Former Lady Paladin Sarah Johnston Earns LPGA Tour Card

Dec. 4, 2006

Greenville, S.C. - Former Furman Lady Paladin standout Sarah Johnston finished 10th at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla., Sunday afternoon to secure exempt status for the 2007 season.

Johnston (72-73-72-71-70=358) carded a final round 70 to finish at two-under par for the five round event and grab one of 15 exempt spots. The tournament, held at the LPGA International's Champions and Legends courses, featured 137 players. Each participant played two rounds on each course before the field was trimmed to 70 for Sunday's final round.

Johnston, who garnered All-American accolades while at Furman, recently completed her third season on the Duramed FUTURES Tour. She played in all 17 tour events scoring four top 10 finishes, including a second place showing at the Hunters Oak FUTURES Golf Classic in Queenstown, Md., in August. Johnston's $21,986 in earnings placed her 18th on the tour's money list for 2006.

In September, Johnston made her reality television debut on The Golf Channel's hit show Big Break VI: Trump National. The St. Charles, Ill., native was among 18 contestants, nine men and nine women, selected to compete on the show for a spot on the PGA and LPGA tours, respectively. The 18 golfers squared off in various challenges over a two week span that were be broken down into 15 episodes. The filming took place at business tycoon Donald Trump's Trump International Course in Los Angeles, Calif.

Johnston, the 2004 Southern Conference Champion and league golfer-of-the-year, helped guide Furman to four SoCon titles, four NCAA Regional appearances and the 2004 NCAA Championships.

As a member of the LPGA Tour in 2007, Johnston will join a long list of former Furman golfers that includes LPGA Hall-of-Famers Betsy King, Beth Daniel and Sherri Turner.