Vancouver native Leah John has officially secured her place among the world's elite female golfers, earning her LPGA Tour card for the upcoming 2026 season. The 25-year-old's dream became reality last month after a strong, weather-challenged performance at the LPGA Qualifying Series in Mobile, Alabama.
From Cart Naps to Championship Dreams
John's connection to golf began almost literally in the cradle—or more accurately, in a golf cart. She jokes that she was "potty trained on the golf course." As a toddler, her father Jason would pick her up from daycare and bring her along to Greywolf in Panorama. She would typically nap until the 13th hole, then follow him around the final stretch, stick-handling a ball with a club.
That early exposure blossomed into a serious passion. John started playing at age five and began competing as a teenager. A product of the Marine Drive Golf Club, she was a two-time club champion and twice named their most improved junior. Her amateur career flourished with a scholarship to the University of Nevada and two B.C. Amateur championship titles.
The Professional Grind Pays Off
After turning professional in 2024, John honed her skills on the Epson Tour, the LPGA's primary feeder circuit. Her resume there included four top-10 finishes, highlighted by a victory at the Four Winds Invitational in South Bend, Indiana, in August 2025.
The final hurdle was Q-School in Mobile. John fired an impressive eight-under 64 to take the first-round lead, a pivotal moment for her confidence. "I really believed that I could crush it out there," John recalled. "Once I did it on my first round, I thought to myself, 'I can do that. I got this.'"
The week was far from straightforward. Incessant rain and delays forced organizers to shorten the event from 90 to 72 holes. The final round alone took two days to complete. John tied for 10th place at eight-under par, finishing among the top 25 (and ties) who earned coveted full-time LPGA status.
"It was the worst, most gruelling, challenging week that I've ever had—truly," John admitted. "It was great and it was awful." She leveraged her Vancouver-honed resilience, viewing the miserable conditions as a familiar advantage over competitors from sunnier locales.
Joining Canada's Golf Elite
With her card secured, Leah John is set to make her debut as a tour regular, likely at the Blue Bay LPGA tournament in China from March 5-8, 2026. She joins an elite group of Canadians on tour, including major champion Brooke Henderson and fellow Q-School graduate Maude-Aimée Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Quebec.
John, a York House School graduate known for her powerful long game, already has valuable experience competing against the world's best. She played as an amateur in the 2024 CPKC Women's Open in Calgary and last season's U.S. Women's Open in Wisconsin. Those events proved she belonged. "When I looked at what the girls do, I thought, 'I can do this. I need to work at it, but I can do this,'" she said.
The celebration after securing her card was emotional. Her phone "went bonkers," and she made sure to share the moment with those who supported her from the beginning. A call to the clubhouse at Marine Drive was met with elation. A FaceTime with her parents, Jason and Lynn Furlotte, brought tears all around. "They were so cute. My parents were both crying. I was crying," John shared.
Now, the young woman who once napped in a golf cart is wide awake and ready for the bright lights of the LPGA Tour, carrying the hopes of Vancouver and Canadian golf fans with her.
