Netherlands $30,600

15 Lisa Meldrum Montreal, Quebec $26,154
52 Jessica Shepley Oakville, Ontario $11,421
69 Susan Nam Edmonton, Alberta $7,658
142 Seema Sadekar Toronto, Ontario $1,836
169 Erin Thorne Bracebridge, Ontario $690
175 Emma Calderone Toronto, Ontario $639

About the Duramed FUTURES Tour

The LPGA's developmental tour, the Duramed FUTURES Tour, is in its 29th competitive season. The Tour's mission is to prepare the world's best young women professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour. The top 10 money winners each season earn automatic memberships on the LPGA Tour for the following season. With more than 500 alumnae moving on to the LPGA, former Duramed FUTURES Tour players have won a total of 345 LPGA titles, including 37 major championships. The Tour is playing for a record season purse of nearly $1.8 million this year. Duramed FUTURES Tour events have contributed more than $4.5 million to charitable organizations throughout the nation since 1989.
Follow the Duramed FUTURES Tour on the web at duramedfuturestour.com; facebook.com/DuramedFUTURESTour; twitter.com/ROAD2LPGA and youtube.com/ROAD2LPGA.