Meghan Flanagan had no problem comparing the ninth annual Northeast Delta Dental New Hampshire International tournament, part of the Road to the LPGA Symetra Tour, to the Triple-A level in baseball.

“Not at all,” said Flanagan, tour media coordinator for Symetra. “This is where the ladies develop their skills and hopefully go on to get full status on the LPGA Tour. For some, it takes a year or two. For others, it may take as long as five years. But this weekend in Concord, we’re showcasing the future stars of the LPGA.”

A field of 144 players will start competing today as early as 7:45 a.m. at the Beaver Meadow CC. The $100,000 tournament will run through Sunday. The top 10 finishers on the season-ending money list will earn 2013 LPGA playing privileges.

“Last year’s champion in New Hampshire, Jessica Shepley (of Oakville, Ontario) earned her way to the LPGA Tour and she’s had six starts so far this year,” said Flanagan. “So it just goes to show that the winner this weekend from New Hampshire could be on her way to the LPGA like Jessica.”

► Tournament web site

Flanagan noted that six of the top 10 finishers from last year’s tournament have returned to the Granite State.

They include Lauren Doughtie of Suffolk, Va., who finished runner-up to Shepley last year by one stroke, Hanna Kang (fifth place; Seoul, South Korea), Jackie Barenborg (tied for sixth; Vero Beach, Fla.), Seul-Ki Park (tied for eighth; Northbrook, Ill.), Yu-Ling Hsieh (tied for eighth; Chinese Tapei) and Saehee Son (tied for eighth; Seoul, South Korea).

While any one of the six golfers above can win this weekend, Flanagan said another pre-tournament favorite pick is Esther Choe of Scottsdale, Ariz., who is currently the Volvik Race for the Card standings leader. She has won $33,750 on the tour so far this year.

“I spoke to Esther (this week) and she feels really good about her game,” said Flanagan. “She’s already won two Symetra Tour events this year. She won the Sara Bay Classic (by three strokes) and the Riviera Nayarit Classic (six-stroke win). The Symetra Tour is coming off a two-week break, so nearly everyone playing this weekend in Concord is well-rested and ready to go.”

Other Beaver Meadow entrants in the top 10 in the Volvik Race include Megan McChrystal of Stuart, Fla. (ranked third), Jean Chua of Cheras, Malaysia (fourth), Victoria Elizabeth of Dayton, Ohio (fifth), Doughtie (seventh), Krisite Smith of Perth, Australia (eighth), Mi Hyang Lee of Incheon, South Korea (ninth) and No. 10 Sara-Maude Juneau of Quebec, Canada.

Along with Choe, Flanagan said McChrystal, Doughtie and Smith have each won once on the Symetra Tour this season.

New Hampshire will be represented by North Conway’s Tara Watt, the 2011 New Hampshire Women’s Golf Association’s winner. She received an amateur invitation.

“Beaver Meadow is in great shape and from my conversations, many returning golfers have told me they’ve enjoyed their stay in New Hampshire in previous years,” said Flanagan. “We’re excited to be here for the ninth straight season.”

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Northeast Delta Dental International
Beaver Meadow CC, Concord, N.H.
Friday Pairings: First Round

7:45 a.m. Juliana Murcia Ortiz, Bogota, Colombia; Kristin Vincent, Burlington, N.C.; Sofie Andersson, Angelholm, Sweden

7:45: (10th tee) Pamela Ontiveros, Gomez Palacio, Mexico; Kris Tamulis, Naples, Fla.; Mary Narzisi, Omaha, Neb

7:55: Kimberly Kim, Hilo, Hawaii; Briana Vega, Andover, Mass.; Jessica Wallace, Langley, British Columbia

7:55: (10th) Abby Bools, Hickory, N.C.; Brianna Do, Lakewood, Calif.; Jenny Gleason, Clearwater, Fla.

8:05: Carrie Riordan, Spring Valley, Ill.; Jae Oh, Jeju, South Korea; Libby Smith, Essex Junction, Vt.

8:05: (10th) Alice H. Kim, Walnut, Calif.; Stephanie Connelly, Pasadena, Md.; Sofia Gorelik, Tandil, Argentina

8:15: Jessica Speechley, Perth, Australia; Dolores White, Lakeland, Fla.; Molly Aronsson, Shelburne, Vt.

8:15: (10th) Britney Choy, Wahiawa, Hawaii; Carling Coffing, Middletown, Ohio; Tara Watt (a), North Conway, N.H.

8:25: Thidapa Suwannapura, Bangkok, Thailand; Ashley Tait, Littleton, Colo.; Candace Schepperle, Birmingham, Ala.

8:25: (10th) Courtney Mahon, Lee’s Summit, Mo.; Rebecca Samuelsson, Gothenburg, Sweden; Kathleen Ekey, Sharon Township, Ohio

8:35: Nannette Hill, Pelham, N.Y.; Stephanie Na, Adelaide, Australia; Ashley Sholer, Hamilton, Ontario

8:35: (10th) Joanna Coe, Mays Landing, N.J.; Selanee Henderson, Temecula, Calif.; Brittany Kelly, Fishers, Ind.

8:45: Jessica Carafiello, Coral Springs, Fla.; Hannah Burke, Welwyn Garden City, UK; Jenna Pearson, Wheaton, Ill.

8:45: (10th) Christina Jones, Jensen Beach, Fla.; Erica Moston, Belmont, Calif.; Lisa Maunu, St. Thomas, Ontario

8:55: Alexandra Braga Pleasanton, Calif.; Paz Echeverria, Santiago, Chile; Lisa Meldrum, Montreal, Quebec

8:55: (10th) Lauren Doughtie, Suffolk, Va.; Paola Moreno, Cali, Colombia; Hanna Kang, Seoul, South Korea

9:05: Megan McChrystal, Stuart, Fla.; Cara Freeman, Chandler, Arizona; Tzu-Chi Lin, Chinese Taipei

9:05: (10th) Mi Hyang Lee, Incheon, South Korea; Macarena Silva, Santiago, Chile; Jaclyn Sweeney, Bradenton, Fla.

9:15: Jenny Suh, Fairfax, Va.; Laura Martin, West Chester, Ohio; Amy Eneroth, Spokane, Wash.

9:15: (10th) Kristie Smith, Perth, Australia; Victoria Park, Chungjoo, South Korea; Jasi Acharya, Columbus, Mont.

9:25: Danielle Mills, Pointe-Claire, Quebec; Alejandra Llaneza, Mexico City, Mexico; Stacey Miller, Bloomington, Ill.

9:25: (10th) Sara Maude Juneau, Quebec, Canada; Allison Hanna, Portland, Ore.; Rachel Connor, Manchester, England

9:35: Nicole Smith, Riverside, Calif.; Therese Koelbaek, Holte, Denmark; Calle Nielson, Nashville, Tenn.

9:35: (10th) Nicole Jeray, Berwyn, Ill.; Sue Kim, Langley, British Columbia; Angela Buzminski, Oshawa, Ontario

Afternoon Group

12:25 p.m.: Esther Choe, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Natalie Sheary, West Hartford, Conn.; Olivia Jordan-Higgins, Jersey, Channel Islands UK

12:25: (10th) Ginger Howard, Bradenton, Fla.; Michelle Shin, Cape Coral, Fla.; Valentine Derrey, Paris, France

12:35: Jean Chua, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Victoria Elizabeth, Dayton, Ohio; Emma Jandel, Dayton, Ohio

12:35: (10th) Courtney Massey, Gold Coast, Australia; Tracy Stanford, Midland, Texas; Yu-Ling Hsieh, Chinese Taipei

12:45: Birdie Kim, Seoul, South Korea; Emma De Groot, Coffs Harbour, Australia; Laura Crawford, Lancaster, S.C.

12:45: (10th) Jessi Gebhardt, Bellingham, Wash.; Mitsuki Katahira, Tokyo, Japan; Jackie Barenborg, Vero Beach, Fla.

12:55: Julia Boland, Tamworth, NSW, Australia; Dawn Shockley, Estes Park, Colo.; Cathryn Bristow, Auckland, New Zealand

12:55: (10th) Marissa Steen, West Chester, Ohio; Katie Kempter, Albuquerque, N.M.; P.K. Kongkraphan, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand

1:05: Aimee Neff, Carmel, Ind.; Seul-Ki Park, Northbrook, Ill.; Kendall Wright, Sugar Hill, Ga.

1:05: (10th) Hannah Jun, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; Laura Bavaird, Grosse Ile, Mich.; Martina Gavier, Cordoba, Argentina

1:15: Laura Kueny, Whitehall, Mich.; Katie Burnett, Brunswick, Ga.; Kendall Dye, Edmond, Okla.

1:15: (10th): Blair O’Neal, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Kristin Ingram, Pasadena, Calif.; Izzy Beisiegel, St. Hilaire, Quebec

1:25: Tiffany Tavee, Tempe, Ariz.; Sarah Brown, Whitehall, Pa.; Marina Alex, Wayne, N.J.

1:25: (10th) Annie Brophy, Spokane, Wash.; Andy Jun, Asuncion, Paraguay; Brooke Pancake, Chattanooga, Tenn.

1:35: Lili Alvarez, Durango, Mexico; Marcela Leon, Monterrey, Mexico; Xyra Suyetsugu, Honolulu, Hawaii

1:35: (10th) Inhong Lim, Melbourne, Australia; Rachael Schmidt, Elk River, Minn.; Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Toronto, Canada

1:45: Benedikte Grotvedt, Nesbru, Norway; Samantha Richdale, Kelowna, B.C.; Nicole Vandermade, Brantford, ON Canada

1:45: (10th) Kristin Walla, Aspen, Colo.; Brittany Johnston, Akron, Ohio; Min Seo Kwak, Seoul, South Korea

1:55: Shasta Averyhardt, Flint, Mich.; Marina Choi, Los Angeles, Calif.; Jessy Tang, Daytona Beach, Fla.

1:55: (10th) Joy Trotter, Chino Hills, Calif.; Gloriana Soto, San Jose, Costa Rica; Fiona Puyo, Epernay, France

2:05: Tara Goedeken, Dodge City, Kan.; Hye-Joo Han, Seoul, South Korea; Stefanie Kenoyer, Lighthouse Point, Fla.

2:05: (10th) Britney Hamilton, Lake Orion, Mich.; Allison Duncan, Indianapolis, Ind.; Alexandria Buelow, Palm City, Fla.

2:15: Ulrika Van-Niekerk, Cape Town, South Africa; Christabel Goh, Singapore, Singapore; Stephanie Sherlock, Barrie, Ontario

2:15: (10th) Daniela Iacobelli, Viera, Fla.; Saehee Son, Seoul, South Korea; Taylor Collins, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.