Since becoming the first woman to win the Detroit Newspapers Michigan PGA Tournament of Champions on July 23, former Spartan Stacy Snider has been taking things easy.
"I haven't been up to much, I've mostly been packing and getting ready to leave for Florida on (Aug. 11)," Snider said, referring to the LPGA qualifying school, which takes place Aug. 26-29. "But as soon as I get to Florida, I'll become more intense in practice."
Snider won in only her second tournament after turning pro the week of July 13. A former Big Ten champion at MSU and a 2003 graduate, Snider collected the $17,250 winner's slice of the $100,000 tournament purse.
She also shot a two-round total of 136 to set the event's record for lowest score by a female player. On the last day of the tournament she nudged out five-time Michigan Open champion Scott Hebert and former Michigan PGA and Open champion Jack Seltzer. She then finished the 54-hole event with a nine-under score of 207.
She said since her win she has been practicing with some of her friends and trying to get everything situated. She is moving from East Lansing to her parents' house in Grand Rapids, and then from there to Jacksonville, Fla. for good.
She said she is psyched about the LPGA qualifying school, or Q-school as it's called, and is confident in her ability to win a spot on the LPGA Tour.
"I think I've been playing at the top of my game and now I've got the opportunity to pass the qualifying stage and get my playing card," she said.
A playing card is obtained by being among roughly the top 22 players at Q-school after four rounds of golf, she said. Once a player secures a playing card, they are exempt from tournament play for the following season, meaning they are allowed to play in almost every tournament.
Snider's former MSU coach, Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll, said Snider's win was even more impressive given the performances by female golfers like Annika Sorenstam. She said this year is shaping up to be a great one for women's golf, and Snider's win reinforces that.
"I thought her performance was awesome, and it was most spectacular because it's different when you're competing against both men and women in the same tournament, including some of the best PGA pros in Michigan," Slobodnik-Stoll said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
