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Kim, Otteson Share Opening Lead At MASON, Ohio, June 20, 2008 – Two-time tournament winner Mindy Kim of Diamond Bar, Calif., and second-year Tour pro Stephanie Otteson of Wilson, N.C., played their way into a share of the lead at 7-under-par 64 during today’s opening round of the $110,000 Duramed Championship. Kim and Otteson were one stroke shy of the course record 8-under-par 63, set in 1984, at The Golf Center in Kings Island by LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famer Patty Sheehan. Under-par scores flooded the scoreboard as players took advantage of ideal weather and scoreable conditions of the par-71, 6,183-yard layout at the Grizzly Course designed by Jack Nicklaus. Forty-one players finished the round at under par or better. The 18-year-old Kim won tournaments this year in Leawood, Kan., and Lake Geneva, Wis., in wire-to-wire fashion, holding the lead for six consecutive rounds. Sitting third on the season money list, Kim continued her torrid play, finishing with eight birdies and one bogey – a three-putt on her fourth hole. Starting on the back nine, she ran off a string of six birdies on holes No. 14 through No. 1. “I don’t know where this is coming from,” Kim said. “I didn’t really feel like I had anything going last week. I’m just really lucky because God helped me again.” Kim made one change in her bag from last week’s tournament in Decatur, Ill. She added a new TaylorMade Tour Burner driver. The second-year Tour pro hit all 12 fairways today and called her 23 putts a potential career-low total. Among her eight birdies, Kim holed out from a bunker and chipped in from the fringe. “I definitely have less spin on the ball and the trajectory has been lower,” said Kim of the new driver. “Overall, I think the ball is going a little bit farther. My approach shots weren’t great today, but the putting was there and I didn’t miss a fairway.” Otteson scattered eight birdies on her scorecard, crediting a tutorial from YES! Golf representative Glen Kirk for her first-round success. Kirk added weight to the grip of Otteson’s “Tiffany” model putter and it translated into a personal-low round with 24 putts. “This course really rewards good shots,” Otteson said. “On average, I usually have about 32 putts per round. I kept leaving everything short and he (Glen) just moved my hands up a little bit and we worked on consistency.” Otteson’s season surge continues after a 12th-place finish at the Tour’s major championship in Decatur, Ill., last week. In 17 career events, her career-best finish was a tie for seventh at last year’s CIGNA Golf Classic in Bloomfield, Conn. Today, the second-year pro’s 20-foot eagle putt died just short of the cup on her 18th hole, leaving a tap-in for her final birdie. “I came out very loose and relaxed because I’ve been struggling with worrying about results,” Otteson said. “To be honest, I didn’t feel as confident coming into this event as I did going into Decatur.” Among those in pursuit of Otteson and Kim is two-time Duramed FUTURES Tour winner and non-exempt LPGA Tour player Jenny Gleason of Clearwater, Fla., Jessica Shepley of Oakville, Ontario, 2007 LPGA Tour member Sophia Sheridan of Guadalajara, Mexico, and current top-five money winner Song Yi Choi of Seoul, South Korea, at 4-under-par 67. The tradition-rich Golf Center at Kings Island brought a professional tournament back to the former home of the PGA Champions Tour’s Kroger Classic and the LPGA Championship, which was held here for 12 years. The 2007 edition of The Duramed Championship was held in Batavia, Ohio, at The Golf Club at Stonelick Hills. Tee-times for second-round play were pushed ahead 20 minutes to 7:30 a.m. off the first and 10th tees as a precautionary measure against inclement weather. The leaders will tee off at 2 p.m. Live radio coverage of the second round will stream from 3-5 p.m. EDT courtesy of Teamline, found on the real-time scoring page at www.duramedfuturestour.com or by visiting www.duramedchampionship.com. Weather: Sunny with a high of 83 degrees. Winds light and variable throughout the day. Liz Stuart Recaps Event-Filled Week in Cincinnati Liz Stuart of Tampa, Fla., had a busy week, addressing aspiring golfers during a junior clinic on Tuesday before heading to Great American Ballpark to throw out the first pitch of the Cincinnati Reds’ home game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Stuart spoke to over 30 First Tee program members who sat on a Greyhound bus for more than an hour to get to spend time with the Tour pros and improve their game. Stuart, a fourth-year Tour pro, was an eight-year member with Tampa’s Urban Junior Golf League while growing up, which eventually became the First Tee Program. In front of a crowd of nearly 27,000 fans, the Golf Channel’s former “Big Break Ka’anapali” contestant also threw out the game’s first pitch on a special night that included a commemoration of Ken Griffey Jr.’s 600 career home runs. “I was so nervous and it was all a blur up there,” Stuart said. “I think [my pitch] went about 12 mph.” Stuart’s pitch painted the inside corner of the strike zone. She enjoyed the rest of the game from a suite above home plate while receiving a signed baseball from Cincinnati Reds’ owner, Bob Castellini. “Everyone was telling me I’d be OK as long as I wouldn’t throw like the mayor (Mark Mallory in 2007) or (Jessica) Shepley,” Stuart joked. “I think she threw a dirtball.” Shepley and Cortney Reno of Grosse Ile, Mich., threw out the ceremonial first pitches at a Daytona Cubs home game to ring in the AMERICAN SYSTEMS Invitational. For the last month, Stuart has been calling in to a local radio station in Cincinnati and appeared downtown on Thursday in Fountain Square to help publicize The Duramed Championship. Nine-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Carl Lewis Makes Appearance Former track star and nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis appeared at The Golf Center at Kings Island on Wednesday in conjunction with the Ronald McDonald Foundation festivities at The Duramed Championship. Lewis spoke at Wednesday’s “Meet the Pro’s Party” and was serving as an ambassador for the world-renowned organization. Lewis greeted many players during Wednesday morning’s pro-am, including Indianapolis native Danah Ford, a former track standout herself in high school at Lawrence Central. Ford anchored the 4x400 relay team with a time of 59 seconds to help her team finish third in the event -- but also enough for Lawrence Central to win a state championship. “It was quite an honor to have him out there with us,” Ford said. “He’s just a normal person like we are and to be in the presence of someone that great, it was really special.” When asked if a one-on-one race was brewing between Ford and Lewis, the fourth-year pro was quick to reply, “Oh heavens no! He would have burned me and left me in the dust.” Pesky Cicadas Hassle Players During Week The Duramed FUTURES Tour is affectionately referred to as the “drought busters,” for its ability to bring much-needed rain to events, but there could be a new term formulated as the Tour has drawn out gigantic cicadas from hibernation. The Golf Center at Kings Island was filled with loud buzzing throughout the week as the pesky insects landed on players and distracted them. Random screaming and incessant swatting was not uncommon on the driving range and putting greens. “I’ve had a couple crash into me,” Sophia Sheridan of Guadalajara, Mexico, said. “I’ve never seen anything like them before in my life,” a wide-eyed Alejandra Shaw of Vina Del Mar, Chile said. “We definitely don’t have them in Chile. They are so gross!” For Pamela Feggans of Patna, Scotland, the presence of cicadas meant double-checking her bag and equipment. Feggans had several get in her golf bag and feared the worst. “I thought they would reproduce in there and have like 25 babies,” Feggans said.” Liz Stuart said Andrea VanderLende of Longwood, Fla., shrieked when one landed on her shirt, and Jessica Shepley had one sneak down the back of her shirt. “There were chunks of wings and bodies everywhere outside my hotel,” Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., added. “True carnage,” Richdale’s caddie, Paul Wible, summed up. Second and Final-Round Radio Coverage Along With Podcasts of Leaders Offered Online Courtesy of Teamline, live tournament radio coverage of The Duramed Championship will be available online Saturday and Sunday. Second and final-round coverage will be streamed from 3-5 p.m. EDT. Fans can listen online by following a link provided at www.duramedchampionship.com or by accessing the real-time scoring page on the Duramed FUTURES Tour website, www.duramedfuturestour.com. Downloadable podcasts of first-round leaders Mindy Kim and Stephanie Otteson can also be accessed online at www.duramedchampionship.com by clicking “Listen To Our Podcast” on the right side of the page or through the real-time scoring page at www.duramedfuturestour.com. Scorecard Summary
*Mindy Kim (64, -7)
*Stephanie Otteson (64, -7) Contact: Ben Schlesselman, 386-274-6228, Ben@duramedfuturestour.com. |
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