Former Seattle U golfer Caitlin McCleary (The Dalles, Ore.) advanced to the Stage2 Qualifying Tournament of the LPGA Qualifying School Friday after finishing Stage 1, a four-day tournament held at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla., tied for 21st place at 1-under-par 287.
McCleary, a 2012 alum, became the first Seattle University golfer to win a Division I tournament Sept. 13, 2011, when she won the Circling Raven Collegiate Invitational in Spokane, Wash. She added two more tournament victories at the Firestone Grill College Invitational Oct. 2-3 and the Red Rocks Invitational March 3-4. She also finished tied for first at the West Coast Conference Championship April 16-18.
McCleary started off the tournament Tuesday with a first round 69, three strokes under par. During rounds two and three she shot even-par 72, and followed those up with a two-over 74 during Friday's final round. Her overall score of 287 put her tied for 21st with fellow amateur Justine Lee from Sydney, Australia.
Having finished in the top 60 including ties, McCleary will now advance to Stage 2 of the LPGA's Qualifying School, another 72-hole tournament held Oct. 9-12 at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Fla. If she finishes in the top 70 at Venice, she'll advance to Stage 3, a 90-hole tournament Nov. 28 to Dec. 2 back at LPGA International. The top finishers in Stage 3 will earn 2013 LPGA Tour membership, while everyone who makes the cut in Stage 3 will earn membership to the Symetra Tour.
Moriya Jutanugarn from Bankok, Thailand, won the Stage 1 tournament at 15-under-par 273.