Kenyon Retains Lead In Rain-Suspended Second Round

ALBANY, N.Y., Sept. 6, 2008 – First-round leader Sarah-Jane Kenyon of Queensland, Australia, holds a one-stroke advantage at 8-under par as today’s second round of the $100,000 ILOVENY Championship was suspended due to heavy rainfall. Jin Young Pak of Kang Leung, South Korea, and Sunny Oh of Manhattan Beach, Calif., are one stroke back at 7-under par.

Play was suspended at 3:34 EDT as the course became unplayable due to heavy rain in the area, rendering the course unplayable. Second-round play will resume Sunday at 7:30 a.m. The final round will start off the first and 10th tees at approximately 10:45 a.m., following the 36-hole cut.

Overnight rainfall softened the Capital Hills at Albany course as Tropical Storm Hanna made its way up the East Coast before second-round play got underway. Cloudy skies hovered over the course as morning play was completed, but steady rain continued into the afternoon.

Kenyon, also an LPGA Tour member, was heading toward the tee box on the eighth hole before play was suspended. The 2005 Tour winner had just birdied the seventh hole to move to 8-under par.

“I was happy with the way I was hitting it, but I couldn’t get any putts to go in,” said Kenyon, who was one stroke shy of the 18-hole tournament record in Friday’s first round. “I was stroking it well and know that they will fall in eventually.”

Currently ranked eighth on the season money list, Kenyon held off a hard-charging Oh, who carded five birdies in her first nine holes. Oh wants nothing more than to end the regular season the way she started -- with a tournament win.

“I decided to go for the pins after I saw the ball spin back on the first two holes,” said Oh, winner of the season-opening Bright House Networks Open. “It was rainy, but I still had a good time out there. Everything was going in.”

Pak made birdie on her first hole and answered a bogey on No. 4 with back-to-back birdies on holes No. 5 and 6. The 2005 Tour winner said she preferred today’s rain over 30-mph winds that plagued the field in Friday’s first round.

“I have to keep mentally strong and stay more focused on my game,” said Pak, currently ranked fourth on the season money list. “The rain made the greens soft and I hope I can finish strong tomorrow.”

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

Lim Cards Low Morning Round

Bing Lim of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, posted a 4-under-par 67 to highlight morning play at the ILOVENY Championship.

Lim opened her round with three straight birdies before her lone bogey on No. 4. She totaled five birdies on the front nine before making birdie on two of her first three holes on the back nine.

“I just putted like a dream,” Lim said. “I had 24 putts and I didn’t hit many greens, but every time I hit one, I hit it close and made everything. It was a nice day.”

The third-year pro was 6-under par through 12 holes with seven birdies and one bogey. She had back-to-back bogeys down the stretch, but closed with three straight pars to finish even on the back nine.

“We could attack today,” Lim added. “The greens were a lot softer.”

Fans can listen to Lim featured in an archived second-round podcast on the real-time scoring page at www.duramedfuturestour.com.

Wigger Rebounds From Rough Stretch

Leah Wigger of Louisville, Ky., made a decision to play the remainder of the season on the Duramed FUTURES Tour shortly after winning her first professional tournament Daytona Beach, Fla. It was the right choice for Wigger, as she has put together a consistent season that includes five top-10 finishes.

Wigger came into The Gettysburg Championship two weeks ago ranked fifth on the season money list, but was unable to make the 36-hole cut, dropping into the No. 7 spot. Emotions ran high for the LPGA rookie as she did some soul searching to straighten her mental game in the off week.

“I’ve been having problems within the past month,” Wigger said. “Those problems have been mental and I tend to get really frustrated. I’ve been putting pressure on myself when there didn’t need to be any pressure.”

After posting a first-round tally of 6-over-par 77 on Friday, Wigger rebounded with a 3-under-par 68 in Saturday’s second round to put herself in position to make a charge in the Tour’s final regular-season event. She changed her mindset midway through Friday’s first round after she was 6-over par through 12 holes.

“I just told myself I don’t care,” said Wigger who closed with four straight birdies in today’s round. “I was beginning to worry about where the ball was going to go on every shot, but I got to the point where my emotions were even-keeled.”

A revitalized Wigger is poised to continue to pursue her dream on the LPGA and has a new perspective as the Duramed FUTURES Tour’s regular season comes to a close this weekend.

“I’m not worried about going back to Q-School,” Wigger said. “I got LPGA status through Q-School last year and I’m prepared to do it again if necessary.”

Weather: Cloudy with occasional showers with a high temperature of 76 degrees. Rain continuing in the afternoon with winds coming from the south at 5-10 mph. Play was suspended at 3:34 p.m. EDT because the course was unplayable.

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

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Kenyon Expands Lead Heading Into Final Round Of

ILOVENY Championship

ALBANY, N.Y., Sept. 7, 2008 – Sarah-Jane Kenyon of Queensland, Australia, kept hopes alive of a wire-to-wire win to close out the Duramed FUTURES Tour’s final regular-season event as she finished second-round play with an even-par 71 at the ILOVENY Championship.

Kenyon’s two-day total of 7-under-par 135 gives her a three-stroke cushion over Sunny Oh (69) of Manhattan Beach, Calif., Vicky Hurst (70) of Melbourne, Fla., and Jin Young Pak (72) of Kang Leung, South Korea, all at 4-under-par 138.

Play resumed this morning at 7:23 a.m. EDT after remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna forced a second-round suspension after the course became unplayable. Rain continued into the night, but the remaining field to finish enjoyed clear skies and light winds as second-round play concluded.

The leading second-round group of Kenyon, Pak and Hurst completed 11 holes this morning.

“The course has held up unbelievably well,” said Kenyon, a current LPGA Tour member. “It was definitely a little tricky with the wind this morning, but the greens were rolling fast.”

Kenyon offset a bogey on her second hole of the morning with a birdie on No. 8 and played consistent golf the rest of the way, stringing together five consecutive pars before making bogey on the par-4, 17th hole.

“I hit a rough patch in the middle with a couple of bogeys,” Kenyon said. “I was hitting the ball well, but nothing really happened.”

All three players in the leading group took bogey on par-four 17th hole.

Seventy-one players made the 36-hole cut at 7-over-par 149.

Final-round play began at 11:05 a.m. off the first and tenth tees. The leading group of Kenyon, Hurst and Oh, will tee off at 12:55 p.m.

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

Weather: Partly sunny with a high temperature of 70 degrees and winds coming from the northwest at 10 mph.

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