Mimi Rhodes and a Major Champion Among the Notables
Following lengthy delays at the LPGA Tour Q-School, play finally concluded on Tuesday, with 31 players leaving Alabama extremely satisfied. Originally scheduled for five rounds, the Q-School was shortened to four rounds mid-tournament due to heavy rain and morning frost. After Mother Nature had her say, Germany's Helen Briem led the leaderboard, securing a one-shot victory over Soo Bin Joo with rounds of 65, 69, 71, and 68, bringing the 20-year-old to 13-under-par for the win. Following her final day, Briem explained how the experience of a Ladies European Tour event in Taiwan had helped her navigate the weather delay.
She said: "You can never really prepare for something like that, but I mean, if you've done it once, you can do it twice. So you just have to know what works and what doesn't." As a former World No. 1 amateur, Briem is projected to be a future Solheim Cupper and go far in the game.
Furthermore, standing 6'3" tall with an average clubhead speed of 105mph, she finished ninth in the 2025 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit and is one of the few players from that tour to have earned her LPGA Tour status for 2026.
