Kiran Matharu, Samantha Head fail to make progress

TAIWANESE PLAYER (18) HEADS 31 QUALIFIERS FOR
LPGA TOUR SCHOOL AT DAYTONA BEACH

FROM THE LPGA TOUR WEBSITE:
Yani Tseng of Taiwan tops the list of 31 golfers who are one step closer to a spot on the 2008 LPGA Tour. Tseng shot an even-par 72 in the final round of the LPGA Sectional Qualifying Tournament at Mission Hills Country Club, Rancho Mirage, California on Saturday.
She edged four players – Amie Cochran of California, Annie Young of Utah, Ashleigh Simon of South Africa and Anna Rawson of Australia – to take medalist (leading qualifier) honours at three-under-par (72-68-73-72=285).
Tseng, one of three players from Taiwan in the field, was tied for the lead after two rounds, but trailed by one-stroke entering Saturday's final round. She began the day with bogeys on holes 2, 5 and 8 and a birdie on 7 to make the turn at two-over-par for the day. Tseng rebounded with birdies on holes 10 and 11 before making bogey on hole 16.
She ended the tournament with a birdie on hole 18 to finish at even-par 72 for the day and three-under-par 285 for the week.
“I'm very happy because I made a good putt on the last hole,” said Tseng following the tournament. “Today, the first nine, I didn't do a good job. I was really disappointed, but the back nine I played real good.”
This marks Tseng's first appearance at the LPGA Final Qualifying School, though she recently tested herself on the LPGA Tour. The 18-year-old finished tied for sixth at the CN Canadian Women's Open in August. She fired four rounds of even-par or better including two 67's to finish tied with Kimberly Hall and 2006 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Seon Hwa Lee.
“I don't think I will play any tournaments before LPGA Final Qualifying School,” said Tseng. “I will play the Futures Tour Q-School and practice and take a rest.”
Amie Cochran of California tops the list of four players tied for second place at one-under-par (67-80-70-70=287). Cochran tied the low-round of the tournament with a 5-under-par 67 in the first round to take the early lead.
A second round 80 dropped her to a tie for 22nd place, but she recovered with back-to-back rounds of 2-under-par 70 to earn her ticket to Daytona Beach.
“The main goal coming out here was just to move on to the next stage,” said Cochran. “A lot of the girls out here are really competitive so of course we're all gunning to win.”
Duramed Futures Tour alum Annie Young fired a final round 2-under-par 70 to tie for second place at one-under par (72-70-75-70=287).
Young, who was named the 2005 Big 12 Player of the Year at Oklahoma State University, used four birdies and two bogies to advance.
“I hit the ball better and scored really well, especially in this wind,” said Young. “(I have to) get my body in shape and get ready for the grind coming up.”
South African Ashleigh Simon shot two-over-par 74 in the final round to join a tie for second place. Simon, who turned professional in May of 2007, has played in 19 tournaments on the Ladies European Tour since 2006. Her first career victory came in Spain at the Catalonia Ladies Masters this June. Simon also played two events on the LPGA Tour in 2007, including a sponsor exemption at the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship.
“I didn't play as well as the last two days, but I just had to get the job done out there,” said Simon. “I'm going to practise hard because it will be a hard grueling week (in Daytona). I have to get ready for that.”
Australian Anna Rawson finished in a tie for second after a final round of 75 that featured two birdies and five bogies. The native Australian played 17 events on the Duramed Futures Tour in 2005 before moving to the Ladies European Tour, where she was a fixture in 2006 and 2007.
“It's nice to get it done here in Palm Springs,” said Rawson. “It's very exciting. Good to be in the top-3. That gives me confidence heading into Daytona.”
England's Kiran Matharu and Samantha Head, well enough placed to make the top 30 and ties after three rounds, let their chance slip through their fingers on the final day. Samantha had her worst round of the week, a five-over 77, for 297 - three shots too many to qualify.
Kiran also slumped to her worst of the tournament, a 79, for 298.
The Rancho Mirage qualifier is the first of the LPGA Tour's two sectional qualifying events in 2007. The second LPGA Tour Sectional Qualifying Tournament is Oct. 2-5 at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Fla.
The top-30 finishers and ties from the Florida qualifier will join the California sectional qualifiers, current LPGA Tour members attempting to improve their status and the players who finished sixth through 15th on the final 2007 Duramed Futures Tour money list at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla., Nov. 28-Dec. 2.

THOSE WHO QUALIFIED FOR NEXT STAGE
Par 288 (4 x 72)
1 Yani Tseng 72-68-73-72 285.
T2 Ashleigh Simon (SAf) 73-69-71-74 287.
T2 Anna Rawson (Aus) 71-74-67-75 287.
T2 Amie Cochran 67-80-70-70 287.
T2 Annie Young 72-70-75-70 287.
T6 Emma Cabrera-Bello (Spa) 73-70-71-74 288.
T6 Louise Friberg 74-73-71-70 288.
T8 Jennifer Ackerson 69-73-74-73 289.
T8 Jin Hyun Kim 75-71-69-74 289.
T8 Amy Yang 73-72-70-74 289.
T8 Caryn Wilson 75-74-72-68 289.
T8 Dana Je 75-72-71-71 289.
T8 Whitney Wade 72-71-75-71 289.
T14 Kelly Lagedrost 68-72-74-76 290.
T14 Hwan Hee Lee 70-73-73-74 290.
T14 Sarah-Jane Kenyon 72-76-70-72 290.
T17 Hannah Jun 70-76-74-71 291.
T17 Catherine Matranga 74-73-73-71 291.
T17 Russy Gulyanamitta 76-71-74-70 291.
T20 Nicole Hage 69-78-72-73 292.
T20 Song Yi Choi 69-73-73-77 292.
T20 Kristie Smith 73-70-71-78 292.
T20 Danah Ford 73-74-72-73 292.
T20 Anja Monke (Ger) 73-75-73-71 292.
T20 D'Rae Ward 72-73-76-71 292.
T20 Eileen Vargas 77-72-71-72 292.
T27 Christina Lecuyer 76-72-70-75 293.
T27 Nontaya Srisawang 71-74-73-75 293.
T27 Shinah Ham 74-72-73-74 293.
T27 Carolina Llano 73-77-71-72 293.
T27 May Wood 73-74-72-74 293.
---- DID NOT QUALIFY FOR NEXT STAGE --
T32 Amy Schmucker 72-75-73-74 294.
T32 Priscilla Duffield 70-74-76-74 294.
T32 Esther Choe 78-71-73-72 294.
T32 Hiroko Fujishima 75-75-71-73 294.
T36 Sarah Kemp 74-75-72-74 295.
T36 Kelly Froelich 73-75-73-74 295.
T36 Helen Oh 73-73-72-77 295.
T36 Sukjin Lee Wuesthoff 75-73-74-73 295.
T36 Misun Cho 75-73-75-72 295.
T36 Lauren Espinosa 73-77-73-72 295.
T42 Shanshan Feng 73-75-73-75 296.
T42 Katie Allison 68-76-78-74 296.
T42 Joanne Mills 71-75-75-75 296.
T42 Meghan Little 77-73-68-78 296.
T42 Nikki Garrett 72-72-75-77 296.
T47 Tiffany Tavee 72-75-74-76 297.
T47 Samantha Head 73-73-74-77 297.
T47 Ashley Knoll 71-74-74-78 297.
T47 Taya Battistella 74-75-78-70 297.
T47 Ashley Gomes 73-75-76-73 297.
T47 Rachel Newren 71-77-75-74 297.
T53 Krystal Shearer 74-74-77-73 298.
T53 Yoora Kim 73-77-75-73 298.
T53 Kiran Matharu 77-72-70-79 298.
T53 Rachel Bailey 72-77-73-76 298.
T57 Jenny Suh 71-77-76-75 299.
T57 Lauren Todd 70-75-79-75 299.
T57 Joanna Whitley 77-71-76-75 299.
T57 Leah Wigger 75-74-78-72 299.
T57 Jennifer Greggain 73-76-76-74 299.
T62 Kim Welch 72-75-78-75 300.
T62 Anna Temple 76-73-76-75 300.
T62 Bridget Keala Dwyer 73-77-76-74 300.
T62 Nicole Melton 73-75-75-77 300.
T62 Meghan Bolger 77-73-74-76 300.
T67 Chris Brady 77-73-73-78 301.
T67 Jenna Pearson 73-74-78-76 301.
T69 Lili Alvarez 77-72-76-77 302.
T69 Leah Hart 76-73-77-76 302.
T69 Jana Peterkova 72-76-78-76 302.
T72 Marcela Leon 75-75-74-79 303.
T72 Cortney Reno 74-74-76-79 303.
T72 Chris Newton 75-74-76-78 303.
T72 Ulrika Ljungman-Smith 74-76-77-76 303.
T72 Porani Chutichai 75-75-76-77 303.
T72 Alice Kim 73-77-75-78 303.
78 Michelle Simpson 74-72-82-76 304.
79 Yoo Lee Kim 75-74-74-82 305.
80 Benedikte B Grotvedt 72-78-79-77 306.
T81 Libby Smith 75-74-79-79 307.
T81 Randi Meadows 75-75-77-80 307.
83 Corina Kelepouris 74-76-78-85 313