Jaclyn Sweeney practices at IMG Academies in January. Photo by Paul Videla/Bradenton Herald.Bradenton's Jaclyn Sweeney earned one of two qualifying spots into this week's Avnet LPGA Classic after carding a 69 on Monday.
Sweeney joins Paula Creamer, Jessica Korda and Taylor Leon as players with a connection to the area in this week's LPGA Tour stop.
The former Arizona State standout shares a coach at IMG Academies with Creamer in David Whelan.
Both players and Leon relocated to the area for the year-round training at IMG.
Meanwhile, Korda was born and raised in Bradenton. She's the daughter to former touring tennis professional Petr Korda.
Unlike the PGA Tour, the LPGA does not have Monday qualifiers for each event.
There are only seven "open" qualifiers for the 2011 season.
Sweeney's on a break from the Ladies European Tour, where she has full-time status based on her performance at last winter's Q-School.
The LET doesn't have another tournament until the Turkish Airlines Turkish Open scheduled for May 5-8.
Sweeney's last LET event was the Lalla Meryem Cup at the beginning of April.
The Andover, Mass. native was listed as an alternate for this week's LPGA event, but was so far down in the order that her best bet to make the field was to qualify on Monday.
She did and will tee it up at 7:45 a.m. in Thursday's first round.
Creamer's opening round tee time is at 8:29 a.m. Korda begins at 12:56 p.m.
Leon, whose brothers Trent and Tyler also play professionally after training at IMG as youths, starts her tournament at 1:29 p.m.
Only Korda starts the first round off No. 10 at Magnolia Grove-Crossings Course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Mobile, Ala.
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