Duramed FUTURES Tour Alums Contribute Handa Cup Points

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., Dec. 16, 2007 – It’s been years since these veterans last competed on what is now the Duramed FUTURES Tour, but five alums of the Tour were among players who contributed points in the 2007 Handa Cup – an event staged by the Legends Tour for women professionals age 45 and over.

The U.S. Team edged the World Team today 26-22, at the Slammer & Squire Course at the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Americans trailed 14-10 going into today’s match-play singles, but rallied with 16 points to the World Team’s 8 points to retain the Cup for the second year.

Alumna Marilyn Lovander, who played her last competitive round before retiring at this year’s Duramed FUTURES Tour event in Tampa (where she tied for second), was the only member of the U.S. Team who contributed one or more points in all three of her matches. Lovander earned a point in each of her alternate-shot and best-ball team matches, then added two points for her 7 and 5 singles win today over Brazil’s Maria Alice Gonzalez. She contributed four of the Americans’ 26 total points.

“Win or lose, it’s pretty incredible to be a part of this team,” said the Minnesota native, who is the Duramed FUTURES Tour’s career money leader with earnings of $211,106.

Lovander missed only two greens in her match, hit every fairway and rolled in three birdies en route to her win.

Canadian alum Dawn Coe-Jones won her alternate-shot and best-ball matches to contribute four points to the World Team’s total, while both Nancy Scranton and Cindy (Flom) Rarick also won their Saturday team matches to contribute four points each to the American side. Alum Rosie Jones won her singles match today to contribute two points to the U.S. Team.

“I wish my match today would have been a better match,” said Scranton, who lost 6 and 5 to Australia’s Jan Stephenson, but who had a perfect 2-0 record with Christa Johnson in Saturday’s team play. “Nobody wants to lose, but the closeness of these matches this year makes the overall event more exciting for everybody.”

When today’s singles started, the World Team needed 11 points to win the Handa Cup, while the U.S. Team needed 14 points for a tie to retain the Cup. A total of 24 points were available in Sunday’s 18-hole singles and the U.S. Team outscored the World Team 16-8 in those matches.

Interestingly, the U.S. Handa Cup Team today looked much like past U.S. teams in Solheim Cup singles matches. They stepped up and performed in singles to seal the win against a much-improved World Team.

“Last year, the margin of victory was a bit more uncomfortable, so it elevates the event that the competition was close this year,” said Jane Blalock, president of the Legends Tour. “The World Team has stepped up and now, I think the swords are out.”

“We gave the U.S. Team a close fight,” agreed acting World Team captain Catherine Panton-Lewis of Scotland, who played on the LPGA Tour from 1985-1988. “You’ve got to go for it and I think we did.”

Of course, the task of beating the U.S. Team was more difficult with its all-star cast of six World Golf Hall of Famers, who own a total of 246 LPGA wins between them. Alcott, Bradley, Carner, Daniel, Haynie and Sheehan, plus Hall of Fame captain Whitworth, with her own record 88 tournament titles, is a formidable assignment anywhere. More than half of the U.S. Team has played on U.S. Solheim Cup teams. Whitworth, Carner, Bradley and Sheehan have served as U.S. Solheim Cup captains, with Daniel slated to steer the U.S. Solheim Cup team in 2009.

Each of those players has watched the Solheim Cup grow into one of the most premier events in all of women’s golf. With the same kind of growth over time, they hope the Handa Cup can mature into a viable international team match-play event for veteran LPGA Tour members and players on the various world golf tours. Such players – and former Solheim Cup members – as Laura Davies, Alison Nicholas, Meg Mallon, Sherri Steinhauer and Helen Alfredsson -- will soon be age-eligible for the Legends Tour and the Handa Cup.

And the growth of that tour, as well as the annual Handa Cup, gives young members of the Duramed FUTURES Tour something to look forward to, years down the road.

For more information, complete results or stories, visit www.thelegendstour.com or LPGA.com.