Savannah Grewal (LPGA Photo)
21-year-old
Savannah Grewal from Mississauga, Canada shot rounds of 67-68-66-72 to finish 15-under at the LPGA & Epson Tour Q-School Stage-I at Rancho Mirage in California.
Following her opening round of 67 and a T3rd on the leaderboard, Grewal added 68-66-72 in the subsequent rounds to remain at the top of the leaderboard for the next 54 holes.
Grewal, ranked 87th on the Golfweek.com/Amateur Golf Rankings is a former Drive, Chip, & Putt champion and a participant at the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. However, it's her outstanding performance as a member of the University of Clemson Tigers golf team that truly stands out.
In 2023, she took part in 10 events, with her most notable achievement being a T6 finish at the NCAA Pullman Regional. Furthermore, she earned a well-deserved spot on the 2022-23 Women’s Golf Coaches Association’s (WGCA) All-America Scholar Team.
In 2022-2023, she competed in 35 rounds for the Clemson Tigers. Grewal led the team in stroke average at 71.77 and was named to the 2023 All-ACC Team. She also qualified for the NCAA Individual National Championship earlier this spring, just the second player in Clemson history to do so. Grewal carded a 9-under 63 in the final round of the Pullman Regional, the lowest round gross score in Clemson history.
Grewal, who graduated with a major in Health Science earlier in May is currently taking advantage of her COVID-19 year in 2023-2024 with her fifth year on the lineup.
"I felt very confident heading into Stage 1. My game has been trending in the right direction all year, and I had the opportunity to play in an LPGA event over the summer, which definitely gave me a lot of confidence," said Grewal. "My game plan has been to stay present and play smart golf. I think my mental game has been the best part of my game this week. I've stayed very present and have stayed in the moment all week."
Following Grewal, amateurs
Fiona Xu of New Zealand and American
Jensen Castle finished T3 at 13-under.
Xu, currently ranked 28th on the Golfweek.com/Amateur Golf Rankings, boasts an impressive list of achievements. She secured the coveted title of the 2022 Australian Women's Amateur champion, becoming the first Kiwi player to achieve this feat since Lydia Ko in 2012.
The New Zealander went bogey-free in her final round at Stage I, turning in a card of 70 to finish T3 for the tournament. Xu shot rounds of 69-68-68-70, and throughout her 72 holes of play, Xu only recorded three bogeys while cruising to Stage II.
"I was very nervous coming into this week because there are a lot of players, like over 300, so I just told myself to stay in the moment and just try to get through the week the best I can," said Xu. "I didn't really have high expectations coming into this week, but finishing near the top gives me a little more confidence going forward. I showed myself I can play amongst the best players, but I have the same expectations for Stage II, and I will see how it goes from there."
Jensen Castle, who joined Fiona Xu for a tied-3rd position on the leaderboard, shot 66-71-69-69, 13-under.
Jensen, the 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur, is ranked 45th on the Golfweek.com/Amateur Golf Rankings. The South Carolina native graduated in management and marketing major from the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics.
A total of 308 ladies, including 75 amateurs participated in Stage-I of the Q-School, and 33 of them have successfully advanced to Stage-II, set to take place from October 17 to 20 in Florida.