From NCAA to LPGA: Three Deacs' Paths to the Professional Stage
1/5/2026 12:32:00 PM | Women's Golf
Rhodes (top right), Chacarra (top middle) and Walsh (top right) all earned multiple All-ACC and All-American honors in their times at Wake Forest.
Two seasons ago, Wake Forest women's golf won their first NCAA Championship. Collectively, the starting line up that made history — Rachel Kuehn, Lauren Walsh, Carolina Chacarra, Mimi Rhodes and myself, Emilia (Migliaccio) Doran — have won 16 collegiate titles, competed in 10 major championships, and as of December 8 2025, three of the starting five earned their LPGA Tour Card — Five-time Augusta National Women's Amateur participant Carolina Chacarra, two-time Curtis Cup member Lauren Walsh, and Mimi Rhodes, whose career trajectory shot upward as she elevated her game from a solid five-player on Wake Forest's roster to soaring onto the Ladies European Tour — winning three times and rightfully earning LET Rookie of the Year for 2025.
Over 300 women entered the pre-qualifying stage of LPGA Q-School, with the three stages spanning from August to December. After the conclusion of Q-Series in December — the third and final stage of Q-School — 31 players earned their LPGA card by finishing inside the top-25. That meant there was a less than 9% chance of earning an LPGA Tour card when signing up for the daunting task in August. Wake Forest women's golf defied those odds when three members of the National Championship team hoisted the distinct blue "inside the ropes" cards — a sign of LPGA membership.
Held in Mobile, Ala., Q-Series faced numerous weather delays. Round one was canceled due to extreme weather, and those conditions continued throughout the week. With endless stop-and-go play, the tournament was reduced from five to four days. The rounds blended together — literally. On the third day, Chacarra, Rhodes and Walsh began their fourth round and played until darkness – Walsh had 10 holes left to play while Chacarra and Rhodes had six holes left to determine their chances at an LPGA card.
"I went to sleep knowing I had six holes to get to 5-under," said Rhodes who had shot a 4-over 75 on the first day before firing off a 4-under 68 and a 5-under 66 on the Falls and Crossings courses at RTJ at Magnolia Grove which hosted Q-Series.
The final round for Rhodes did not come without adversity. She was three-under through four holes before making a double bogey on the par-four 9th and then back-to-back bogies on 11 and 12 before officials called in the round for darkness. After a 5:30am wake-up and then a fog delay, Rhodes began her final six holes at 10 a.m. With a bogey on the par-4 15th, Rhodes stood in the 18th fairway needing to make a birdie to earn her LPGA card.
"The last hole was a tough par four and I was in between a five and a four hybrid. My five iron hadn't been going as far because it was cold, and my caddie said that with the pin in the front I can't go long because then I'll have a downhill putt. So I was going to have to hit the perfect five iron. I'd never felt so nervous over a ball, but I kind of knew it was a life or death situation, so I just put everything aside, and I hit this five iron. It was actually the most perfect five iron I've hit all year."
Walsh, who had competed in LPGA Q-School the last two years and came up short both times, overcame a similar "now or never" mentality. She was three over after the first day and battled back slowly by shooting 70-69, but still had to shoot at least 5-under on the final day to earn her card. "This year I'd been really working on my inevitability mindset," said Walsh. "I told myself I know getting my card will happen. Whether it's this week or next year, it will happen. That mindset brought a calmness over me. If I bogey the first hole it's okay. If I shoot three over the first day, I'm more than capable of playing well the next day."
With 10 holes to play on the final day, Walsh was three shots outside of the cutline. "Ten more holes meant 10 more chances for a birdie," said Walsh who proceeded to fire off four birdies in her final ten holes and shoot a bogey free 67, totaling 6-under-par and one shot inside the cutline.
"It's such a surreal feeling. When you're a little girl and practicing, you dream of playing on the LPGA. It's still hard to put into words how much it means," reflected Walsh, who needed to finish top 10 on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit just to make it to Q-Series. She finished 10th — 2.52 points above 11th place — equating to one shot over the course of an entire LET season to determine her future on the LPGA for 2026.
Following the leaderboard, it appeared Chacarra cruised her way through the final stage of LPGA Q-School. After a 4-under-par 68 on the first day, she followed that up with a 72-71-69 to finish 7-under par and two shots clear of the cut line. What's not captured on the scorecard are the clutch 6 foot par saves, the sneaky up and downs to keep your momentum going, or the fact that Stage two of Q-School was actually the most stressful part of Chacarra's journey towards her LPGA card.
"I wasn't hitting it as good as I wanted [at Stage two] so I "FaceTimed Kim"[Coach Kim Lewellen]. We worked together for a couple rounds while she was at a tournament with the team," said Chacarra. "After the round got canceled the first day [of Q-Series] I think that helped me not be as nervous because I was just ready to go. I got a little more nervous, especially the last day, when I had only six holes left. It's just a mix of emotions getting my card. I can't believe this is real."
While refreshing the leaderboard, Chacarra, Walsh and Rhodes quickly realized they had done something special — not just for themselves but also for Wake Forest. They were taking photos together when Coach Ryan Potter gave them a call. "Ryan FaceTimed us and said how proud he was," said Rhodes. "It just felt so surreal that this would happen a year after I left college. Without him, I wouldn't have made that putt on the last," she said, referencing the downhill left to right slider Rhodes had to make for birdie on 18 to clinch her tour card.
"I can't even put into words how much I've developed over those four years because of Kim and Ryan," Rhodes continued. "My first two years at Wake I struggled. The coaches sat me down in their office and said if I wanted to make it as a pro, I needed to make a change and they showed me how to do that." All that work paid off for Rhodes in the best kind of delayed gratification — winning the national championship her senior year and going undefeated in match play.
Walsh, who clinched the winning point for Wake Forest at the NCAAs back in 2023, echoed similar sentiments. "Kim and Ryan did a really good job of building an incredible work ethic in us. They spoke almost daily about dealing with adversity and that was huge this week because the first round was completely called off. All the golf courses were closed so we went to a simulator to practice. We got out on the golf course the next day and only played five holes before we were called back in. In the back of my mind I was telling myself I just had to be adaptable, and that's a big testament to how Kim and Ryan coached us."
"I'm right where I am because of them," said Chacarra. "They're both great coaches and have taught me so much not just about the game of golf, but also about myself as a player." Chacarra asked Ryan Potter to caddie for her in her final Augusta National Women's Amateur where she placed top-10 and in the U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills, after making the cut.
"The weekend before stage two, I went to Wake to practice and two weeks before stage three, I went to Wake to practice," said Chacarra. "I found my second family at Wake. Not only with the coaches, but also with my teammates, the community itself, the donors and everything we have around us. Wake is our home away from home."
Over 300 women entered the pre-qualifying stage of LPGA Q-School, with the three stages spanning from August to December. After the conclusion of Q-Series in December — the third and final stage of Q-School — 31 players earned their LPGA card by finishing inside the top-25. That meant there was a less than 9% chance of earning an LPGA Tour card when signing up for the daunting task in August. Wake Forest women's golf defied those odds when three members of the National Championship team hoisted the distinct blue "inside the ropes" cards — a sign of LPGA membership.
Held in Mobile, Ala., Q-Series faced numerous weather delays. Round one was canceled due to extreme weather, and those conditions continued throughout the week. With endless stop-and-go play, the tournament was reduced from five to four days. The rounds blended together — literally. On the third day, Chacarra, Rhodes and Walsh began their fourth round and played until darkness – Walsh had 10 holes left to play while Chacarra and Rhodes had six holes left to determine their chances at an LPGA card.
"I went to sleep knowing I had six holes to get to 5-under," said Rhodes who had shot a 4-over 75 on the first day before firing off a 4-under 68 and a 5-under 66 on the Falls and Crossings courses at RTJ at Magnolia Grove which hosted Q-Series.
The final round for Rhodes did not come without adversity. She was three-under through four holes before making a double bogey on the par-four 9th and then back-to-back bogies on 11 and 12 before officials called in the round for darkness. After a 5:30am wake-up and then a fog delay, Rhodes began her final six holes at 10 a.m. With a bogey on the par-4 15th, Rhodes stood in the 18th fairway needing to make a birdie to earn her LPGA card.
"The last hole was a tough par four and I was in between a five and a four hybrid. My five iron hadn't been going as far because it was cold, and my caddie said that with the pin in the front I can't go long because then I'll have a downhill putt. So I was going to have to hit the perfect five iron. I'd never felt so nervous over a ball, but I kind of knew it was a life or death situation, so I just put everything aside, and I hit this five iron. It was actually the most perfect five iron I've hit all year."
Walsh, who had competed in LPGA Q-School the last two years and came up short both times, overcame a similar "now or never" mentality. She was three over after the first day and battled back slowly by shooting 70-69, but still had to shoot at least 5-under on the final day to earn her card. "This year I'd been really working on my inevitability mindset," said Walsh. "I told myself I know getting my card will happen. Whether it's this week or next year, it will happen. That mindset brought a calmness over me. If I bogey the first hole it's okay. If I shoot three over the first day, I'm more than capable of playing well the next day."
With 10 holes to play on the final day, Walsh was three shots outside of the cutline. "Ten more holes meant 10 more chances for a birdie," said Walsh who proceeded to fire off four birdies in her final ten holes and shoot a bogey free 67, totaling 6-under-par and one shot inside the cutline.
"It's such a surreal feeling. When you're a little girl and practicing, you dream of playing on the LPGA. It's still hard to put into words how much it means," reflected Walsh, who needed to finish top 10 on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit just to make it to Q-Series. She finished 10th — 2.52 points above 11th place — equating to one shot over the course of an entire LET season to determine her future on the LPGA for 2026.
Following the leaderboard, it appeared Chacarra cruised her way through the final stage of LPGA Q-School. After a 4-under-par 68 on the first day, she followed that up with a 72-71-69 to finish 7-under par and two shots clear of the cut line. What's not captured on the scorecard are the clutch 6 foot par saves, the sneaky up and downs to keep your momentum going, or the fact that Stage two of Q-School was actually the most stressful part of Chacarra's journey towards her LPGA card.
"I wasn't hitting it as good as I wanted [at Stage two] so I "FaceTimed Kim"[Coach Kim Lewellen]. We worked together for a couple rounds while she was at a tournament with the team," said Chacarra. "After the round got canceled the first day [of Q-Series] I think that helped me not be as nervous because I was just ready to go. I got a little more nervous, especially the last day, when I had only six holes left. It's just a mix of emotions getting my card. I can't believe this is real."
While refreshing the leaderboard, Chacarra, Walsh and Rhodes quickly realized they had done something special — not just for themselves but also for Wake Forest. They were taking photos together when Coach Ryan Potter gave them a call. "Ryan FaceTimed us and said how proud he was," said Rhodes. "It just felt so surreal that this would happen a year after I left college. Without him, I wouldn't have made that putt on the last," she said, referencing the downhill left to right slider Rhodes had to make for birdie on 18 to clinch her tour card.
"I can't even put into words how much I've developed over those four years because of Kim and Ryan," Rhodes continued. "My first two years at Wake I struggled. The coaches sat me down in their office and said if I wanted to make it as a pro, I needed to make a change and they showed me how to do that." All that work paid off for Rhodes in the best kind of delayed gratification — winning the national championship her senior year and going undefeated in match play.
Walsh, who clinched the winning point for Wake Forest at the NCAAs back in 2023, echoed similar sentiments. "Kim and Ryan did a really good job of building an incredible work ethic in us. They spoke almost daily about dealing with adversity and that was huge this week because the first round was completely called off. All the golf courses were closed so we went to a simulator to practice. We got out on the golf course the next day and only played five holes before we were called back in. In the back of my mind I was telling myself I just had to be adaptable, and that's a big testament to how Kim and Ryan coached us."
"I'm right where I am because of them," said Chacarra. "They're both great coaches and have taught me so much not just about the game of golf, but also about myself as a player." Chacarra asked Ryan Potter to caddie for her in her final Augusta National Women's Amateur where she placed top-10 and in the U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills, after making the cut.
"The weekend before stage two, I went to Wake to practice and two weeks before stage three, I went to Wake to practice," said Chacarra. "I found my second family at Wake. Not only with the coaches, but also with my teammates, the community itself, the donors and everything we have around us. Wake is our home away from home."
Players Mentioned
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