Isabelle Beisiegel became the first female golfer to qualify for a men’s tour when she earned the last non-exempt card for the Canadian Tour this week. Beisiegel shot a three-over 75 in the final round at Qualifying School Friday giving her a four-round score of eight-over 296. While other female golfers have played in men’s events in the past (see Annika Sorenstam, Michelle Wie), Beisiegel is the first to qualify for a tour.
The way qualifying works for the Candian Tour is pretty simple. 12% of the field at Canadian Qualifying School earns exempt status and the next 12% earns non-exempt status. Exempt status means a player can enter and play in any field event. Non-exempt status means you qualify for certain events based on your ranking coming out of Q-School and your ranking on tour. Non-exempt members may have to qualify to earn a spot in events.
Even though Beisiegel hasn’t earned exempt status, what she’s done is nevertheless impressive. What’s extremely impressive is that she earned the spot despite knowing what was at stake. “I focused on thinking about where I was and not what could happen,” Beisiegel she said after qualifying. She also admitted the feeling was a little overwhelming. When you’ve made history, it’s hard for it not to be.
