Former Rebel Dana Finkelstein is in her first season of professional golf. And one of the first things she had to figure out about this stage of her career was which airline would provide the best value in her budget-conscious pursuit of a full LPGA Tour card.
“Southwest Airlines,” Finkelstein said. “You can’t really beat the two free bags when you bring golf clubs.”
Finkelstein was a first-team All-American, three-time conference player of the year and the winningest player in UNLV history. Now, she’s about midway through the schedule on the Symetra Tour, which serves as a developmental league for the LPGA.
Finishing top 10 on the Symetra Tour’s money list earns full membership for the next season’s LPGA Tour, and Finkelstein currently sits at No. 12 ($30,718). So far she’s played in nine events, finishing in the top 10 three times and only missing one cut.
“With the resume I’ve built, I know I’m good enough to be out there and I know I’m good enough to be in the LPGA,” Finkelstein said.
But knowing that and producing the necessary results are a different thing, especially while navigating for the first time the difficult schedule of a pro. Beyond just staying loyal to a budget airline, Finkelstein relies on host families at the tournaments to help keep her costs down. She also can’t afford a second set of eyes to help out on the course.
“I bring a pushcart with me on the road, and he’s pretty much my caddy,” Finkelstein said.
Symetra Tour purses generally range from $100,000 to $200,000, with the winner taking about $15,000 to $30,000. The runaway money leader, LSU alum Madelene Sagstrom, has already set a single-season earnings record with $114,157, nearly twice as much as the No. 2 player.
Finkelstein’s smallest purse and biggest purse came in her first two events, when she received $581 for 42nd in California and netted $9,729 for fourth in Florida. Each tournament has an entrance fee of $500 and Finkelstein estimated that travel and expenses for each event costs an additional $1,000 to $1,500, so breaking even often means a successful trip.
“Luckily, I’ve had some success and made some money,” said Finkelstein, who added she saved $5,000 to start chasing her dream this season. “I still don’t feel 100 percent. Taxes at the end of the year are going to be (interesting).”
That part of the offseason won’t be fun. She's looking forward to getting in the gym, because while the 5-foot-1 Finkelstein ranks seventh on the tour in driving accuracy (83.03 percent) she’s 129th in driving distance (233.36 yards).
That’s something she has overcome at each stage of her career, but adding distance can only help. When she’s not traveling during the season, Finkelstein has been living with her parents in Chandler, Ariz., but eventually she would like to move back to the Las Vegas area and continue working with personal trainer Brian Chandler at Anthem Fitness.
“Come this offseason I’m going to work my butt off, because I know I’ll be on the LPGA next year and I can’t be hitting it 230 off the tee and expect to compete out there,” Finkelstein said. “I’m finding ways to score, but it would make it easier if I had a little bit more distance.”
The tour schedule can wear players down, but it’s good preparation for what’s to come at the next level. Finkelstein said it generally went like this: travel Monday, practice Tuesday, play a pro-am Wednesday and Thursday, compete Friday through Sunday, then pack up and do it all over again.
It’s been quite a learning experience, and Finkelstein is confident all of the work and the budgeting is going to lead to a big promotion this fall.
“It’ll all be worth it in the end,” Finkelstein said.
Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.
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