Who gets an LPGA card for 2023? Here’s how to read the CME points list and what’s at stake

With only three events left on the LPGA schedule, the stakes are high heading into the final stretch. Some players are fighting to get into the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship for a chance to earn mega-money. Some are fighting for the chance to keep their cards.

In 2021, the LPGA switched from using the money list to CME points to determine player status. The idea was to level out the finishes given that some purses are astronomically higher than others.

The cutoff to qualify for the CME Group Tour Championship will be the Pelican Women’s Championship, Nov. 10-13. That’s also when players will make their final push toward securing an LPGA card for 2023 without having to go to Q-Series.

Here’s a closer look at how the CME points list breaks down for 2023 status:

No. 60

Daniela Darquea of Ecuador plays her shot on the fifth tee during the final round of the LPGA Mediheal Championship at The Saticoy Club on October 9, 2022, in Somis, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

Ecuador’s Daniela Darquea currently occupies the 60th spot in the Race to CME Globe standings, which means she’d be the final player in the field. It doesn’t matter who tops this list because anyone in the CME field can win the record-setting $2 million first prize. The CME standings mean nothing once the Tour Championship starts.

Darquea is in the field in Japan Nov. 3-6. She holds a three-point lead over Pornanong Phatlum. Every player who competes all four rounds at the Toto Japan Classic will earn CME points as it’s a no-cut event.

The Pelican Women’s Championship in Belleair, Florida, will be the cutoff to qualify for the season-ending event at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida.

No. 80

Emma Talley of the United States plays her shot on the seventh tee during the first round of the LPGA Mediheal Championship at The Saticoy Club on October 06, 2022, in Somis, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

The top 80 on the CME points list fit into Category 1 of the LPGA Priority List. That’s as good as it gets.

Right now, Emma Talley sits in the 80th position. Category 1 is used to fill limited-field events at the start of the year like the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore and the Honda LPGA Thailand.

No. 100

Su Oh of Australia plays her shot on the seventh tee during the first round of the LPGA Mediheal Championship at The Saticoy Club on October 06, 2022, in Somis, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

The top 100 positions on the CME list are considered full cardholders. Australia’s Su Oh currently occupies the 100th spot.

There are nine categories in between the top 80 and Nos. 81 to 100. Those categories include things like top 20 on the career money list; major winners from the previous five years; winners of official events from the past two years; current top 80 after the first reshuffle; and the top 10 on the Epson Tour money list from the previous season.

Players finishing between 81st and 100 on the CME list fall in Category 11.

No. 125

Bianca Pagdanganan of the Philippines walks up the 17th fairway during the third round of the 77th U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club on June 4, 2022, in Southern Pines, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Those who fall between Nos. 101 to 125 are in Category 15. These folks might want to consider going to Q-Series later this year to improve their status. The top 45 finishers from Q-Series fall in Category 14 and are listed in the order they finish.

The first player listed in Category 15 at the start of the 2022 season was Celine Herbin at No. 182. Consider that full-field events have 144 players or less, depending on daylight.

Those who finish 126-150 fall in No. 18 of 19 total categories. They’ll also be heading back to Q-Series and possibly the Epson Tour.

Bianca Pagdanganan (pictured above) is in the field at Pelican. She’s currently 130th on the CME points list.