Golfers Minami Katsu and Yuna Nishimura earned U.S. LPGA Tour status for the 2023 season after finishing the Q-Series alone in fifth and tied for 24th, respectively, on Sunday.
South Korea's Ryu Hae-ran finished first during the two-week, eight-round qualifying tournament played across two courses in Alabama with a 29-under 545 total. Yuri Onishi, the only other Japanese in the field, was unable to earn her tour card, finishing well outside the top 45 and ties that qualified.
Katsu, a two-time major tournament winner on the Japan LPGA Tour, shot a bogey-free final round of 6-under 66 to finish five strokes behind the winner.
"I didn't expect to finish high on the leaderboard, so I'm surprised," Katsu said. "I was able to play some good golf over eight days. I feel confident after my recent years of training resulted in a good score."
Nishimura was happy to have qualified with an even-par 72 in the final round that left her at 15 under for the tournament, though frustrated with her level of play.
"It was a tough, intense battle," said Nishimura, who finished second in the 2022 money rankings on the Japanese tour. "My putts just didn't go in. I expected myself to do better, so I'm disappointed."
