Madison Young is currently competing at the season-ending Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells. But if things don’t end well for her in the event, the 29-year-old doesn’t even have enough money to sign up for LPGA’s Qualifying School, set to begin early next week. Yet, Young hasn’t given up quite yet.
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“The only way out at this point is [to] play better,” Young told Monday Q Info through tears during Tuesday’s pro-am party.
In fact, she is more than broke. The 29-year-old and her husband, Tyler, who is caddying for her, are in $100K debt and have also considered bankruptcy. Young has had to borrow money from her family to reach her next event. While she hopes to play well enough to pay them back, Young doesn’t have any other way to gather the money needed to survive.
“I’m a college dropout who has never had a job,” she said when asked if she had a job in case golf no longer remained an option.
There’s, of course, one very convenient way out. The winner of the event this week at Indian Wells Golf Resort will take home $100K out of the $300K prize pool. Meaning one great week could solve all her problems. However, she might be looking for more than just a win.
The top 15 finishers in the season-long ‘Race for the Card’ at the conclusion of the Epson Tour Championship earn direct membership for the LPGA Tour for the following season, letting them bypass Q-School entirely. While Young, who is currently ranked 61st, hardly stands a chance, she will be hoping to settle for even less.
Players who finish ranked 16th through 35th in the final Epson Tour Race for the Card standings earn an automatic exemption straight into the Final Qualifying stage of LPGA Q-Series, skipping the earlier preliminary qualifying stages. This could prove to be a major relief for Young, whose husband doesn’t just have a full-time job, but also works after each round.
Yet, simply being in the field comes with its own rewards. With the field comprising the top 80 players in the Race for the Card standings, everyone, including Young, has already secured full Category A status on the Epson Tour for next season. It is the highest status available on the Epson Tour short of earning an LPGA Tour card.
As for her performance in this week’s event, Young opened with a 4-under 67 in the first round, carding six birdies against two bogeys. However, the 29-year-old has struggled in the second round so far, shooting a 2-over 37 on the front nine, including a double bogey, as she makes her way through the back nine.
In any case, Madison Young, who has a conditional LPGA card this year, is hardly the only golfer to see financial hardships.
Ben Griffin knows firsthand about financial troubles
Before becoming a three-time PGA Tour winner, Ben Griffin experienced the financial strain that comes with trying to make it as a professional golfer. After struggling across the PGA Tour Canada, PGA Tour Latinoamérica and Korn Ferry Tour, Griffin walked away from the game in 2021 to work as a loan officer, having accumulated significant debt.
“I was honestly $20,000 in debt by the time I returned to the Korn Ferry Tour,” Griffin told Golf Monthly.
He later revealed just how quickly expenses can pile up for players on the mini tours. “Just trying to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour, you have to pay $5,000 or more in entry fees,” he said, while also highlighting travel, practice rounds, cart fees, rental cars, and meals.
“You can get to $17,000 of debt in a month easily. It’s very common on the mini tours.”
Griffin eventually returned with financial backing from Doug Sieg and Lord Abbett, helping him clear his debt and focus on golf. The support proved pivotal as his career went from financial uncertainty to PGA Tour success.
Like Griffin, Young would hopefully find herself in a better place in her career. But it’s yet to be seen whether this week’s event will be the beginning of that change.