Kristina Tucker Leads Duramed FUTURES Tour Players at
Women's Open

NEWPORT, R.I., June 30, 2006 -- Kristina Tucker of Stockholm, Sweden emerged as the low Duramed FUTURES Tour player after the first round of today's fog-delayed 61st U.S. Women's Open Championship.

Tucker finished in an 11-way tie at one-over-par 72 on the long and extremely soggy Newport Country Club course. The former Duke University All-American is three shots off the lead alongside former Open champion Hilary Lunke, as well as former Duramed FUTURES Tour players Sherri Steinhauer, Stacy Prammanasudh, Angela Stanford and Rosie Jones.

"It's a really, really tough golf course and I'm happy I hung in there," said Tucker, who played the front nine at one-under-par 34 and the back at two-over 38. "It was the first day and I stayed patient. I did exactly what I needed to do."

Tucker said she avoided the course's treacherous rough and benefited from her consistently straight shots. She bogeyed the first hole, but birdied the second. Tucker bogeyed her third hole, but rattled in consecutive birdies on holes 5 and 6 to make the nine-hole turn at one under. Tucker recorded all pars on the back nine except for bogeys on holes 13 and 14.

"There are so many long holes that you just have to stay in it," she said.

Rookie Kim Welch of Sacramento was the next lowest Duramed FUTURES Tour player in an 11-way tie at two-over 73 alongside such notables as past Open champions Juli Inkster and Karrie Webb.

Other finishers from the Duramed FUTURES Tour after the first round are: Marianne Morris of Middletown, Ohio, 75; Brandi Jackson of Greenville, S.C., 75; Sarah Huarte of Shingle Springs, Calif., 75; Sophia Sheridan of Guadalajara, Mexico, 76; Celeste Troche of Asuncion, Paraguay, 77; Charlotte Mayorkas of Las Vegas, 77; Sarah-Jane Kenyon of Queensland, Australia, 77; Aimee Cho of Seoul, Korea, 78; Liz Janangelo of West Hartford, Conn., 78; Beth Bauer of Tampa, Fla., 79; May Wood of Signal Mountain, Tenn., 79; Beth Allen of San Diego, 79; Teresa Lu of Taipei, Taiwan, 80; Kristen Samp of Mobley, Mo., 80; and Cristina Baena of Pereira, Colombia, 84.

Tied for the overall lead of the 2006 U.S. Women's Open Championship at two-under-par 69 are two-time Open champ Annika Sorenstam, 1998 Open winner Se Ri Pak, amateur Jane Park and Californian Pat Hurst.

The Open's second round will be played Saturday with a 36-hole cut made to the 156-player field. Contestants will play 36 holes on Sunday.

Contact: Lisa D. Mickey, Duramed FUTURES Tour, at lisa@duramedfuturestour.com .