LPGA Tour officials confirmed on Wednesday that Clemente has been granted an age waiver based on her success in LPGA events as an amateur. The news was first reported by Golf Channel’s Grant Boone on social media last month. It’s the first time the tour has done so for a player since Chiara Noja and Liqi Zeng in 2023.
“With 10 starts on the LPGA Tour over the past three years,” said LPGA commissioner in a statement release by the tour, “Gianna is a great example of a young player who continues to push herself to compete at the highest level, and we’re excited to see what she accomplishes as she works to earn her spot on the LPGA Tour. We congratulate Gianna on her tremendous success as an amateur and wish her all the best in Final Qualifying as she pursues her dreams in professional golf.”
Clemente first turned LPGA heads in 2022, when the then 14-year-old Monday qualified for three straight LPGA tournaments. That’s on top of many amateur accolades she’s earned, including a victory with Avery Zweig in the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, wins at The Sally and Junior PGA, spots on the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup teams and AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year honors in 2024. She was also a member of the U.S. National Development team and the Elite Amateur national program.
The first college signing period for the Class of 2026 begins next week, and while Clemente took visits at Oregon, Arizona State and Auburn, ultimately she decided to forgo the college route. That’s
“It’s been such a long time coming,” Clemente told Golf Channel on Wednesday. “Obviously, I took my time making this decision. I took a couple college visits, but I’ve wanted to play professional golf my whole life. I’m thrilled to be able to go compete at Q-School for my LPGA Tour card.”
The final stage of LPGA Q School is a 90-hole tournament running Dec. 4-8 at Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Ala. Those who finish in the top 25 and ties earn full LPGA status and all players in the field get Epson Tour cards for 2026.
Clemente earned her spot in final stage by finishing T-39 at second stage last month in Florida, finishing on the cut number to advance.
Amateurs who qualified for final stage have until Nov. 14 to declare they will turn pro to compete in the event or defer their Epson status until after the college golf season.
Four of the top six American professionals in the Rolex Rankings bypassed college golf, including Nelly Korda and Angel Yin. “Everybody’s path is different,” Clemente said on Golf Channel. “There are lots of ways to get to the LPGA tour. For me, golf is the only thing I’ve ever really wanted. … I don’t see a reason to delay it now.”
According to Golfweek, Clemente will be represented by WME Sports, which has been handling her NIL representation since 2022. She has previously had deals with Amundi, ShopRite, The Gate, Transcend Capital and Titleist/FootJoy.
