Stephanie Sherlock will be the newest Canadian on the LPGA Tour next year after finishing in the top 20 on the final day of q-school Sunday.
The Barrie, Ont., native fought through wind gusts of up to 30 mph, along with rain and temperatures in the mid-50s to card an even par round of 72 on the Champions course at LPGA International. That was one day after shooting her best round of the week on the very same course. The result helped Sherlock climb 13 places into a tie for 14th.
Only the top 20 and ties earned their tour card for 2011.
Sherlock, who turned pro earlier this year, will join fellow Canadians Lorie Kane, Alena Sharp and Lisa Meldrum on the tour next year.
Three other Canadians - Jessica Shepley of Oakville, Ont., Angela Buzminski of Oshawa, Ont., and Adrienne White of Red Deer, Alta., - missed out on their tour card but finished within the top 40 to secure conditional status for next season. All three will be able to get into Monday qualifiers next season with the potential of getting into some full-field events as well.
A pair of double bogeys on the front nine hurt Shepley, who posted a final round of 74 to finish in a tie for 30th, missing out on her tour card by three strokes.
Buzminski (75) and White (76) both finished in a tie for 33rd.
Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C. (74) finished tied for 52nd, Isabelle Beisiegel of St.Hilaire, Que (77) was tied for 63rd and Seema Sadekar of Toronto (82) finished 73rd.
Aree Song took medallist honours with a 1-over 73 to finish two shots ahead of amateur Jessica Korda, who struggled in the harsh weather elements, carding a 77.
Only nine players managed to shoot even par or better on the final day.
It was the best showing by Song since her runner-up finish at the 2004 Kraft Nabisco Championship.
Korda, a 2010 U.S. Curtis Cup team member and the runner-up in this year's U.S. Women's Amateur Championship, will turn pro next year but because she is 17, will need a special exemption from the LPGA Tour in order to take full advantage of her tour status in 2011.
Ironically, Song is one of two players ever granted a special exemption to play on the LPGA at the age of 17.
"It was a tough, tough day because it was really windy, and I lost my balance about 20 times," said Korda, the daughter of former tennis star Petr Korda, who caddied for her this week. "But this is a dream come true."
Shasta Averyhardt didn't finish in the top 20 - a bogey on the 18th hole left her tied for 22nd - but she became only the fourth black player in history to earn LPGA membership and the first African-American since LaRee Sugg in 2001.
"I don't know what else to say other than I choked," said Averyhardt. "I have to be happy even though it hasn't hit me yet. I have status."
Libby Smith played in the same final group as Song and Korda but unlike those two, she did not secure full-time playing privileges for 2011. Smith was in third place after four rounds but dropped 19 spots after a final round 82. During a seven hole stretch on the front nine, she went 9 over including double bogeys at Nos. 8 and 10.
RECAP: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Final Leaderboard RELATED: Canadian Q-School profiles