The Magic of a Monday Qualifier

Emily Tubert Netzbert thought she was done with golf, but on a whim, she decided to give a Monday qualifier a shot.

Three days later, the former LPGA player is back in a professional field for the first time since 2018—and making the most of it at the Portland Classic.

Golf Channel announcer Grant Boone posted about Netzbert, 34, and her story which led me to do some digging.

Prior to her LPGA career she won the 2010 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links, became a three-time All-American at the University of Arkansas, represented the U.S. in the 2012 Curtis Cup and played on the LPGA Tour in 2017 and 2018. She was also, fittingly, a big hitter—winning her first-ever World Long Drive competition in 2018 with a 322-yard drive.

But the game eventually became something she needed to leave behind. Boone shared in a tweet that Netzbert experienced what she called significant trauma before turning professional and ultimately needed to step away from golf to work through it.

With some time away and with the help of her partner Netzbert started to work as a golf coach in Bellingham, Washington, and slowly found her way back to the game, and ultimately this week in Portland.

Boone also shared a little of what made Netzbert's Monday qualifier so remarkable. It was her first full 18-hole walk in three years, and after pushing her own bag through the round, she found herself in a playoff for the final spot after bogeying her last two holes. She recruited a veteran for the playoff, who she met while waiting on if she'd be in or not, to walk with her and help her with her looks. With a good read, Netzbert drained the putt to punch her ticket back to the LPGA.

And just like that, a player who had walked away from professional golf has now found herself making the weekend and sitting inside the top-40!

Netzbert opened with a 73 on Thursday but caught fire Friday, with a spotless, bogey free round of 67. Which is exactly why we'll always have a soft spot for Monday qualifiers. They're messy, unpredictable, and occasionally deliver a second chance when someone least expects it. And this time, it's Netzbert who got hers.