Priority Status Changes - June 2010

UPDATE:  The official list came out just a couple of hours after I posted this.  Thanks to Ice Cat for the link.

June 15 2010 Priority List

The State Farm Classic was the eighth event of 2010 and the current Priority Status list decrees that it shall now be re-ordered, with the updated list being used beginning at the LPGA Championship next week.  This week's ShopRite Classic will use the original list.  Here is how I expect the new list to look.

Hee Kyung Seo is the only potential Category 5 player (Current Year Win), and that is only if she has become a member of the LPGA since winning the Kia Classic in March.  I don't believe she has done that.  If she waits until the end of the season (or at least until after the final Priority re-ordering following the Safeway Classic in August) to become a member, Seo will come in next year under Category 7.

There are three players eligible to move up to Category 8 (Current Year Top 40) - Azahara Munoz (29^th), Amanda Blumenherst (35^th) and Gwladys Nocera (40^th).  Nocera's T6 finish at State Farm was just enough to put her in this category and move her up from Position 132 to 99.  Munoz (110 to 97) and Blumenherst (102 to 98) also move up, but not as drastically.  These three players must still be in the Top 40 after Safeway to remain Cat-8 for the rest of the year.

Because of the three Cat-8 additions, the five Cat-9 players drop to Positions 100-104 and Cat-11 begins with Moira Dunn at Position 105.  None of these changes should seriously affect the players involved.  Laura Diaz, the only player in Cat-12, remains at Position 144.

As for the Cat-14 through 20 shuffle, here are the eight players who have earned money in 2010 and move to the top of the heap:

Lisa Strom would have been listed here had she not been disqualified during the final round of State Farm.  I'm guessing she probably would have finished ahead of Moreno so the DQ cost Lisa approximately nine positions (would have been about 150, now actually at 159).  Nine positions in this area is a big deal.  The big winners here are Paola Moreno and Libby Smith.  Moreno only finished T71 this week but that was enough to make a huge difference.  Likewise for Libby Smith, who finished T70 at Bell Micro.  Those who haven't yet made any money fall in line beginning at Position 153 starting with Joo Mi Kim, Russy Gulyanamitta (who DNS'd at State Farm) and Jin Joo Hong.  For each of these players, it just got a little bit harder to make the field each week.

Just a reminder- these are my estimations of how the new list will look.  When I see it for real at LPGA.com, I'll let you know.