Rookie Haeji Kang Earns First Professional Win In Richmond

RICHMOND, Va., Aug. 17, 2008 – Seventeen-year-old rookie Haeji Kang (68) of Seoul, South Korea, edged out Sophia Sheridan (66) of Guadalajara, Mexico, in a one-hole playoff to earn her first professional win at the inaugural $100,000 Greater Richmond Duramed FUTURES Classic.

Sara Brown (68) of Tucson, Ariz., Stacy Lewis (70) of the Woodlands, Texas, Nicole Hage (71) of Coral Springs, Fla., and Vicky Hurst (72) of Melbourne, Fla., finished four strokes back at 7-under-par 209.

Kang, the youngest professional member of the Duramed FUTURES Tour, collected a paycheck of $14,000 and moved into the top 10 on the season money list.

“I can’t describe how happy I am right now,” said Kang, who will turn 18 in November. “I almost cried on the 18th hole.”

Kang and Sheridan finished regulation tied at 11-under-par 205.

Kang made bogey on the 18th hole to fall back to 11-under par after clinging to a one-stroke lead over Sheridan with a chip-in birdie on 16.

After Sheridan advanced through the final round with a bogey-free, 6-under-par 66 to get to the playoff, she ran into trouble that led to a sequence of shots that no one could have predicted.

Kang and Sheridan replayed the 18th hole as the Tour’s fourth playoff of the season got underway.

After both players’ tee shots landed in the middle of the fairway, Sheridan’s second shot with a hybrid crashed into the trees and bounced back into the rough. She punched out and her ball skidded across the cart path out of bounds.

Sheridan dropped her ball, advancing 20 yards on the following shot, before punching her sixth shot over the cart path again to take another two-stroke penalty. Standing over her eighth stroke, Sheridan asked Duramed FUTURES Tour head rules official Kelly Wergin if she could pick her up ball and concede the hole to Kang.

“I wasn’t nervous and I hit a pretty good 5-wood,” Sheridan said. “The hole was wide open, but there were rocks everywhere and I was just trying to give myself a par chance. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work out.”

Kang never had to finish the hole after the concession and the two players embraced in the middle of the green.

After firing an even-par 72 in second-round play on Saturday, Kang was determined to get her putter going early in today’s final round. She rolled in a 35-foot downhill birdie putt on the par-3, second hole.

“Today was so good,” Kang said. “I left a few shots out there, but I had a very good day with the putter. Even if I would have come in second, I would have been really happy. My goal coming into this tournament was to try and make the top 15.”

After the go-ahead birdie on No. 16, Kang was unable to get up-and-down on the 18th hole from the first cut of the rough that left her ball buried. She chipped out of the rough, but missed an 8-foot par putt to tap in for bogey and force the playoff.

“It was really thick rough and I was just trying to land it somewhere close to the pin,” Kang said. “I was really nervous and I was just thinking ‘lets just get this one in the hole’.”

Kang maintained a share of the lead in all three rounds at the Richmond Country Club, setting a course record on Friday with a 7-under-par 65.

A choked-up Kang was relieved to get her first professional win out of the way after posting four top-10 finishes this year, including previous career-best finishes of sixth in El Paso, Texas and Hammond, Ind.

“I never win in playoffs,” said Kang with a smile during the awards ceremony.

That certainly isn’t the case anymore.

The Tour’s Eastern Swing continues next week at The Gettysburg Championship in Gettysburg, Pa., set for Aug. 22-24. Vikki Laing of Musselburgh, Scotland, is the defending champion, winning by three strokes in 2007.

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

Sheridan Cashes in Low Round For iPod Touch

Sophia Sheridan of Guadalajara, Mexico, went low in the final round of the Greater Richmond Duramed FUTURES Classic with a 6-under-par 66 to become a winner in Duramed’s season-long promotion of the Sunday Low Round Award. Sheridan received an 8 GB Apple iPod Touch for her round.

Like tournament winner Haeji Kang, Sheridan made a birdie putt on the par-3, second hole to get early momentum. She added back-to-back birdies on holes 8 and 9 to go 4-under par on the front nine of the Richmond Country Club.

“I was putting with more feel than precision,” Sheridan said. “I had a great connection right of the bat with the second hole.”

Sheridan closed in on the top 10 of the season money list, moving up to the 11th spot. She started the day in a tie for fifth and gradually moved up the leaderboard, taking the lead with birdies on the 12th and 15th holes.

“I’m really glad my game is coming together at the right time of the year,” said Sheridan, a member of the LPGA Tour in 2007. “I was hitting the ball well and making putts today.”

Sheridan tied for second at the El Paso Golf Classic earlier this year and was coming off a 10th-place finish last week at the inaugural Falls Auto Group Classic in London, Ky.

Weather: A mix of clouds and sunshine with a high temperature of 88 degrees and winds blowing 5-10 mph from the southeast.

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