Allison Fouch Earns Second Season Win In Indiana

HAMMOND, Ind., June 10, 2007 – Like any coach’s kid, Allison Fouch learned early the tenets of tenacity. And that dogged pedigree showed today when she earned her second season victory at the $75,000 United States Steel Golf Classic.

Fouch started the day six shots off the lead, but by the end of the round, she had blistered Lost Marsh Golf Course with a six-under-par final-round score of 66, hitting all 18 greens in regulation and playing the par fives at three under. The fourth-year pro recorded six birdies in her bogey-free round and finished at 214 (-2), three shots better than runner-up Audra Burks of Altamonte Springs, Fla., who carded a 71 to finish at 217 (+1).

Courtney Erdman (70) of Altadena, Calif., and second-round leader Kim Brozer (76) of Red Deer, Alberta tied for third at 218 (+2).

“I’m very happy that I finally posted a number on Sunday to put pressure on the leaders,” said Fouch, 26, of Grand Rapids, Mich., who collected $10,500 for her win and moved to the top of the Tour’s money list. “It feels good to fire a low number to win. This is a level where I haven’t been before.”

And Fouch’s level was one that no one else saw all week. Lost Marsh, an Audubon oasis in the shadow of Chicago-area petroleum refineries, steel mills and industrial sprawl, was a worthy opponent for the field. Its greens grew firmer and slicker as the week wore on, causing perfectly capable players to fold in the winds blowing off Lake Michigan. This week, players’ wedges got a workout and their spirits got a whipping.

But Fouch, that determined young pro from Grand Rapids, had played in worse weather than this at Michigan State University, and if nobody else was going to step up and go low on Sunday, she would. And she did.

Remarkably, Lost Marsh played so tough that no scores in the 60s were posted until today’s final round, and only two players – including Fouch, with her tournament-low and career-low round of 66 -- dropped out of the 70s. Former Ohio State University All-American Mollie Fankhauser of Columbus, Ohio, carded a 69 to tie for 10th at 221 (+5).

“Six under is a really great score on this golf course,” said Burks, 40, a non-exempt LPGA Tour member. “Allison is a little bit of bulldog. She plays with a lot of confidence and when she gets it going, she can really go low.”

For most of the afternoon in today’s final round, it was Burks and Fouch who shared or traded the tournament lead. Fouch tied Burks with her birdie from two feet on the eighth hole and stayed even with Burks with another birdie from five feet on the 10th hole. But the Michigan player grabbed the lead by one shot when she two-putted the par-five 12th hole for birdie. Burks answered with her own birdie on No. 12 from six inches.

But the par-five 16th hole was a turning point for both players. Fouch birdied the 16th to move to two-under par and take the lead. Burks, on the other hand, pushed her tee shot underneath a tree from what she called a “pretty squirrelly lie,” forcing her to punch out and ultimately three-putt for a double-bogey. It was bad timing for the veteran with only two holes to play.

“I still felt like I had a good chance because today was my best ball striking day in two weeks,” said Burks, who has one win on the Duramed FUTURES Tour.

But as Fouch waited as the clubhouse leader for the last three groups to finish, Burks tried to muster some magic on her final two holes. The magic wasn’t in the bag today for the veteran. Instead, it was Fouch’s day with her dad as her caddie. This time, it was the coach’s kid calling the shots and making the plays.

“Allison hit it as pure today as I’ve ever seen her hit it and I’m very proud of her,” said Jerry Fouch, the former athletic director at athletic powerhouse East Grand Rapids High School (Mich.). “But the greatest thing today was her mental approach. I learned a long time ago in coaching that it’s not what they do, but it’s how they think while they’re doing it.”

Certainly, for the player, there is some history to that statement. After she finished sixth on the Tour’s 2006 money list – just shy of earning one of the five 2007 LPGA Tour cards – and then fell short at the LPGA’s Qualifying Tournament last fall, Fouch was forced to do some soul searching. First, she admittedly “sulked for a month,” then, with sponsorship in hand, asked herself some hard and necessary questions about the coming 2007 season.

“I had to become very honest with myself and start admitting that I had an attitude problem,” said Fouch. “I had to take a lot of long, good looks in the mirror and see what I needed to change – and not just in golf.”

Growing up as a gym rat made her competitive, tough and perfectionistic. She played softball and basketball and learned to stay as long as it took to get the drills right. And she learned to take the drill from practice and to apply it under pressure. For the coach’s kid, it was the environment that shaped the work ethic she would need in her own athletic future.

“Her pigtails were pulled many times by the athletes I coached, but she liked being there,” said her father, who was accompanied by his tough-as-nails daughter in dugouts and sidelines for many years.

And then there was the temperament of the fiery little athlete who lived in the bedroom down the hall.

“Allison was a Type-A personality and a strong-willed child,” admitted father Fouch. “Her mom [Sue] and I used to argue about who would wake her up in the morning because she was so ornery when she woke up.”

But even her competitive father knew the proverbial nut didn’t fall far from the tree. His daughter was a spitfire for a reason, and Allison watched and learned from the 100 teams at East Grand Rapids that won state athletic championships. Her dad was at the helm of many, and the coach’s kid was taking copious mental notes.

“I watched him be successful,” said the golfer. “You play to win and you play to be a good sport. And you always hustle on and off the field.”

Fouch hustled her way to her second career win today with her dad by her side. She methodically picked her targets and trusted her gut. She navigated her way around Lost Marsh’s 6,210-yard layout, lined by tricky water hazards and Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs). And just as she learned long ago from a red-faced guy with a whistle around his neck, she didn’t leave until she got it right.

For scores and more information, visit www.duramedfuturestour.com.

Weather: Mostly overcast with a high temperature of 81 degrees with winds at 9 mph.

Contact: Lisa D. Mickey, Duramed FUTURES Tour at (863) 709-9100 and at lisa@duramedfuturestour.com.