Estero golfer Gianna Clemente is turning pro.

The 17-year-old golfer will break the heart of college golf coaches and play on the women’s professional tour next year.

Clemente will play the first week in December in the final stage of the Ladies Professional Golf Association Q-School qualifier. If she finishes in the top 20, she will earn her card to play on the LPGA tour. If she doesn’t finish in the top 20, she will play on the Epson Tour, the women’s minor league tour.

“I don’t see a reason to delay professional golf,” she said in a phone interview Wednesday after announcing her decision. “It’s all I’ve really ever wanted to do, so I’m excited for the next steps.”

Even at 17, the journey has been a long one. She started saying she wanted to be a professional golfer before she had an

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