It seems a long time ago now that Stephanie Meadow delighted home fans when winning the inaugural ISPS Handa World Invitational Men | Women, Presented by Modest! Golf Management at Galgorm Castle last month.
Unfortunately, that win, although confidence inspiring, had no influence over her current position of 108th on the Race to CME Globe.
“I’ve got a little bit of work to do to maintain my LPGA card so hopefully I can take this win and use this as momentum,” Meadow said at the time.
Although her results have improved – she’s made four of the last five cuts on Tour – Meadow now has just two events remaining to move back inside the top-100 on the money-list assured of status for next year.
This week’s Indy Women in Tech Championship represents the first of those opportunities with Meadow hopeful of the arrival of that one big performance that has so far alluded her this term.
“A top ten or a top five would probably lock me down for next year,” said Meadow, speaking to RTÉ Sport. “It’s not been as good as I had hoped, but the last five tournaments have been pretty good, and I think I figured something out.
“I know that I am playing well and I know that I haven’t had the tournament that I played unreal yet, and I know that I always have two or three of them a year, so I am hoping that I can time it right and have one of those weeks in the next two.”
Whatever happens over the next two weeks, Meadow has her conditional status for 2020 assured but with prior goals of making the top-50 on the money-list – to be amongst that elite group who will travel as part of the lucrative Asia Swing following the Volunteers of America Classic next week – Meadow is refusing to give up on something that remains mathematically possible.
“That is what I have been striving for,” said Meadow. “It’s still within reach, it’s not gone yet.
“It would take a really good week to get where I wanted to be. I wanted to be in the Asia Swing, I wanted to be in the top 50 and obviously that hasn’t panned out.
“But you learn things every day in golf, and I think this year has had multiple challenges to it and I have battled through those again, so now I am hoping I can keep believing in myself and have the confidence to go out and compete.”
With the top-60 then contesting the Tour Championship on November 21st, an event boasting a $5million prize fund before the curtain comes down on another LPGA Tour season, it’s no wonder the Jordanstown professional is refusing to give up on her goals.
However, for Meadow, who battled so hard to win her card from the Symetra Tour in 2018, retaining full status would be a job well done regardless as she adopts 2020 vision ahead of another crack at the big-time next year.
Meadow gets her first round underway this evening at 17.52pm Irish time.
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