Golf Blogger - Golf News and Golf Blog

Rookies Vicky Hurst and Haeji Kang Tied For Lead After Round 2 of Greater Richmond Duramed FUTURES Classic

Posted by Big G under Ladies Pro Golf, Latest Golf News

Four-time Duramed FUTURES Tour winner Vicky Hurst (69) of Melbourne, Fla., and first-day leader Haeji Kang (72), formed a tie for the lead as second-round play finished at the inaugural $100,000 Greater Richmond Duramed FUTURES Classic.

Hurst and Kang are sitting at the top of the leaderboard with a two-day score of 7-under-par 137.

The rookies have a one-stroke lead over non-exempt LPGA Tour member Nicole Hage (72) of Coral Springs, Fla., and Misun Cho (68) of Cheongju, South Korea, currently tied for third at 6-under-par 138.

After setting a Richmond Country Club course record by recording a first-round score of 7-under-par 65, Kang fired a round of even-par 72 on Saturday. Kang was steady throughout the day, mixing in two birdies and two bogeys, but disappointed with the final outcome.

“I didn’t have many chances for birdies because my shots weren’t good enough,” Kang said. “I was hitting out of too many hazards and my drives weren’t accurate. I’ll work hard tomorrow on concentrating when I hit every shot.”

Hurst made her move up the leaderboard with four birdies, including three straight on the back nine, and one bogey. She has been adjusting to a new caddie, David Scheurerer, who caddied for Hurst at the 2006 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Pumpkin Ridge in North Plains, Ore.

“We’ve been working a lot on getting birdie chances and eliminating bogeys,” said the 18-year-old Hurst.

Hurst has won events this season in McAllen, Texas, Decatur, Ill., Hammond, Ind., and Bloomfield, Conn. She finished second at last week’s Falls Auto Group Classic to three-time Tour winner Mindy Kim of Diamond Bar, Calif.

Hurst leads the Tour’s season money list with four wins and two runner-up finishes in just 10 events.

“I thought I had a pretty solid round,” Hurst said. “I’ll just continue to take it one shot at a time and focus on my game tomorrow. I had made it a goal not to have any bogeys this week, but I’m pleased with today’s round.”

Sara Brown of Tucson, Ariz., Sophia Sheridan of Guadalajara, Mexico, and Cho posted low rounds of 4-under-par 68. Brown moved into a three-way tie for 11th and Sheridan tied Stacy Lewis of The Woodlands, Texas, for a share of fifth.

Seventy-one players made the cut at 3-over-par 147.

Final-round play begins at 8 a.m. of the first tee. The leading group of Hurst, Kang and Cho tee of at 11:50 a.m.

For real-time scoring and more information, visit www.duramedfuturestour.com.

Players With Virginia Ties Shine Early in Richmond

Jenny Suh of Fairfax, Va., Leah Wigger of Louisville, Ky., Carol Green-Robertson of Tazewell, Va., and Jackie Beers-Szymoniak of Newnan, Georgia, are a few of the more visible faces this weekend at the Greater Richmond Duramed FUTURES Classic because of their ties to the Cavalier State.

Beers-Szymoniak, a former standout of Monacan High School in Richmond, is competing in her first event since the Aurora Health Care Championship in May/June. Green-Robertson headed to Morgantown for a collegiate career at the University of West Virginia.

“This is definitely like one of my homes,” Beers-Szymoniak said. “It was too good of an event to pass up and I was looking to get my feet wet. I’ll be back full throttle next year.”

Suh and Wigger were tied for 15th at the end of Friday’s first round at 2-under-par 70. Wigger made double-bogey on her final hole, a result she attributed to poor club selection.

While Wigger is in hot pursuit of a top-five standing on the season money list, her former college teammate, Kristen Simpson of Norfolk, Va., is competing this weekend as the local amateur exemption. Simpson will be entering her senior year at Charlottesville this fall and is grateful for what Wigger, a “founding father” has done for the Cavaliers’ program since she graduated in 2007.

“It’s a huge help for me to have Leah (Wigger) out here this week because I have no idea what I’m doing,” said Simpson, who carded a second-round score of 1-under-par 71. “We’ve had a lot of fun out here and it helps lighten the mood.”

A former four-time NGCA Academic All-American at Virginia, Wigger was joined by her sister as a caddie last week in London, Ky., as the Tour’s “The Top Ten: Race For The Card” program launched at the Falls Auto Group Classic.

“It’s really awesome to have the Virginia connection out here,” Wigger said. “It makes it easier for me to interact with the crowd.”

Suh felt fortunate to have her parents come down from Fairfax to watch her play for the first time since the 2006 Curtis Cup. Suh’s father surprised her on the first tee by showing up to caddie and her brother will be in attendance for Sunday’s final round. The Tour rookie is coming off a career-best finish at the Falls Auto Group Classic last week when she tied for fifth.

“It’s really nice to have a gallery because spectators look for the big names,” Suh said. “Every tournament has gone a little bit better this year and I’m still taking baby steps.”

Players Trying to Overcome Pesky Trees Hanging Over 18th Fairway

Spectators standing at the Greater Richmond Duramed FUTURES Classic have heard the loud cracks of golf balls hitting the trunks of oak trees guarding the left and right sides of the 18th fairway. It has turned into a tricky approach shot that calls for a change of strategy.

“The hole plays as long as the hole plays,” said Matthew Schulze, director of golf at the Richmond Country Club. “I would say about 30 percent of the field this weekend has had some kind of problem. I’ve seen quite a few punch shots from the cart path.”

For Stacy Lewis (71) of The Woodlands, Texas, the 18th hole has halted her momentum, making bogey in both rounds of play.

“I’ve tried to go under the trees both days and bogeyed both times, so things haven’t worked out,” said Lewis, sitting in a tie for fifth. “I still haven’t figured it out, but I was still able to give myself a chance to make a move tomorrow.”

Leah Wigger of Louisville, Ky., made a quick adjustment after grazing the branches in first-round play.

“It’s way too risky to hit 3-wood or driver,” Wigger said. “I’ve been hitting 5-wood to try and get up near the 150-yard mark. It’s a great finishing hole and very challenging.”

Second-round scores Saturday in the Duramed FUTURES Tour’s
$100,000 Greater Richmond Duramed FUTURES Classic
at the 6271-yard, par 36-36 - 72 Richmond Country Club,
Richmond, Va. (a-denotes amateur):

1 Vicky Hurst (Melbourne, Fla.) 68-69 - 137
Haeji Kang (Seoul, South Korea) 65-72 - 137

3 Misun Cho (Cheongju, South Korea) 70-68 - 138
Nicole Hage (Coral Springs, Fla.) 66-72 - 138

5 Sophia Sheridan (Guadalajara, Mexico) 71-68 - 139
Stacy Lewis (The Woodlands, Texas) 68-71 - 139

7 Lisa Ferrero (Lodi, Calif.) 69-71 - 140
Sarah Lynn Sargent (St. Charles, Ill.) 68-72 - 140
Jenny Gleason (Clearwater, Fla.) 68-72 - 140
Vikki Laing (Musselburgh, Scotland) 66-74 - 140

11 Sara Brown (Tucson, Ariz.) 73-68 - 141
Jessica Shepley (Oakville, Ontario) 71-70 - 141
Maru Martinez (Maracaibo, Venezuela) 72-69 - 141

14 Janell Howland (Boise, Idaho) 71-71 - 142
Jenna Pearson (Wheaton, Ill.) 72-70 - 142
Chris Brady (Longboat Key, Fla.) 69-73 - 142

17 M. J. Hur (Seoul, South Korea) 72-71 - 143
Jenny Suh (Fairfax, Va.) 70-73 - 143
Christine Boucher (Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec) 70-73 - 143
Ashley Grier (Hagerstown, Md.) 70-73 - 143
Jennifer Ackerson (Dallas, Texas) 72-71 - 143
Kelly Froelich (Raizeux, France) 72-71 - 143
LeAnna Wicks (Brighton, Mich.) 73-70 - 143
Jin Hyun Kim (Seoul, South Korea) 73-70 - 143

25 Lorraine Ballerano (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) 73-71 - 144
Sarah-Jane Kenyon (Queensland, Australia) 71-73 - 144
Leah Wigger (Louisville, Ky.) 70-74 - 144
Ashley Knoll (The Woodlands, Texas) 72-72 - 144
Kristen Simpson (a) (Norfolk, Va.) 73-71 - 144
Jessica Yadloczky (a) (Casselberry, Fla.) 68-76 - 144

31 Brandi Jackson (Greenville, S.C.) 75-70 - 145
Sunny Oh (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) 74-71 - 145
Caroline Larsson (Stockholm, Sweden) 74-71 - 145
Andrea VanderLende (Longwood, Fla.) 74-71 - 145
Jin Young Pak (Kang Leung, South Korea) 71-74 - 145
Stephanie Otteson (Wilson, N.C.) 71-74 - 145
Lori Atsedes (Ithaca, N.Y.) 71-74 - 145
Jean Reynolds (Newnan, Ga.) 71-74 - 145
Gerina Mendoza (Roswell, N.M.) 72-73 - 145
Stephanie George (Myerstown, Pa.) 70-75 - 145
Hannah Yun (a) (Bradenton, Fla.) 72-73 - 145
Lisa Meldrum (Montreal, Quebec) 69-76 - 145
Sam White (Potomac, Md.) 68-77 - 145
Gina Umeck (Redlands, Calif.) 73-72 - 145

45 Carol Green-Robertson (Tazewell, Va.) 76-70 - 146
Jeehae Lee (Seoul, South Korea) 76-70 - 146
Stella Lee (Seoul, South Korea) 74-72 - 146
Kim Welch (Sacramento, Calif.) 77-69 - 146
Ashley Prange (Noblesville, Ind.) 74-72 - 146
Katie Allison (Little River, S.C.) 74-72 - 146
Song Yi Choi (Seoul, South Korea) 73-73 - 146
Brittainy Klein (Henderson, Ky.) 73-73 - 146
Chella Choi (Seoul, South Korea) 71-75 - 146
Kristen Samp (Moberly, Mo.) 71-75 - 146
Nantaya Srisawang (Chiang Mai, Thailand) 72-74 - 146
Marcela Leon (Monterrey, Mexico) 70-76 - 146
Haley Gildea (East Greenwich, R.I.) 73-73 - 146

58 Catherine Matranga (Fort Worth, Texas) 75-72 - 147
Mindy Kim (Diamond Bar, Calif.) 75-72 - 147
Juli Erekson (Mapleton, Utah) 74-73 - 147
Devan Andersen (Guadalajara, Mexico) 71-76 - 147
Jackie Beers-Szymoniak (Newnan, Ga.) 71-76 - 147
Rebecka Heinmert (San Jose, Calif.) 71-76 - 147
Sarah Olsen (Grosse Ile, Mich.) 71-76 - 147
Whitney Wade (Glasgow, Ky.) 72-75 - 147
Alexandra Braga (Los Angeles, Calif.) 72-75 - 147
Sin Ah Ham (Torrance, Calif.) 70-77 - 147
Briana Vega (Andover, Mass.) 72-75 - 147
Jutta Degerman (Helsinki, Finland) 69-78 - 147
Charlotte Campbell (Heathrow, Fla.) 73-74 - 147
Kelly Lagedrost (Brooksville, Fla.) 73-74 - 147

— Missed 36 Hole Cut —
Carmen Bandea (Atlanta, Ga.) 75-73 - 148
Amanda Mathis (Opelousas, La.) 75-73 - 148
Hanna Kang (Seoul, South Korea) 74-74 - 148
Sasha Medina (Ponce, Puerto Rico) 74-74 - 148
Mo Martin (Altadena, Calif.) 74-74 - 148
Heather Angell (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 78-70 - 148
Taya Battistella (Portland, Ore.) 72-76 - 148
Noriko Nakazaki (Hanover Park, Ill.) 70-78 - 148
Nicole Jeray (Berwyn, Ill.) 72-76 - 148
Michelle Jarman (Wilmington, N.C.) 70-78 - 148
Nikki Hadd (Crestview, Fla.) 73-75 - 148

Kristina Tucker (Stockholm, Sweden) 75-74 - 149
Brenda McLarnon (Belfast, Ireland) 76-73 - 149
Stacey Tate (Auckland, New Zealand) 74-75 - 149
Manuela Tarazona (Buenos Aires, Argentina) 77-72 - 149
Whitney Myers (York, Pa.) 77-72 - 149
Dana Je (Orlando, Fla.) 77-72 - 149
Elin Andersson (Eskilstuna, Sweden) 78-71 - 149
Melissa Eaton (Port Shepstone, South Africa) 72-77 - 149
Ulrika Ljungman-Smith (Stockholm, Sweden) 72-77 - 149
Angela Oh (Maple Shade, N.J.) 72-77 - 149

Anastasia Kostina (Nakhabino, Russia) 76-74 - 150
Christine Cho (Kent, Wash.) 74-76 - 150
Yoora Kim (Seoul, South Korea) 74-76 - 150
Kim Augusta (Rumford, R.I.) 74-76 - 150
Sae Hee Son (Seoul, South Korea) 77-73 - 150
Leah Whiting (Hilo, Hawaii) 74-76 - 150
Perry Swenson (Charlotte, N.C.) 74-76 - 150
Tanya Dergal (Durango, Mexico) 78-72 - 150
Carling Coffing (Middletown, Ohio) 73-77 - 150
Lili Alvarez (Durango, Mexico) 80-70 - 150
Kylene Pulley (Kokomo, Ind.) 72-78 - 150
Meghan Little (Sturgis, S.D.) 72-78 - 150
Bridget Dwyer (Kailua, Hawaii) 73-77 - 150
Stephanie Kim (a) (Orlando, Fla.) 73-77 - 150

Amanda McCurdy (Little Rock, Ark.) 75-76 - 151
Y. J. Jin (Seoul, South Korea) 75-76 - 151
Lynn Valentine (East Lyme, Conn.) 76-75 - 151
Esther Moon (Nashville, Tenn.) 74-77 - 151
Maggie Simons (Raleigh, N.C.) 74-77 - 151
Morgan Olds (Stamford, Conn.) 74-77 - 151
Ashley Mylton (Charlotte, N.C.) 74-77 - 151
Tiffany Tavee (Tempe, Ariz.) 79-72 - 151
Jessica Schneider (Elgin, Ill.) 72-79 - 151
Angela Buzminski (Oshawa, Ontario) 68-83 - 151
Katrina Leckovic (Burnaby, British Columbia) 73-78 - 151
Sofie Andersson (Angelholm, Sweden) 73-78 - 151

Jaclyn Burch (Satellite Beach, Fla.) 75-77 - 152
Benedikte Grotvedt (a) (Nesbru, Norway) 75-77 - 152
Courtney Erdman (Altadena, Calif.) 77-75 - 152
Annie Young (Highland, Utah) 77-75 - 152
Adriane Duke (Jonesboro, Ark.) 79-73 - 152
Cindy Lee-Pridgen (Sabah, Malaysia) 73-79 - 152
Alejandra Shaw (Vina Del Mar, Chile) 71-81 - 152

Shayna Miyajima (Maui, Hawaii) 76-77 - 153
Jill Frantz (Iowa City, Iowa) 75-78 - 153
Katie Fraley (Brandenburg, Ky.) 76-77 - 153
Amanda Costner (Claremore, Okla.) 77-76 - 153
Amy Schmucker (Cold Spring, Minn.) 74-79 - 153
Pamela Feggans (Patna, Scotland) 77-76 - 153
Kellee Booth (McKinney, Texas) 74-79 - 153
Jeanne Cho-Hunicke (Longwood, Fla.) 78-75 - 153
Bing Lim (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) 72-81 - 153

Amber Prange (Noblesville, Ind.) 77-77 - 154

Alissa Kuczka (Phoenix, Ariz.) 76-79 - 155
Camila Mori (Santiago, Chile) 76-79 - 155

Kate Stepanek (Guilford, Conn.) 77-79 - 156
Moah Chang (Los Angeles, Calif.) 78-78 - 156

Nara Shin (a) (Avon, Conn.) 77-80 - 157

Sohi Moon (Seoul, South Korea) 77-81 - 158
Eom Ji Park (Vancouver, BC) 79-79 - 158

Nicola Eaton (Port Shepstone, South Africa) 77-82 - 159

——————
Julia Huh (Pasadena, Md.) WDI