Make-or-Break Update

The Navistar results shook up the race for the Top 90 a little bit. Here’s a look at how the afore-mentioned contenders stand going into the final event, the Longs Drugs:

RELAXED:
#86 Sherri Turner earned over $13,000 by finishing T22. She’s now over $9000 (and five players) ahead of #91, making her a lock. I failed to notice in my first post that #89 Liselotte Neumann has the Top 40 Career Money List exemption (Code 7) to fall back on. She can save that for a rainy day if she can make the cut at Longs and bring in a decent check.

APPREHENSIVE:
#87 Soo Young Moon failed to make the cut but since Turner was the only player to pass her, I’m going to leave her in this category. Four more players who are currently at least $6500 behind would have to pass her this week to knock Moon out, so she’s probably in. Stranger things have happened, though – just ask the Oklahoma Sooners.

NERVOUS:
#88 Dina Ammaccapane only earned $2330 which wasn’t good enough to upgrade her to Apprehensive. As of Tuesday am, Dina is the fourth alternate to make the Longs field. If she doesn’t get in, I think it will be “sayonara Top 90”. Maybe she could talk big sister Danielle into withdrawing to increase her chances! #90 Minea Blomqvist picked up $8713 from her T30 finish and is now about $2600 ahead of #91. The bad news – Minea didn’t make the Longs field so her Top 90 status will probably be short-lived. One more little wrinkle - #91 is Lori Kane, who is already exempt for next year which means she isn’t desperate to haul any of these players down. Of course Lori just finished 19th at Navistar and if she could pull that off again, she would ruin somebody’s party.

LOSING SLEEP AT NIGHT:
#93 Katie Futcher and #94 Jill McGill will be at Longs but both missed the cut at Navistar to leave themselves $6500 behind #90. A top 30 finish is needed to have a realistic chance.

SWEATING BULLETS:
#95 Nancy Scranton was -7 through the first 11 holes of the Navistar Classic. 25 holes later, she had lost ten strokes to par and missed the cut. Nancy needs at least $10,000 (probably 20th or higher) to have any chance of making Top 90.

BACK AGAINST THE WALL:
#97 Kristy McPherson earned over $3000 last week but still needs about $13,000 (around 18th place) to get there. #98 Jamie Hullett jumped from #107 with an $8700 weekend but needs an even better one at Longs. #99 Erica Blasberg missed the cut and now needs one of those unlikely great finishes as well.

NEED A MIRACLE:
#103 on down (100-102 are already exempt). At least $16,000 (top 15) is needed for anyone here to make it. Count Johanna Head (MC at Navistar), Vicki Goetze-Ackerman (ditto) and Song-Hee Kim (T58) among the ones on bended knee. Goetze-Ackerman already has Lady Luck on her side – she’s in the Longs field on a sponsor’s exemption. It helps to know somebody.

DONE & GONE:
#92 Eva Dahloff jumped from #111 by finishing T11, and #96 Yu Ping Lin earned $2330 at Navistar but since neither are in the Longs field, they are kaput. This is Reason #1 why being a non-exempt player really sucks – you aren’t guaranteed to even get a final chance to save yourself.

UPDATE: The Constructivist pointed out in the comments that Minea Blomqvist has a tee time on Thursday. She fired a 66 in Monday qualifying to make the Longs field. Talk about performing under pressure! I like her chances of making the Top 90 a lot now.