Former Women's Golfers Petrino, Restrepo Begin Pursuit of Dream at 'Q-School'
August 25, 2016 | Women's Golf
Former Cardinals Katie Petrino and Laura Restrepo opened play in Stage I on Thursday.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Former University of Louisville women's golfers Katie Petrino and Laura Restrepo have taken their first steps toward pursuing their dreams of becoming LPGA Tour members.
The two Cardinals are participating in Stage I of the LPGA and Symetra Tour Qualifying School on Thursday at the Dinah Shore Course of the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Restrepo was scheduled to tee off at 10:45 a.m. ET, while Petrino was given a 2:35 p.m. start time.
The total stage, which lasts until Sunday, consists of 72 holes of stroke-play competition, with a cut made after the third round. Over the first three days of the event, the field will play one round each on Dinah Shore, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player courses with the final round played on the Dinah Shore Course. Those who complete 54 holes will receive Symetra Tour status for 2017.
The top-60 players and ties from this week will advance to the Stage II of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament at the Plantation Golf and Country Club from Oct. 20-23 in Venice, Fla.
Petrino, a two-time all-conference recipient, finished her tenure at Louisville in 2015. She competed in 44 events with the Cardinals, collecting seven top-10 finishes and boasting a 75.98-stroke average. In 2013-14, the year she helped Louisville win the American Athletic Conference title, she carried a 74.35 average for the 11th-lowest single-season mark in school history. Petrino also excelled in the classroom, earning WGCA All-American Scholar accolades four times.
“I spoke with her last week, and she said that she's more refreshed to play golf,” head coach Courtney Trimble said. “I think she's going to do really well, and I'm excited for her to have that opportunity and be out there fresh and ready to use her talent. She played great in the Kentucky Open.”
Restrepo graduated from Louisville in the spring of 2016 – with a 3.523 grade-point average in finance – as a three-time all-conference honoree. She led the team last year in stroke average with a 73.06, second lowest in a season in school history, and also had a team-best five top-10 finishes. Her 10 top-20 finishes are tied for the most in a season at UofL. Over her four-year career, she boasted a 74.16-stroke average, with four individual victories, and shot even or below par in 37 rounds.
“Laura finished her career here on a very high note,” Trimble said. “She had a great year, all-ACC player, and played a lot this summer and posted some great rounds. She's not going to let anything in her way of reaching her goal of getting to the LPGA. I think she's really ready, and I'm looking forward to watching from afar how she does.”
A four-time WGCA All-American Scholar, Restrepo also was recognized on the All-ACC Women's Golf Team for the second-consecutive year.
LPGA Qualifying School has been in place since 1973. Golfers who advance through Q school become members of the LPGA Tour the upcoming season. The third and final stage of school is Nov. 30 through Dec. 4 and will be held at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla.
For the latest information on Louisville women's golf, log on to GoCards.com, or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/UofLWGolf or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UofLWGolf.
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