Vega Climbs To Lead After First Round Of USI Championship

CONCORD, N.H., July 25, 2008 – Highlighted by four birdies in her final five holes, Briana Vega of Andover, Mass., finished with a 5-under-par 67 to lead the field in today’s opening round of the USI Championship. Haeji Kang of Seoul, South Korea, Sara Brown of Tucson, Ariz., Carmen Bandea of Atlanta, Georgia, and Jessica Carafiello of Coral Springs, Fla., are one stroke back at 4-under-par 68.

After a week where the Concord area absorbed over three inches of rain prior to tournament play, Vega’s short game proved to be an ideal fit for the treelined setup of Beaver Meadow Golf Course.

The crowd assembled on the ninth green roared as Vega rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt to finish her round and take the lead. Vega lofted a gap wedge from 106 yards out to set the stage for her final birdie putt.

“I had a lot of wedges in my hand and it meant many opportunities for birdies,” Vega said. “The greens were fantastic and the course just seemed to fit my eye.”

Vega remains in pursuit of her first win on the Duramed FUTURES Tour after tying for second earlier this year at the Aurora Health Care Championship in Lake Geneva, Wis. She posted a 5-under-par 66 on the par-71 layout of The Links at Erie Village in the second round play of last week’s Alliance Bank Golf Classic in Syracuse, N.Y., on her way to a tie for 41st.

A fourth-year Tour pro, Vega rebounded from a sluggish start after beginning her round on the back nine with back-to-back bogeys on her fifth and sixth holes. She found a rhythm and answered with back-to-back birdies on No. 16 and 17 before advancing through the front nine with five more birdies.

“I never flipped out after pulling a couple of drives early,” Vega said. “It’s frustrating to work on things and not see them go your way, but I’ve been working hard to play stress-free.”

A local favorite in the New England region who played collegiately at North Carolina State University, Vega said she will try to get some friends out to see Saturday’s second round.

“I need to make them get out of bed and come up to watch me play,” Vega said.

Winner of The Golf Channel’s “Big Break VI: Trump National” series in 2006, Vega attracted plenty of fanfare along with playing partners Kim Welch of Sacramento, Calif., and Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C.

Welch claimed her first professional win at last week’s Alliance Bank Golf Classic and is a recent winner of the Big Break “Ka’anapali” series. Richdale qualified for the LPGA’s CN Canadian Women’s Open in August along with Carafiello and tied for second in the final event of the Canadian Women’s Tour last week.

Kang moved out to 6-under par through her first 15 holes before driver troubles resulted in two bogeys on her final three holes. The 18-year-old Bandea posted a bogey-free round, carding four birdies on the back nine. Brown was also at 6-under par before a pair of bogeys and Carafiello ended her round with a birdie on her final hole.

Second-round play continues Saturday morning at 7:50 a.m. off the first and 10th tees. The leading group of Vega, Kang and Brown tee off at 2:20 p.m.

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Freshman NCAA All-Americans Karle, Sweeney Break Into Duramed FUTURES Tour Ranks

Amateurs Taylore Karle of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Jacyln Sweeney of Bradenton, Fla., made their Duramed FUTURES Tour debuts in today’s first round of the USI Championship. Karle opened with a 2-under-par 70, joining four players in a tie for 12th and Sweeney carded a 2-over-par 74, sitting in a tie for 67th.

Sweeney earned status with the Tour at the Duramed FUTURES Tour Qualifying Tournament last November while Karle took advantage of a special exemption (A-5 status) based on her merit of a top-30 standing in the final Golfweek/Sagarin individual rankings (No. 17).

Coming off freshman seasons at Pepperdine University and Oklahoma State University, respectively, Karle and Sweeney continue a trend of NCAA All-Americans getting their feet wet on the professional level after one year of collegiate competition.

Karle was an All-American second-team selection along with Jessica Yadloczky of Casselberry, Fla., who will make her season debut at the Tour’s next event in London, Ky., at the Falls Auto Group Classic. Sweeney garnered honorable mention status among players that include amateurs Hannah Yun of Bradenton, Fla., and Natalie Sheary of West Hartford, Conn.

Just like Yun with the University of Florida, Sweeney joined OSU after the college semester break and went on to lead the Cowgirls to a Big 12 Conference Championship crown and an NCAA Championships appearance. Sheary placed runner-up to her good friend and four-time Tour winner Vicky Hurst of Melbourne, Fla., earlier this year at the CIGNA Golf Classic in Bloomfield, Conn., as a special invitee.

Karle and Sweeney are hoping follow success of players making their Tour debuts mid-season. Whitney Myers (Florida) of York, Pa., placed in the top 15 in her first two professional events since her first entry in Bloomfield, Conn. Just a few months removed from their college careers, Carling Coffing (Ohio State) of Middletown, Ohio, Kylene Pulley (South Florida) of Kokomo, Ind., and Sara Brown (Michigan State), could be found in the top 20 of last week’s Alliance Bank Golf Classic in Syracuse, N.Y.

Larsson Repeats as Winner in YES! Golf’s One Grand Challenge

In a record 12-hole, sudden-death playoff, Caroline Larsson of Stockholm, Sweden, outlasted Sam White of Potomac, Md., to claim her second YES! Golf One Grand Challenge title of the year. Larsson claimed the prize of $1,000 and earned top honors earlier this season at the Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City Championship in Leawood, Kan.

Larsson and White’s putting prowess was on full display as they battled after regulation. After White made a hole-in-one on the fourth hole on the Beaver Meadow putting green, Larsson forced a playoff by matching White’s single shot. 

Larsson and White continued to match each other shot-for-shot before the 12th hole when White’s par putt slid past the cup.

After three waves of shotgun starts, the final field was narrowed down to Larsson, White, Gerina Mendoza of Roswell, N.M., Ashley Grier of Hagerstown, Md., Jessica Carafiello of Coral Springs, Fla., Courtney Erdman of Altadena, Calif., and Cindy-Lee Pridgen of Sabah, Malaysia.

Larsson joined fellow OGC winners Janell Howland (McAllen, Texas) of Boise, Idaho and Vikki Laing (Decatur, Ill.) of Musselbergh, Scotland. The final YES! Golf One Grand Challenge will be held in Gettysburg, Pa., at The Gettysburg Championship.

Weather: Mostly sunny with a high temperature of 84 degrees and light winds blowing from the west at 5-10 mph.

Contact: Ben Schlesselman, 386-214-9726, Ben@duramedfuturestour.com.