Another sister act is headed to the LPGA. Kaleiya Romero has clinched her LPGA card on the Epson Tour and will join younger sister Kiara on the LPGA in 2027.
“It’s just a big relief, honestly,” Romero told the Epson Tour. “This whole year has been – I mean, I wasn’t that stressed, but playing and trying to get your card can get stressful, especially when you don’t actually know when someone can pass you. I’ve just played all of the tournaments because I haven’t really known if I’ve got it yet. So finally hearing those words is a nice weight off my shoulders.”
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Kaleiya, 24, currently ranks No. 3 on the Epson Tour’s Race for the Card standings, behind Mirabel Ting and Lauren Olivares, who are Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.
In 18 starts this season, Kaleiya has nine top-10 finishes and one victory at the Island Resort Championship. She has missed only one cut and ranks third on the tour in scoring with a 69.49 average and second on tour in both birdies and eagles. Her 268.23 driving average ranks second only to Anna Nordfors.
The former Pepperdine standout won the 2023 WCC Championship, and after missing the cut in the first stage of LPGA Q-School, she decided that pro golf wasn’t yet her path, choosing to instead join younger siblings Kiara and Kyreece at Oregon, where she worked as an assistant coach.
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Coaching helped change Kaleiya’s perspective toward the game, and being around her siblings in Eugene refreshed her enthusiasm for playing. She returned to Q-School in 2025 and earned Epson Tour status for the 2026 season. As Kiara played her way onto the LPGA through the tour’s new LEAP program, Kaleiya forged her own path to the same destination.
“I didn’t expect it,” said Kaleiya to an Epson Tour official. “I thought maybe it would take a couple of years, since you never know what will happen out here, but with how I’ve played, I’m just super happy and glad I made the decision to come back and try this again.”
Kiara made her LPGA debut as a member in August at the CPKC Women’s Open in Alberta, Canada. Her celebrated amateur career included back-to-back McCormack Medals as the No. 1 amateur in the world.
Kaleiya Romero and Kiara Romero pose for a photo during a practice round ahead of the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
This week, Kaleiya will join the field of 71 in Indian Wells, California, for the Epson Tour Championship. The event takes place Oct. 1-4 and the winner will receive a record $100,000.
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The top-15 players on the tour’s Race of the Card list will earn LPGA status for the 2027 season. Nine players have already secured status for next season, with Annabelle Pancake-Webb, Carla Bernat Escuder, Liqi Zeng, Mariel Galdiano, Amari Avery and Cholcheva Wongras joining Ting, Olivares and Romero.
Fifty-nine players have a mathematical chance of securing one of the last six spots. Megha Ganne (No. 10) and Rachel Kuehn (No. 11) are among those trying to shore up status.
Those who finish in the top 10 will be seeded in Category 9 of the 2027 LPGA Tour Priority List. Those who finish 11-15 will be in Category 16, meaning the potential of fewer starts.
Beth Ann Nichols is a senior writer for Golfweek covering the LPGA and all things women’s golf. Follow her on X/Twitter (@GolfweekNichols).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Kaleiya Romero earns LPGA card for 2027, will join sister Kiara
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