Michelle Wie shot a three-under 69 in the first round and is tied for sixth place.
Daytona Beach, FL (Sports Network) -
Shiho Oyama, ranked 42nd in the Rolex Rankings, fired an eight-under 64 on Wednesday to take the first-round lead of the 90-hole LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament.
Amateur Mika Miyazato shot a six-under 66 and is alone in second.
Mollie Fankhauser and Amy Yang are knotted in third place at minus-five, while Jeehae Lee is alone in fourth place at four-under 68.
Michelle Wie's attempt to get back on to the LPGA Tour began Wednesday and she availed herself nicely. She shot a three-under 69 in the first round and is tied for sixth place.
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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -
Qualifying School has the reputation as the most intense, nerve-wracking marathon of fear in the sport of professional golf.
On more than one occasion, I've pooh-poohed that notion as rubbish. The Nationwide Tour offers quite a healthy salary if you make it to that tour. The Duramed Futures Tour helps the ladies make some money before they get to the LPGA Tour.
This is to say that if you don't earn a spot through Q School, your golf career is not necessarily dead. Granted, you won't make the sort of loot that PGA Tour or LPGA Tour players earn, but $447,865 is nothing to sneeze at. (That would be the earnings of one Matt Bettencourt, the Nationwide Tour money champion.)
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