University of Tennessee Athletics
Former Lady Vol Jessica Shepley Earns LPGA Card
December 07, 2009 | Women's Golf
Dec. 7, 2009
By Zach Stipe, Media Relations Graduate Assistant
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Former Lady Vol Jessica Shepley carded a final round 3-under 69, vaulting her into a tie for 32nd to earn LPGA membership for the 2010 season on Monday at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament at the LPGA International.
Shepley earned Priority List Category 11 for the 2010 tour after finishing with a total score of 77-70-75-72-69=363 (+3) at the Q-School tournament.
Former Duke All-American and three-time NGCA Player of the Year Amanda Blumenherst grabbed medalist honors at the Final Qualifier with a 9-uner-par 351 (72-71-73-67-68) total.
The top 40 players earned LPGA membership, as 4-over-par ended up being the cut for the last cards.
Two other former Lady Vols, Angela Oh and Young-A Yang, had a shot of nabbing membership heading into the final round.
Oh fired an even-par 72 and tied for 43rd with a 79-71-69-75-72=366 total. Yang tied for 70th with a 75-68-76-75-77=371 (+11) total.
Oh had tied for 40th in 2008, while Yang has been a member of the LPGA since 2003, making 72 cuts and earning nearly $700,000 in prize money.
Another former UT women's golf star, Nicole Smith, also competed at the Final Qualifying Tournament, but did not make the final cut to the fifth round. She was 15-over through 72 holes at her first Q-School.
Shepley, of Oakville, Ontario, is the current volunteer assistant coach for the Tennessee women's golf team. She first earned LPGA membership by finishing seventh on the Duramed FUTURES Tour money list in 2008.
She made three starts on the LPGA Tour this season and played in 15 FUTURES events with a best finish of tied for ninth at the USI Championship in Concord, N.H. in July. She earned All-SEC and honorable mention All-America accolades during her career at Rocky Top from 2001-05.
