Duramed FUTURES Tour Feature

Joh Gets Exemption Into LPGA's San Diego Event

Duramed FUTURES Tour player Tiffany Joh of San Diego has received a sponsor's exemption into the Kia Classic Presented by J Golf. The tournament will be held March 22-28, at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., and is the LPGA's first full-field event of the 2010 season.

"Oh my goodness, I was so caught off-guard with this news," said Joh, when reached by telephone Tuesday night following the press conference in California, where she was awarded the exemption. "I was super-surprised and all I could do was sit there with a stupid grin on my face. I still can't stop smiling."

Playing this year in her first full season on the LPGA's developmental tour, the four-time All-American at UCLA was the medalist at last fall's Duramed FUTURES Tour Qualifying Tournament.

As an amateur, Joh was a member of the 2008 U.S. Curtis Cup Team and is a two-time winner of the U.S. Women's Public Links Championship. She also played in the LPGA's Kraft Nabisco Championship last spring as an amateur, finishing tied for 21st.

"Both the Kraft and this tournament are close to home, but this one is about 20 minutes from home for me," added Joh, who was the 2002 San Diego Junior Golf Association Player of the Year as a student at Rancho Bernardo High School. "I'm hoping [UCLA] Coach [Carrie Forsyth] and my friends and family will be able to come out and watch that week."

Joh turned professional following graduation from UCLA last spring and competed in eight tournaments on the 2009 Duramed FUTURES Tour in her first season as a pro. She finished 2009 with a season-best tie for 35th at the Falls Auto Group Classic in London, Ky. When asked if she feels better prepared this season after her rookie year and better equipped for her LPGA exemption in two weeks, Joh laughed.

"I think I'm just happier with where I am and more comfortable with my position as a professional golfer," she said. "I love what I do and I'll be super-stoked to be out there that week."

-Lisa D. Mickey