Megan McChrystal wins Symetra Tour finale, 10 get LPGA Tour cards

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Megan McChrystal birdied the final hole Monday to win the season-ending Symetra Tour Championship, and P.K. Kongkraphan won the money title to take one of 10 the LPGA Tour cards up for grabs. 

A stroke ahead of South Africa's Paula Reto when play was suspended Sunday because of darkness, McChrystal made a 7-foot birdie putt on her lone hole Monday to beat France's Perrine Delacour by two strokes. McChrystal, a former LSU player from Stuart, Fla., had a 4-under 68 to finish at 13-under 275 on LPGA International's Champions Course. 

"I think I might cry," McChrystal said. "This gives me the confidence I need for Q-School. Last year, I was terrified. Now, I know I'm ready." 

She earned $18,750 to jump from 58th to 18th on the money list with $27,238. The players who finished Nos. 11-20 on the money list received spots in the final stage of the qualifying tournament in December. 

"My goal was to make it high enough on the money list to make it to the final stage," McChrystal said. "I just wanted to prove to myself that I could shoot par or better through four rounds. It'll make Q-School easier knowing that I'm capable of doing that." 

Delacour closed with a 66 on Sunday. She was the only player to move into the top 10 on the money list in the finale, earning $11,590 to jump from 20th to eighth. 

Reto shot 72, making a bogey and a par Monday, to finish third at 10 under. 

Kongkraphan, from Thailand, tied for seventh at 4 under. She finished the season with $47,283. Giulia Molinaro was second at $39,848, followed by Marina Alex ($39,804), Christine Song ($39,309), Cydney Clanton ($38,861), Sue Kim ($37,850), Hannah Jun ($36,810), Delacour ($34,577), Alena Sharp ($34,120) and Jacyln Sweeney ($33,609). 

Sweeney tied for 22nd at even par to edge Olivia Jordan-Higgins by $114 for the final LPGA Tour card. Higgins, eighth on the money list entering the tournament, missed the cut. 

The players finishing 11th through 20th and headed for Q-School in December are Jordan-Higgins, Kim Kaufman, Melissa Eaton, Laura Kueny, Wei-Ling Hsu, Marissa Steen, McChrystal, Kendall Dye, Katy Harris and Jackie Stoelting.

The race for the 10 LPGA Tour cards began at the season-opening VisitMesa.com Gateway Classic. There were 14 different winners on the 15-event schedule.

This year marked the second year since the Race for the Card was implemented in 1999 that 10 players received fully exempt LPGA Tour cards for the next year. From 1999 to 2002, three exemptions were awarded, and from 2007-2011, 10 LPGA memberships were awarded with only the top 5 earning fully exempt status.

This year’s graduating class joins an elite list of fellow Symetra Tour graduates that include 2012 Rolex Player of the Year Inbee Park, 27-time LPGA Tour winner Lorena Ochoa, 2011 U.S. Solheim Cup Team member Vicky Hurst and two-time LPGA Tour winner Christina Kim.