Shepley intent on moving on up - Pro Golfer Already Assured Spot on Lpga Tour Next Season

Three rounds of golf are all that stand between Jessica Shepley and everything she's been working towards the last four years. Going into this weekend's final event on the Duramed Futures Tour, Shepley currently sits sixth on the money list. Though the LPGA announced at the end of last month that it would be extending membership to the top 10 golfers on the tour's money list instead of just the top five, Shepley is still intent on reaching her original objective of finishing fifth or better.

"I'm not settling for (top 10). It's a great feeling to know I had a goal at the beginning of the season and that goal is still in play," she said Thursday from Albany, N.Y. as she prepared for the ILOVENY Championship, which began yesterday (Friday).

It's still a possibility, thanks to a third-place finish at the Gettysburg Championship two weeks ago that saw her move up three spots from ninth to sixth. She now sits just $714 back of Song Yi Choi, who holds down fifth spot.

Shepley finished two-under for the tournament and only three shots back of fellow Canadian Samantha Richdale, earning more than $6,000 to push her season total to $36,909. She hopes to carry that momentum into the final event.

The 25-year-old said she is feeling confident in all aspects of her game and enjoys playing the Capital Hills at Albany course. However, she is not putting any additional pressure on herself just because it is the final tournament.

"Obviously there's a little more to it, but every tournament is important. I've known all year that it could come down to a few hundred dollars," said the Iroquois Ridge grad. "I just have to play a shot at a time and play aggressive when the opportunity arises."

The top-five still remains an important milestone in that the top five players will receive higher priority for entry into LPGA events than players ranked six through 10.

Given the money available in Albany, Shepley is all but guaranteed a top 10. She has more than an $8,500 cushion over 11th place and with only first and second place finishers receiving more than that, the five golfers behind her would have to finish one through five, in a specific order, to knock her out of the top 10.

As for moving up, Vicky Hurst and Mindy Kim have locked up the top two spots, leading the rest of the field by more than $26,000. But another top-three finish could move Shepley as high as third. That would cap Shepley's finest season as a pro, which has seen her earn four top-five finishes in 16 events on the top women's development tour.