LPGA Futures Tour: It's a grind in golf's minor leagues

CONCORD, N.H, July 24 -- As rain pelted Beaver Meadow Golf Course Friday afternoon, some golf watchers wondered why LPGA players in this week’s field were not, instead, sloshing around in the downpours at the far more exotic Evian Masters in Evians-les-Bains, France.

Would that they could

Playing the LPGA card. The top 10 moneymakers on the developmental Futures Tour receive their LPGA cards for the following year, but that only gets some of them so far. The five best escape the need to qualify on Mondays for specific tourneys, while the other five are “conditional” players who must play their way into LPGA events when they’re not trying to eke out a living on the Futures Tour.

Whitney Wade is one such “conditional” golfer. The 24-year-old from Glasgow, Ky., missed making it to the big leagues in 2009 by a mere $1,400, thanks to a couple of double-bogeys at her last tourney and a sixth-place finish on the money list.

Not fully exempt. “One through five get full exemption into the LPGA, except for the majors,” Wade told Golf Examiner after the obligatory Thursday pro-am at Beaver Meadow. “Six through 10, you’re not going to get into a lot of them.”

With the LPGA suffering through a year of dwindling events, it has become increasingly difficult for players like Wade and Alison Walshe, who also won “conditional” status, to squeeze into LPGA contests.

“It’s harder these days, with a smaller schedule, because a lot of players are playing more and not taking time off,” Wade said.

LPGA and Futures Tour player Walshe (Westford, Mass.), playing in The International at Concord field this week, was more succinct.

“It kind of stinks,” Walshe acknowledged in an interview earlier this year, “but hopefully next year will be better and I’ll have full status.”

Standing by. Another way to get into LPGA play is as a stand-by waiting for an eligible golfer to withdraw. On the list of alternates for the recent Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, Wade learned on the preceding Saturday that she was in the mix for the Corning competition in Sylvania, Ohio.

Luckily, Wade was playing in the City of Hammond (Ind.) Classic, only about a three-hour drive from the event. Lucky, because travel and other expenses can pile up when you’re slogging your way through golf’s minor leagues.

Indeed, were it not for the kindness of families opening their homes to Wade and other players at each stop on the schedule, a struggling Futures Tour player would have to add hotel costs to her entry fees ($500 per event; about $8,000 annually), lessons, gas, trainers, and other necessities of professional golf.

It all adds up. “It adds up really quickly,” Wade noted.

For sure, depositing her first paycheck was huge for Wade.

“As soon as I won my first State Open, it was so much easier,” she said. “It was not, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve got to make the cut so I can pay this bill or so I can even go to the next tournament.’”

Grinding. It’s clear that trying to make it on tour is not for the faint of heart. Wade, who has pocketed more than $66,000 in her brief career, allowed that it can get tough inside the ropes.

“It’s the grinding out here,” she conceded. “It’s so competitive but you’re grinding for every penny, every dollar.”

Still, Wade, an engagingly upbeat woman with a contagious smile, viewed only the positives in a stressful situation full of potential pitfalls.

“I’m in my third year and I progress each year,” the five-foot, three-inch University of Georgia grad said. “My first year, I was 37th on the money list and the next year, I was sixth. I was lucky enough to play well and make some money.”

Young phenom. Wade took up golf at the age of seven and won her first high school tourney at nine. She may not be the longest hitter on tour (she estimated her average drive at about 240 yards to earn the nickname, "Wimpy"), but she entered the pro ranks with an impressive resume.

In addition to winning the 2007 Kentucky State Open and 2008 Ohio Women’s Open, she captured three Kentucky State Amateur titles, the first in 1999 when she was 13 and the youngest winner of the event.

Wade was also a four-time All-SEC first-teamer as a Georgia Bulldog, an American Junior Golf Association standout, and a 2005 U.S. Junior Solheim Cup team player. As a pro, she hoisted the trophy in last year’s Duramed Championship.

Getting back to The Show. As for making it to the LPGA Tour, Wade could easily get used to the huge, supportive galleries that root for golfers even when they’re putting on the the practice green.
The perks weren’t bad, either.

“You get your lunches, breakfasts; everything’s there if you need it,” said Wade. “It’s just a big difference, a big step up there. You just get a taste and it makes you want to go back.”

Luck of the draw. In Friday’s opening round at Beaver Meadow, Wade slogged her way through soggy conditions to a 1-over 73, six shots back of three players. She is scheduled to tee off Saturday at 9:40 a.m. EDT.

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