HAMMOND, Ind., June 27, 2009 – Low scores ruled the day as Misun Cho of Cheongju, South Korea, posted a score of 7-under-par 65 during today's second-round of the $100,000 Horseshoe Casino Classic at Lost Marsh Golf Course tournament. Cho has a two-day total of 135 (-9), and a two-stroke cushion over first-round leader, Mina Harigae (72) of Monterey, Calif., who stands at 137 (-7).

Trailing the leader by four strokes in a five-way tie for third at 139 (-5), are Stephanie Otteson (67) of Wilson, N.C., Janell Howland (66) of Boise, Idaho, Hannah Jun (65) of San Diego, Calif., Tzu-Chi Lin (70) of Taichung, Taiwan and Sara Brown (71) of Tucson, Ariz.

With their 7-under-par second-round scores of 65, Cho and Jun tied the Hammond, Ind., women's course record, which was set Friday by Harigae. 

"I should have made one more birdie," laughed Cho, when told of the tie for the record. "I left a few good putts out there. I could have gone to 63, but it's my lowest score this year, so I'll take it."

While she didn't make that last elusive birdie, Cho managed to card eight of them during the round, with a lone bogey on No. 15.

"I just missed the green on that one," recalled Cho. "I hit it in the wrong place."

Cho, a second year professional on the Duramed FUTURES Tour, has already won once this year on the Tour. But since her April win at the iMPACT Invitational in Daytona Beach, Fla., Cho has felt she's struggled a bit.

"I knew this day had to come," said Cho. "I think I'm finally getting comfortable playing. I used to get nervous, but week after week, I'm getting better."

Nerves did get to first-round leader Harigae, who came into the Indiana tournament with two wins under her belt this season.

"It stinks," shrugged Harigae, a Duramed FUTURES Tour rookie. "I just got nervous and wasn't hitting it very well. I had a few good putts, but I also had a few bad ones."

Harigae started her day off with a bogey, which she said didn't affect her confidence too much.

"It was early still," said Harigae, who carded a total of three bogeys and three birdies. "I thought there was plenty of time to make birdies, but I didn't."

Jun, who came into today's round tied for 49th, said she played a simple game today, despite carding eight birdies and one bogey.

"I hit the ball good, made some putts and next thing I knew, I was 7-under," recalls Jun, a former member of the LPGA Tour. "I had one bad round yesterday and one great round today. Best thing you can do is post a number and see what happens."

Making a prediction for Sunday's final round, Brown is ready to go low.

"I bogeyed for the past two days on No. 15 and tomorrow I'm getting par - mark my words" predicted Brown. "I hear there are a few 7-unders out there. I'll take one for tomorrow."

Sharing a tie for eighth at 140 (-4) are Jennie Lee (68) of Henderson, Nev., Jean Reynolds (71) of Newnan, Ga., and Tanya Dergal (71) of Durango, Mexico.

Thirty-six players currently stand at even-par 144 or lower in the first two rounds. Seventy-one players made the 36-hole cut at 147 (+3).

Sunday's final round will begin at 7:50 a.m., off the first tees with the leaders teeing off at 11:50 a.m.

For scores and more information, visit duramedfuturestour.com.

Weather: Sunny with a high in the upper 80s. Winds from the Southeast at 5 to 10 mph.

Duramed FUTURES Tour Christens New Lost Marsh Clubhouse
 
It just opened one week ago, but already the new clubhouse at the Lost Marsh Golf Course is getting a good workout, hosting the Horseshoe Casino Classic at Lost Marsh Golf Course tournament. The $9 million dollar Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired clubhouse was almost two years in the making and was due to open in April, but the ever-changing Indiana weather forced the delay.
 
"It's been organized confusion," said Milan Kruszynski, Hammond Port Authority Director, whose office oversees the golf course. "But it's been a good learning experience hosting the tournament so soon after opening. We knew it would work."
 
The first guests of the clubhouse were very impressed with what they saw on the first day of practice.
 
"It's absolutely gorgeous," said Sam White of Potomac, Md., a sixth-year member of the Duramed FUTURES Tour. "It was a lovely surprise when I drove up. I can't believe how much they got done since we were here last year."
 
The new 24,000-square foot clubhouse features a pro shop, full-scale dining room, locker rooms, meeting space and banquet facilities. The earth tone décor is highlighted by stonework and customized cabinetry - a far cry from the double-wide trailer that served as the clubhouse for previous tournaments.
 
"After working in the double-wide, I knew our staff could handle anything," said Kruszynski of the few minor hiccups he's said they've experienced since opening. "We've been looking forward to the opening for a long time. We're customer service-based and look forward to working with the Duramed FUTURES Tour staff, players and our community."

Duramed FUTURES Tour Players Hit the Jackpot

Whitney Wade of Glasgow, Ky., hit the Duramed FUTURES Tour jackpot last week by winning The Duramed Championship in Mason, Ohio. And this week, she hit another kind of jackpot - at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana. Wade took a share of her winnings and bellied up to the Blackjack table, along with a few fellow Duramed players, following the Pro-Am pairings party at the casino. 

"I started out, playing it safe, with $50," said Wade, who is in her second season on the Duramed FUTURES Tour. "I started off slow, and I started winning, I was up by $200, so I put my original $50 back in my pocket and used the rest as play money."

But unlike "The Gambler" in Kenny Rogers' famous song, Wade didn't know when to walk away.

"I kept telling myself, 'Only one more bet', and I ended up losing $320, including the money in my pocket," said Wade. "I think I might go tonight and try and get my money back."

Fellow second-year Tour professional Sara Brown of Tucson, Ariz.,, who has only been in three casinos in her life, has had a little better luck than Wade.

"I'm up $120 so far this week, up $200 if you count all three times I've gone to a casino," said Brown, whose best finish on the Duramed FUTURES is a tie for 3rd at the 2008 Greater Richmond Duramed FUTURES Classic in Richmond, Va. "I like Blackjack. I sit there and think 'Please don't bust'. At one point I had 12 and everyone was telling me to stay, which I didn't want to do. But the dealer had a six on top, so I stayed and won!"

The Horseshoe Casino is the title sponsor of this week's Duramed FUTURES Tour tournament, the Horseshoe Casino Classic at Lost Marsh Golf Course.

Contact: Joely Pique, Duramed FUTURES Tour at (219) 228-2531 and joely@duramedfuturestour.com.