NOTRE DAME, Ind. — For the first time in its 30-year history, the University of Notre Dame women’s golf program can boast an LPGA Tour member as one of its own.
Former captain and two-time Irish MVP Becca Huffer (’12) earned her LPGA Tour Card on Saturday after finishing in 10th place at the LPGA Q-Series at Pinehurst Course in Pinehurst, North Carolina. In its inaugural season, the Q-Series consisted of eight rounds over two, four-day tournaments with the top 45 finishers earning LPGA membership.
Huffer carded a three-under-par (77-76-70-70-68-72-67-73=573), dipping under par 72 in four of eight rounds.
“I’m so incredibly proud of Becca for achieving her ultimate goal of earning full status on the LPGA Tour,” Irish head coach Susan Holt said. “She has dedicated her life to this goal since graduating from Notre Dame and her patience and persistence has paid off. Becca has battled through some injuries over the years which makes this accomplishment even more meaningful for her I’m sure. This is a great day for Notre Dame women’s golf and will show our current and future players that with a lot of hard work and a committed approach they too can achieve this goal if it is the path they choose.”
A four-time monogram winner, Huffer has played on the minor Symetra Tour since 2013. She has recorded 10 career top-10 Symetra Tour finishes, including three in 2018. This season, she ranks fifth in sub par holes (223), sixth on the tour in birdies (218), seventh in total rounds played (59) and ninth in eagles (5) and has tallied a hole-in-one.
“Becca has an innate passion for success, whether in graphic design or on the golf course,” current associate head coach Kyle Lynne Demeter said. “She had a dream of making it to the tour and through all her hard work, time and the support of her loving family and friends that is now a reality. What a true accomplishment for a tremendous young lady. As her former assistant coach and now friend, I couldn’t be happier for her.”
“While Becca is incredibly talented, she is an even better person,” Holt added. “I am confident she will be a great representative of Notre Dame on the LPGA Tour. She is the first Notre Dame golfer to earn an LPGA Tour card and no one can ever take that away from her. We are looking forward to following her success on the tour.”
Prior to joining the Symetra Tour, Huffer was a three-time winner on the Cactus Tour and won the 2013 Colorado Women’s Open. In 2012, she qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open Championship where she shot a 161/+17 to miss the cut.
As a senior with the Irish, Huffer served as captain and led the team in scoring average (75.34), rounds in the 70s (27), top 10 finishes (4) and won the 2011 Hoosier Fall Invitational Crooked Stick. She was a four-time All-BIG EAST honoree (including the 2009 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year) and named the BIG EAST Sport Scholar-Athlete Award winner as a senior. She finished in the top 10 three times at the BIG EAST Championships (2010, 2011, 2012) and helped the Irish advance to the NCAA Championship in 2011, when the team finished 24th.
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