You might not think it from her composed reaction but Irish golfer Stephanie Meadow had this putt to save her job - literally.
The 27-year-old LPGA player out of Portrush drained this 25 footer for the birdie that retained her pro tour card for 2020.
Passion 🔥
Fighting to make Top 100 on the money list, @StephMeadow20 finishes birdie-birdie in Texas.
Watch the conclusion of the @VOAClassic now on @GolfChannel! pic.twitter.com/VfVUqY7ltQ— LPGA (@LPGA) October 6, 2019
It allowed her sign for a Sunday 67 and a tied-sixth finish at the Volunteers of America Classic outside Dallas, moving her inside the top 100 (99th) on the money list at the end of the tournament.
“There’s no feeling in the world like it. Could watch this putt all day,” Meadow tweeted later Sunday night, hash-tagging: #fightforyourdreams #everythingihad.
She certainly gave it that. A standout college player at the University of Alabama who finished third at the 2014 US Open , Meadow has struggled since.
Reports Golf Digest: “Meadow finished 131st on the LPGA money list in 2015, distracted off the course by the passing of her father and golf mentor, Robert, from pancreatic cancer.
“It was more of the same in 2016 and 2017, when Meadow finished 115th and 153rd, respectively, as she dealt with back issues that kept her from playing consistent, pain-free golf. She competed on the Symetra Tour in 2018, finishing sixth on the money list to return to the LPGA.
No feeling in the world like it. Could watch this putt all day. #fightforyourdreams #everythingihad pic.twitter.com/xZhl4PCrXC
— Stephanie Meadow (@StephMeadow20) October 7, 2019
“Her fortunes on the LPGA Tour in 2019, however, have continued to be mixed, as she had missed 10 cuts in 20 starts and sat in 112th place on the money list entering this week’s (event).”
Meadow was on track after an opening-round 63 Topped her career-best score by three strokes. Rounds of 71-73 kept her on the weekend leaderboard, knowing she needed an eighth-place finish or better to win enough cash to keep her card.
Playing the first 16 holes on Sunday in two under par, Meadow looked like she’d need two more birdies to accomplish her goal. She left a 12-foot try for eagle shy on 17, meaning she needed a last hole birdie to get inside the top 100 and retain her playing privileges for next season.
Meadow punched the air in delight as her birdie putt on the 18th dropped into the hole, but clearly her tweets suggest the significance of the moment only sank in later!
Meadow's compatriot Leona Maguire had earlier secured graduation to the LPGA Tour with a fifth-placed finish at the Symetra Tour Championship.
Maguire finished tied for 33rd place at the Tour Championship at Daytona Beach.
