Karis Davidson lone Aussie LPGA Q-School success

Karis Davidson has strengthened her chances of playing full-time on the LPGA Tour after advancing to Stage II of Qualifying School in Florida.

Davidson, a regular on the Japan Ladies Tour, closed with successive rounds of 72 and a tie for 25th, three shots inside the cut-off line to be the only Australian player to move to the next stage.

Karis Davidson (Credit: LPGA Tour)

The result sees her starting in the LPGA Tour Q-School final starting 29th November, a two-week cumulative tournament that will award the top-45 finishers with playing rights on the LPGA Tour in 2022.

Former world No. 1 amateur Pauline Roussin-Bouchard fired a bogey-free, 7-under par 65 to finish at 19-under-par on the Bobcat Course at Plantation Golf & Country Club and marking the Frenchwoman as a favourite to progress in the upcoming finals.

A total of 47 players finished 3-under par or better, with exactly 45 eligible to advance to LPGA Q-School finals including 19 individuals that began the Q-School process at Stage I in August.

Qualifying schools on any tour are filled with tales of heartache and former US Amateur champion Gabi Ruffels would be feeling the pain after failing to advance by a single shot.

Ruffels, who grew up in Melbourne, began the final round in a share of 30th position and was cruising along nicely in her final round moving to 4-under before carding a triple bogey on the 16th hole followed by a bogey on the 18th to finish 1-over giving her a 2-under-par four round total, dashing her chances of advancing.

Ruffels will join fellow Aussies, Julienne Soo, Grace Kim, Kirsty Hodgkins, Soo Jin Lee, Stephanie Na, Emily Mahar, who by playing all four rounds at Second Stage, automatically secured status on the secondary Symetra Tour for 2022.