Colorado University Athletics
Former Buffs Jenny Coleman (left) and Esther Lee (right)
Photo by: Symetra Tour
Pair of Former Buffs Earn 2019 LPGA Tour Cards
October 08, 2019 | Women's Golf
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. —A pair of former University of Colorado Buffaloes, Jenny Coleman and Esther Lee, earned their 2019 LPGA Tour cards as both finished in the top-10 of the Symetra Tour's money list.
Coleman graduated from CU in 2014 and has been a mainstay on the tour. This season she played in all 23 tournaments and came away with 13 top-25s and nine top-10s. Across a stretch of eight events, she finished under par seven times with five top-five performances including a season-best runner-up in the Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic. She ranked fourth on Tour in sub-par holes (249) and birdies (244). She finished third on the money list ($104,840) to earn her card.
"It's awesome and really great to be headed back out there," Coleman said. "I definitely earned it this year and deserve it. This just gives me more confidence to give it a go again and I know I'll do better this time around. I'm very excited.
"I had a really strong season," she continued. "About halfway I could feel my game shaping up. I had a lot of confidence that I was playing better. Ever year you learn the courses a little better and I've been playing better and better each year."
"The progress that Jenny has made is tremendous," Colorado Head Coach Anne Kelly said. "She had one year on the (LPGA) Tour, but she was non-exempt. She didn't make enough money and had to go back to the Symetra. It shows how much work she has put in."
Lee, a 2018 graduate, was ninth on the list, finishing with $87,360 this season. One of the more consistent players in her two years on the Symetra Tour, Lee collected 14 top-10 finishes since debuting at the 2018 Florida's Natural Charity Classic. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that in 35 starts she owns 23 top-25s. Lee paced the Tour in sand saves (75.0 percent) and was third in birdies (248). She carded under par performances in nine straight events this season going a combined 65-under.
"I'm really excited," she said. "It's been a long season of hard work, but it feels great. It's going to be new challenges, new experiences. I have to prepare as best as I can this offseason, make a couple adjustments in my game and I'll be ready to go. Last week was a rough week for me, I was hitting it terrible and I didn't know how I was going to hit it coming into this week. I'm glad I actually hit the ball well this week, just didn't make any putts. Steady golf all four rounds and that's all I needed."
"Esther has always been a top player," Kelly said. "She was No. 3 in the world as a junior and was always a top-ranked amateur. She played last year on the Symetra Tour and she learned a lot. When she was back here a few weeks ago, she was talking to our team about the amount of time you have to put in practicing, especially short game and also learned how to manage her time. You can't afford to take a week off, but a successful player must balance travel, practice, playing time and understand what to focus on. She has always been a good player. I think she finally figured out that golf is really what she wants to do."
This past season was Lee's second on the tour. The biggest difference in her game from 2018 to 2019 was her putting and just getting the experience that a rookie season brings.
"Last year taught me what to expect and helped me know what I wanted to do differently," she said. "Putting and the experience of having to play a rookie year helped me become better and prepare me for how I played this year."
With the addition of Coleman and Lee to the tour, the Buffs will have three former athletes in the tour as Robyn Choi earned her tour card last season.
"This happens more to powerhouses like UCLA and USC," Kelly said. "For a program like ours, it shows that good players can come here, get better and prepare themselves for the tour. It shows Colorado is a very good option for somebody who wants to play at the highest level."
Lee believes the Buffs are underrepresented in the LPGA, but with the program on the rise, that could be changing. "This year to have two former Buffs in the top-10 gets great exposure for the school," she said. "It shows other junior players that Colorado has good players coming out. In the Pac-12 there are so many good schools for golf. It shows that we can compete with the best of them."
Coleman, who grew up playing junior golf with Lee echoed those thoughts saying, "It's great to see fellow Buffs out there."
This fall another pair of former Buffs will vie for LPGA Tour cards as Kristin Coleman and Brittany Fan will be taking part in Stage II Q-School. Both have been playing on the Symetra Tour and look to join the trio of Buffs in the LPGA.
"It's unusual for a program like ours, which is not a perennial powerhouse, to have three athletes earn their LPGA Tour cards over the course of the same year. It just shows you can come here and get to the highest level of the game," Kelly said.
(Parts of the Symetra Tour's release were used in this article.)
Coleman graduated from CU in 2014 and has been a mainstay on the tour. This season she played in all 23 tournaments and came away with 13 top-25s and nine top-10s. Across a stretch of eight events, she finished under par seven times with five top-five performances including a season-best runner-up in the Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic. She ranked fourth on Tour in sub-par holes (249) and birdies (244). She finished third on the money list ($104,840) to earn her card.
"It's awesome and really great to be headed back out there," Coleman said. "I definitely earned it this year and deserve it. This just gives me more confidence to give it a go again and I know I'll do better this time around. I'm very excited.
"I had a really strong season," she continued. "About halfway I could feel my game shaping up. I had a lot of confidence that I was playing better. Ever year you learn the courses a little better and I've been playing better and better each year."
"The progress that Jenny has made is tremendous," Colorado Head Coach Anne Kelly said. "She had one year on the (LPGA) Tour, but she was non-exempt. She didn't make enough money and had to go back to the Symetra. It shows how much work she has put in."
Lee, a 2018 graduate, was ninth on the list, finishing with $87,360 this season. One of the more consistent players in her two years on the Symetra Tour, Lee collected 14 top-10 finishes since debuting at the 2018 Florida's Natural Charity Classic. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that in 35 starts she owns 23 top-25s. Lee paced the Tour in sand saves (75.0 percent) and was third in birdies (248). She carded under par performances in nine straight events this season going a combined 65-under.
"I'm really excited," she said. "It's been a long season of hard work, but it feels great. It's going to be new challenges, new experiences. I have to prepare as best as I can this offseason, make a couple adjustments in my game and I'll be ready to go. Last week was a rough week for me, I was hitting it terrible and I didn't know how I was going to hit it coming into this week. I'm glad I actually hit the ball well this week, just didn't make any putts. Steady golf all four rounds and that's all I needed."
"Esther has always been a top player," Kelly said. "She was No. 3 in the world as a junior and was always a top-ranked amateur. She played last year on the Symetra Tour and she learned a lot. When she was back here a few weeks ago, she was talking to our team about the amount of time you have to put in practicing, especially short game and also learned how to manage her time. You can't afford to take a week off, but a successful player must balance travel, practice, playing time and understand what to focus on. She has always been a good player. I think she finally figured out that golf is really what she wants to do."
This past season was Lee's second on the tour. The biggest difference in her game from 2018 to 2019 was her putting and just getting the experience that a rookie season brings.
"Last year taught me what to expect and helped me know what I wanted to do differently," she said. "Putting and the experience of having to play a rookie year helped me become better and prepare me for how I played this year."
With the addition of Coleman and Lee to the tour, the Buffs will have three former athletes in the tour as Robyn Choi earned her tour card last season.
"This happens more to powerhouses like UCLA and USC," Kelly said. "For a program like ours, it shows that good players can come here, get better and prepare themselves for the tour. It shows Colorado is a very good option for somebody who wants to play at the highest level."
Lee believes the Buffs are underrepresented in the LPGA, but with the program on the rise, that could be changing. "This year to have two former Buffs in the top-10 gets great exposure for the school," she said. "It shows other junior players that Colorado has good players coming out. In the Pac-12 there are so many good schools for golf. It shows that we can compete with the best of them."
Coleman, who grew up playing junior golf with Lee echoed those thoughts saying, "It's great to see fellow Buffs out there."
This fall another pair of former Buffs will vie for LPGA Tour cards as Kristin Coleman and Brittany Fan will be taking part in Stage II Q-School. Both have been playing on the Symetra Tour and look to join the trio of Buffs in the LPGA.
"It's unusual for a program like ours, which is not a perennial powerhouse, to have three athletes earn their LPGA Tour cards over the course of the same year. It just shows you can come here and get to the highest level of the game," Kelly said.
(Parts of the Symetra Tour's release were used in this article.)
Players Mentioned
Women's Golf: 2025 Facility Tour
Wednesday, May 21
Women's Golf: A Day in the Life with Women's Golfer Ellen O'Shaughnessy | Apr 11, 2025
Friday, April 11
Buffalo Stampede 12 13 23
Tuesday, December 12
Buffalo Stampede Week 16 FRIDA FORMANN
Tuesday, December 12