The Symetra Tour, formerly the Futures Tour, is the developmental tour for the LPGA. They hold a series of tournaments to provide young women professionals the opportunity to learn their craft and earn exemptions to the LPGA Tour.
Did You know that in 2007, a young lady from northwest Ohio was the No. 1 player on the Symetra Tour?
Emily Bastel-Glaser was born into a golfing family. Her grandfather first managed the golf course that her father, a PGA Professional and mother still own and operate today. Her brother, aunts, as well as, several cousins are also PGA Professionals.
Emily attended Michigan State University and played on the Spartan women’s golf team, 1998-2002. She was an integral part of the Big Ten Championship team in 2001, earned All Big Ten Honors all four years and was named All-American in 2002.
Before turning professional, she played on the Curtis Cup team, finished runner-up in the 2002 U.S. Women’s Amateur and won the Ohio Women’s Amateur three times.
As a professional, she competed on both the Symetra (Futures) Tour and LPGA from 2004 through 2009.
After failing to keep her LPGA Tour card in 2006, Bastel competed on the Symetra Tour in 2007.
During that year, she won two events, the Jalapeno Golf Classic and the Michelob ULTRA Futures Players Championship. She finished the year as the Symetra Tour’s leading money winner and Player of the Year, earning her LPGA Tour card for 2008.
Failing to keep her card in 2009, she retired from professional golf and became a college coach.
Emily spent one season with the Duke University women’s golf team as an assistant coach, before accepting the same position at the University of Florida. When Gator Head Coach, Jan Dowling announced that she would leave Florida in May 2012, Bastel was granted a courtesy interview. The athletic department staff were so impressed, they closed the interviews and offered her the Gator Head Coach position.
Lessons learned from five years competing professionally prepared Emily to become a successful collegiate golf coach.
Since that first season, the Lady Gators have continued to improve. They won the SEC Championship in 2016-17 and have appeared in the NCAA Championships every year.
Emily Bastel-Glaser is just another example of the talented golfers that hail from the Great State of Ohio.
