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Feng becomes first Chinese woman to earn LPGA card

Shanshan Feng of China finished tied for ninth at 5-under par 355 (72-72-70-71-70) at the LPGA Final Qualifying School at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla., earning exempt status on the 2008 LPGA Tour. She is the first woman from China to earn a spot on the LPGA Tour.

The 18-year-old was one of only two amateurs to earn her LPGA exempt card for the 2008 season and the first student-athlete from China to enroll at the International Junior Golf Academy. Since her arrival, two additional students from China have joined the IJGA.

Before arriving in the U.S., Shanshan won the China Amateur three times as well as the China Youth Championship. She's been playing golf for about eight years.

Earlier this year, Shanshan became the first junior golfer from China to play in the U.S. Women's Open. She also advanced to match play at both the U.S. Girls Junior Championship and the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links and posted four wins on the International Junior Golf Tour.

Shanshan becomes the fourth IJGA alum to play on the LPGA Tour. Last year, Song-Hee Kim, In-Kyung Kim and Hye Jung Choi earned their cards.

The 135-player field featured 62 international players from 22 countries outside the United States. The Qualifying School tournament was held at LPGA International, where 135 players played the Champions and Legends Courses twice, seeking to become the top 70 to advance to Sunday's final round. The final round was on the Legends Course.

December 6, 2007