LAFAYETTE, La., April 20, 2008 – South Korean rookie M.J. Hur forced a playoff with a birdie on the 18th hole and outlasted Vicky Hurst on the ensuing green to claim a title at the third annual Louisiana Pelican Classic on Sunday.

Hur, a product of Seoul, South Korea, caught fire on the back nine with three consecutive birdies and the 18-year old earned her first professional win to the tune of an $11,900 paycheck. She made up a four-stroke deficit to Hurst with 27 putts and scored six birdies on the day.

It was reminiscent of the season-opening Bright House Networks Open in Lakeland, Fla., when Sunny Oh of Manhattan Beach, Calif., clipped runner-up Kim Welch of Sacramento, Calif., in a playoff.

Hur made birdie on her last hole to pull even with Hurst at 10-under par 206 for the tournament and ended regulation at 4-under-par 68 for the day. In the playoff, Hurst’s second shot on the par-4 18th hole landed two feet off the top of the fringe and set her up with a downhill putt.

Hur faced an uphill putt and left it short on a chance for birdie but was able to salvage par. Hurst left her par putt just inches wide of the cup and Hur claimed the win.

“My putting was really good and part of the reason I had the score today,” Hur said. “I wasn’t nervous in the playoff but I was nervous on 17 and 18. I didn’t have any feelings at the time.”

It was a career-low round of 68 for Hur, who was a member of the Korea National Team in 2006. She promised to buy her father a new belt and some shoes with her newfound earnings.

Hur was able to make a critical par with the help of her favorite club on the 17th hole to prevent Hurst from clinching the win.

“I was really nervous at the time and I tried to get my practice rhythm,” Hur said. “I feel really happy because the 8-iron is my lucky club. I really like that club.”

Fellow South Korean and former Duramed FUTURES Tour alum, Song-Hee Kim gave Hur her personal yardage book two weeks before coming to Lafayette. Kim, now on the LPGA Tour, won the first edition of the Louisiana Pelican Classic in 2006 by one stroke.

“She has really good course management skills,” Hur said of Kim. “I have my dream and I want to go to the LPGA Tour.”

Hur and Hurst met in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship last year and Hur said that Hurst gave her all she could handle.

“She (Hurst) has a really good driver shot,” Hur said. “She’s so long.”

Hurst, of Melbourne, Fla., made bogey on her first hole, but offset it with a birdie in front of the crowd at nine. She was steady on the back with nine pars, but no birdies after coming off a tournament-record 8-under par 64 in second-round play on Saturday.

For the 2007 AJGA Rolex Player of the Year, it was still just her third tournament since turning pro and she improved on an 11th-place performance at the AMERICAN SYSTEMS Invitational just two weeks ago in Daytona Beach.

“I wasn’t playing as good as yesterday,” Hurst said. “I was a little nervous, but now that I’ve experienced being in this position, maybe it will be a little easier now.”

Onnarin Sattayabanphot, Leanna Wicks and Kelly Lagedrost each fired rounds of 67 (-5) and helped themselves in the final standings, moving up to third, fourth and a tie for fifth, respectively.

Nari Kim of Seoul, South Korea, the first-day leader at the AMERICAN SYSTEMS Invitational, closed her tournament with a flurry, finishing in a tie for fifth and carding a round of 4-under par to finish with a 210 (-6) for the event.

The Duramed FUTURES Tour continues its Southern Swing next week in McAllen, Texas, for the Jalapeno Golf Classic at the Palm View Golf Course.

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

Weather: Mostly sunny with a high temperature of 83 degrees and winds blowing S at 8-10 mph.

Mindy Kim Wins iPod Touch for Low Round

Duramed’s season-long promotion of the Sunday Low Round Award continued as Mindy Kim of Diamond Bar, Calif., fired a 6-under par 66. For her effort, Kim will receive an 8 GB Apple iPod Touch. Misun Cho of Cheonju, South Korea, and Annie Young of Highland, Utah, were prior recipients this season.

Kim could tell her day was going to be a good one after a 30-foot putt on her first hole and followed with another birdie on her third hole.

“It jump-started my round,” Kim said of her early-round success. “I had no chips even though my driving accuracy was pretty bad. My putter worked and to be honest, it was my career-low round today.”

Kim had a flight to catch to head back to California at 5:30 p.m., but was excited for the chance to replace her 4 GB silver second-generation iPod nano. She vaulted up the leaderboard from a tie for 40th, into a tie for ninth, her second top-10 showing of the year.

“My game is just solid right now, but not red hot,” Kim said.

Sattayabanphot Makes Sterling Season Debut

After playing in several events on the LPGA Tour, Onnarin “Moo” Sattayabanphot made her return to the Duramed FUTURES Tour in Lafayette. A 2007 Tour winner at the ILOVENY Championship in Albany, N.Y., Sattayabanphot posted a final round of 67 (-5) to end up in sole possession of third place.

In a rare exhibition, Sattayabanphot carded two eagles in three holes, one in front of a crowd on nine and the other making the turn at 11. She drained a 20-foot putt on the ninth hole for eagle after getting on the green in just two shots.

“Low scores are possible on this golf course,” Sattayabanphot said. “I just had to be patient on some of the difficult holes and make par and just go from there.”

Sattayabanphot, a former second-team All-American at Purdue University, said she just wanted to see some improvement in her game.

“From Mexico, I wanted to eliminate all bogeys and work on putting a little bit,” Sattayabanphot said. “I had a lot of good two-putts and par putts today.”

Contact: Ben Schlesselman, 386-274-7096, Ben@duramedfuturestour.com.