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5 MIN READ
August 19, 2026
Two LPGA Players Have Already Earned Their Cards Through LEAP. Here's How It Works.
Lottie Woad and Kiara Romero have punched their tickets to the LPGA through LEAP, here's your guide to how the pathway works, and why we dig it.
Over the past two seasons, the LPGA has rolled out a new way for the game's most elite amateurs to earn their way onto the Tour. The Elite Amateur Pathway, or LEAP, is a points-based system that rewards top amateur performances with the ultimate prize of LPGA Tour membership.
And while LEAP is very much is still in its infancy, it's already produced two players who have completed the feat. Lottie Woad became the first in 2025, followed by Kiara Romero in 2026, making them the first two players to earn their LPGA cards outside of the Epson Tour and Q School.
The idea behind LEAP is pretty simple, and frankly overdue in the women's game. The best amateurs are already proving themselves against some of the strongest competition in the world, so why make them wait to turn pro before giving them a shot at the next level?
When the LPGA announced the program, former Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan said the goal was to create a direct pathway for the "very elite" amateurs while making sure the criteria were rigorous enough to identify players who were truly ready for the Tour. "I think this will allow the very elite to be able to bypass Q-Series and get right on to the LPGA," Marcoux Samaan said in November 2024, before her departure. "There won't be a lot of these athletes. This isn't going to happen every year. It might happen every couple of years."
Two seasons in, that prediction is looking pretty accurate. So, what exactly does it take to LEAP your way onto the LPGA?
How it Works
Players who reach a 20-point threshold by achieving certain elite benchmarks will be able to activate up to a year and a half of exempt LPGA status.
How players earn point is determined by five categories: ranking, LPGA finishes, amateur wins, awards, and team play. Point allocation in each category is as follows:
World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR)
A Player will earn points based on her highest career WAGR ranking. Points will only be awarded for the highest ranking, not each ranking achieved.
- 3 points – for highest WAGR ranking of #1
- 2 points – for highest WAGR ranking of #2 or #3
- 1 point – for highest WAGR ranking of #4 or #5 Ranking
LPGA Official Tournament Finish Position
Players can only earn one of these achievements per finish points (if a player has a T-25 finish in a major she win only earn 2 points, she will not be awarded 3 points for a made cut.)
- LPGA Majors – 2 points for Top-25 (and ties) OR 1 point for cut made
- Non-Major LPGA Official Tournaments – 2 points for Top-10 (and ties) OR 1 point for Top 40 (and ties)
Amateur Championships
- 2 points – the Champion of each of the following:
- Augusta National Women’s Amateur
- European Ladies Amateur Championship
- The Women’s Amateur Championship
- World Amateur Team (Individual Champion)
- United States Women’s Amateur Championship
- Division 1 NCAA Championship Individual Champion
- 1 point – the Champion of each of the following:
- United States Girls Junior Championship
- Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship
- Women’s Amateur Latin America
Awards
- 4 points – McCormack Medal winner
- 2 points – ANNIKA Award winner
- 2 points – Women’s Golf Coaches Association Player of the Year
- 1 point – AJGA Player of the Year
- 1 point – Division I Inkster Award Winner
Teams
- 2 points – each Amateur Player competing as an official member of a Curtis Cup team.
- 1 point – each Amateur Player competing as an official member of the Arnold Palmer Cup team.
When did it start?
LEAP officially launched on Jan. 1, 2025, with players able to accumulate points across a four-year window: the current calendar year plus the previous three. For the 2026 season, that means qualifying results dating back to Jan. 1, 2023 can count toward the 20-point threshold required for LPGA membership.
Is it the same as PGA TOUR University?
You may be wondering how does this program compare to PGA TOUR U, which has been producing a number of tour cards for men's college athletes over the last few seasons.
LEAP is modeled after the PGA TOUR University’s accelerated program, yet the biggest difference between the two is that players don’t have to be in college. It casts a broader net for all amateurs to qualify, and if deemed eligible, they can start earning points at any time.
Who's Up Next?
Farah O'Keefe and Maria Jose Marin are currently sitting closest to the finish line, with 17 LEAP points apiece heading into their senior seasons at Texas and Arkansas, respectively. That puts both just three points shy of LPGA membership eligibility.
Asterisk Talley is also one to watch: The 2026 U.S. Women's Amateur champion has 13 points and is set to begin her college career at Stanford next fall, giving her plenty of runway to make up ground.
What's the "point"?
When you look at the criteria listed out in front of you...it seems like a lot of math being thrown at you, but, in a way, that's the point.
This isn't just some easy, "walk-on the tour" scenario, it's far from it actually. The gist is that exceptional players will be rewarded for being exactly that. Is the system perfect? It's certainly too soon to tell, but I like the idea of the LPGA mirroring what's been working in the men's game and creating their own version. It's a unique way of expanding and exploring options for young talent across the world to have a shot at earning a playing card.
The "grind" of professional golf is antiquated. It shouldn't be this difficult or costly for golfers to pursue playing ambitions. We've seen alternative leagues come into the fold and introduce new pathways, we've seen college athletes thrive in PGA TOUR U, now it's time for girls and young women reap the benefits of their talent and showcase it, the sooner the better.
This page was first published on January 28, 2025. Last updated August 19, 2026.
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