1, Gerina Mendoza: Next In Line From Roswell, N.M.
2. “Last CHAMP Standing” Competition Pared To Eight
3. Harigae First To Benefit As A Three-Time Season Winner
4. Sun Mountain Skills Summit Set For This Week
5. Tour Member VanderLende Is New Washington Assistant
6. Rookie Mina Harigae Becomes Tour’s Money Leader With Win
7. Moon Su Wins iPod Touch For Sunday’s Low Round
8. Alumna Kristy McPherson Is 2009 Solheim Cup Rookie
9. Quote of The Week
1. Gerina Mendoza: Next In Line From Roswell, N.M.
A few weeks ago, while eating lunch at a Wegmans grocery store, GERINA MENDOZA’s cell phone rang. It was a number she didn’t recognize and she almost did not answer. But when she did, the voice on the other end said, “Gerina? This is Nancy Lopez.”
“She was freaking out and mouthing ‘Nancy Lopez! Nancy Lopez!’ but I couldn’t understand and made her type into my telephone who it was,” said Duramed FUTURES Tour member JENNIFER ACKERSON of Dallas, who was dining with Mendoza that day. “Nancy is a legend and she called to wish Gerina good luck, so Gerina was pretty much in shock. I guess that would make your day to get a call from her.”
Lopez was calling to make a connection with the young American player who shared the same hometown of Roswell, N.M., as the LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame member. Lopez called to wish her luck. And she offered her telephone number to Mendoza, encouraging the second-year professional to call if she ever had any questions.
“Being from Roswell, with Nancy Lopez coming from there, I know I put a lot of pressure on myself and I get in my own way,” said Mendoza, 24, who has two top-five finishes on the 2009 Duramed FUTURES Tour. “She is a motivation to me and I just have to do my best to live the dream of being successful at what I do.”
And while she is just starting her career, Lopez must have known enough about Mendoza to make the call. She must have remembered what it was like to be a young Latina launching a professional golf career from a modest upbringing and from Hispanic roots in a Southwestern desert town.
“We grew up fairly poor and struggled for a while, but I thought that was just how everybody lived,” said Mendoza, who grew up hearing “Spanglish,” the mix of Spanish and English, spoken by her aunts, uncles and grandparents.
She and her family thrived in their “quiet town with a really slow pace.” Young Gerina was always athletic and played baseball, soccer and enjoyed hunting, fishing and rodeo. She played Little League Baseball for seven years, making the city’s All-Star team as a pitcher and catcher at age 12, but family members began directing her toward golf.
By the eighth grade, she was now playing golf, and by her freshman year of high school, she was getting more serious about the game. She placed 17th in the state high school championship as a freshman, third during her sophomore year, second in her junior year, and she finally won the 2003 New Mexico State High School Class 4-4A Golf Championship as a high school senior.
At age 17, she worked at a local golf course, won a tournament and qualified to compete in the Westfield Junior PGA Championship, which was won by Inbee Park (2008 U.S. Women’s Open champion) in the girls’ division and current PGA Tour star Anthony Kim in the boys’ event. That tournament marked the first time Mendoza had ever broken par. She carded rounds of 74-68.
“The whole reason for sports in high school was to use it to help pay for college,” she said.
That opportunity came when the University of Texas-El Paso offered her a chance to play on its college women’s team. Suddenly, the small-town golfer from Roswell found herself in sprawling El Paso feeling a little lost.
“All the people in Roswell could have fit into UTEP’s Sun Bowl [Stadium],” said Mendoza of the nearly 52,000-seat football stadium. “And you don’t really drive more than 45 mph in Roswell. When I first moved to El Paso, I totally avoided all the Interstate highways. It was a big city compared to what I was used to.”
Golfwise, she transitioned well, averaging an 18-hole score of 81 as a freshman. By the time she was a senior, that scoring average was down to 72 strokes per round. She won four collegiate tournaments and was named the 2007 Conference USA Player of the Year.
Mendoza knew that her next move would be to play professional golf. For two years in a row, when the Duramed FUTURES Tour came to El Paso, the UTEP collegian got the amateur exemption to compete in that professional tournament. She made the 36-hole cut both times, finishing tied for 69th in 2006, and tied for 23rd in 2007.
“It gave me a taste of what it was like, which was really important,” she said. “It humbles you and it can also be a confidence booster.”
During last year’s rookie season, she posted four top-10 finishes and was runner-up at the 2008 USI Championship in Concord, N.H. This year in Concord, she tied for second.
But for Mendoza, playing professionally has required her to get used to weeks of travel away from home, strangers pushing their way into her life and symbols of accomplishment in the pro setting.
“Silly things, like having a standard bearer come out [for the last few leading groups], has taken some getting used to,” she said. “At first, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve never seen my name on a sign or even on a leaderboard.’ I get kind of excited, but I can’t start thinking about the future. The good players can stay in the present and I’m still learning that.”
Mendoza gained a unique set of experiences when she was picked as a contestant on this year’s Golf Channel “Big Break: Prince Edward Island” show. She ended up among the show’s final four contestants and was a crowd favorite with her girl-next-door charm.
“After every episode, she would have 100 or more new “friend” requests on Facebook and random people would come up to her in public,” said Ackerson. “A guy came up to us in a Dick’s Sporting Goods store in Iowa and I thought for sure he knew her or had been in her pro-am group, but he was just a ‘Big Break’ fan.”
“Having that experience opened my eyes about the public and it taught me a lot of patience,” added Mendoza. “I was in a grocery store one time and a woman wanted me to sign her shopping list.”
But the flip side of being greeted by strangers in strange places has helped boost Mendoza’s confidence.
“Just getting my name out there has been huge,” she said. “I come from a small town, so this has been an amazing thing.”
And her smaller-scale brush with fame has helped her understand a little more about how that other long-time Roswell native dealt with public demands, putting her on the covers of such magazines as Sports Illustrated, and helping to change the world’s view of women’s golf. Nancy Lopez won 48 times on the LPGA Tour and became the same kind of iconic figure that Arnold Palmer has become on the PGA Tour. Her modest upbringing was not that different than Mendoza’s.
“Gerina aspires to be like Nancy,” said Ackerman. “And I think after Nancy called her, she felt a connection to have one of the great legends, who came from where she’s from, reach out to her.”
After all, the dream of making it to the LPGA Tour started in Roswell for Lopez, and some 30 years later, the dream continues there for Gerina Mendoza.
2. “Last CHAMP Standing” Competition Pared To Eight
The field has been pared to eight players in this year’s second annual “Last CHAMP Standing” contest, sponsored by CHAMP spikes. The match-play competition brings together qualified Duramed FUTURES Tour contestants for the annual bonus-bucks contest.
Last week, professionals in the “Sweet-16 CHAMPions” round played head-to-head nine-hole match-play competitions with the “Great-8 CHAMPions” moving into another round of head-to-head nine-hole matches this week prior to the iMPACT Classic in Richmond, Va. Winners of the “Final-4 CHAMPions” matches will play 18-hole match-play semifinal matches prior to next week’s Turkey Hill Classic in Harrisburg, Pa. The last two players remaining in the contest will compete during the week of the ILOVENY Championship in Albany, N.Y.
The event is open only to players who have worn CHAMP spikes during official tournament rounds. Eligible players earned performance-based qualifying points in prior Tour events. The top-16 players and ties are seeded for the contest.
CHAMP Spikes will award the winner of the final match-play event a prize of $2,500, while the runner-up will collect $500. CHAMP Spikes is an official sponsor of the Duramed FUTURES Tour.
The following Duramed FUTURES Tour players have advanced into the second stage of matches for the “Last CHAMP Standing” competition: SAMANTHA RICHDALE of Kelowna, British Columbia def. JEAN REYNOLDS of Newnan, Ga., 1-up (10 holes); ELISA SERRAMIA of Barcelona, Spain def. LIZ JANANGELO of West Hartford, Conn., conceded; JANELL HOWLAND of Boise, Idaho def. DEWI CLAIRE SCHREEFEL of The Netherlands, 1-up; GARRETT PHILLIPS of St. Simons Island, Ga., def. ANGELA BUZMINSKI of Oshawa, Ontario, 1-up; ALISON WALSHE of Westford, Mass., def. NICOLE HAGE of Coral Springs, Fla., 2 and 1; LISA FERRERO of Lodi, Calif. def. ASHLEY PRANGE of Noblesville, Ind., 2 and 1; SOFIE ANDERSSON of Angelholm, Sweden def. MINA HARIGAE of Monterey, Calif., 1-up; SOPHIA SHERIDAN of Guadalajara, Mexico def. DANA FORD of Indianapolis, 2-up.
Matches scheduled for this week will be: Richdale vs. Serramia; Howland vs. Phillips; Walshe vs. Ferrero; and former University of California-Berkeley college teammates Andersson vs. Sheridan.
3. Harigae First To Benefit As A Three-Time Season Winner
With her third win this season, Mina Harigae of Monterey, Calif., becomes the first player to benefit from the three-time Duramed FUTURES Tour winner category on the LPGA’s 2009 Priority List for standard eligibility events on the LPGA Tour. The new tournament eligibility standard enables developmental tour players who win three times in a single season to have the opportunity to compete in standard eligibility field LPGA Tour events.
Operating under the manner in which the LPGA fills its tournament fields, Category 13 under the LPGA's Priority List is the status a three-time season winner on the Duramed FUTURES Tour would gain. The player does not automatically gain LPGA membership, but is, instead, given a way to have the chance to compete in LPGA Tour events.
There is no limit to the number of tournaments that can be played by Category 13 professionals in a season. All monies earned while competing with this non-LPGA-member status are unofficial (toward the LPGA's season money list).
In this case, Harigae could potentially get into certain LPGA tournaments following the Duramed FUTURES Tour's season-ending ILOVENY Championship, set for Sept. 4-6. Should she win on the LPGA Tour as a non-member, the win would be considered as an official LPGA win, but the prize money associated with the win would be considered unofficial.
"Winning three times out here is hard," said Harigae. "But it's also possible. I think this new rule by the LPGA is a great thing.
Harigae said she hopes she can get into the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge in Danville, Calif., near her home in northern California. That event will be held Sept. 24-27, at Blackhawk Country Club.
But even if her chances to get into LPGA tournament fields this year are severely limited, the player is on track to finish in the top five on the Duramed FUTURES Tour's 2009 money list, transitioning to the 2010 LPGA Tour with full playing privileges.
"The LPGA Tour looks a lot closer to me now than it did when I started this week," she said after Sunday’s win.
4. Sun Mountain Skills Summit Set For This Week
Members of the Duramed FUTURES Tour will have a chance to compete in a “Big Break-style” set of skills challenges this week in the Sun Mountain Skills Summit. Set for Thursday afternoon at Richmond Country Club in Richmond, Va., players who have qualified for the event will compete in four different skills competitions for points to advance in the bonus-bucks event sponsored by Sun Mountain.
In a designated area, players will execute a 75-yard shot, a chip shot, a bunker shot and an over-the-wall shot for points. A total of 20 qualifying players will be pared down to 10 players, who will then compete in a putting challenge to determine contestants in the Final-4 Skills Summit, set for next week in Harrisburg, Pa. The winner of that event will earn $1,000.
Players have qualified for the Sun Mountain Skills Summit by wearing Sun Mountain outerwear or using a Sun Mountain golf bag. Points are awarded for each round played using the company’s products, with bonus points awarded for finishing in the top 10 in each official tournament from the season-opening event in Winter Haven, Fla., to last week’s event in London, Ky.
5. Tour Member VanderLende Is New Washington Assistant
Duramed FUTURES Tour member ANDREA VANDERLENDE of Longwood, Fla., was named last week as the new assistant women’s golf coach at the University of Washington.
VanderLende played collegiately (2001-2005) at the University of Florida, where she was the Gators’ team captain in 2003 and 2004. She earned 2004 and 2005 Southeastern Conference All-Academic Honor Roll recognition and was an Honorable Mention All-American in 2002 and 2003. In addition, VanderLende was the 2003 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship individual runner-up.
"I am very excited to hire a quality person such as Andrea," said Mary Mulflur, entering her 26th season as Washington’s head coach. "I am confident that her positive attitude and tremendous desire to succeed will benefit our current student-athletes, as well as those in the future. Andrea also brings an impressive competitive playing record that adds another tool that she can use to influence our team in a positive way."
VanderLende earned a bachelor’s degree in commercial recreation at Florida and has been working in operations for the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA). She played on the Duramed FUTURES Tour from 2007 through the first four tournaments this season, posting a career-best tie for fifth at the 2008 Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City Championship in Leawood, Kan. From 2006-2007, she worked as an assistant golf professional at Carmel Country Club in Charlotte, N.C.
VanderLende appeared last year on the Golf Channel's “Big Break X: Michigan” series.
6. Rookie Mina Harigae Becomes Tour’s Money Leader With Win
MINA HARIGAE earned her third season tournament win on the Duramed FUTURES Tour last week to take the lead on the Tour’s 2009 money list with earnings of $73,897, and moved into top position for rookie-of-the-year honors. The native of Monterey, Calif., carded rounds of 68-66-71 to win the Falls Auto Group Classic at 11-under-par 205 at Crooked Creek Golf Community in London, Ky.
She edged AMANDA BLUMENHERST (70) of Scottsdale, Ariz., who birdied her last three holes to finish second at 207 (-9), and third-place PERNILLA LINDBERG (66) of Bollnas, Sweden, who finished at 208 (-8).
Fifth-ranked SAMANTHA RICHDALE of Kelowna, British Columbia, produced the hottest round on a sticky-hot August day with her final-round score of 8-under 64 to charge from a tie for 39th into a tie for fourth place alongside HANNAH YUN (69) of Bradenton, Fla., YOORA KIM (70) of Seoul, South Korea, and GERINA MENDOZA (72) of Roswell, N.M., all finishing five shots behind the leader at 209 (-7).
"I have good vibes here because it's so pretty and the people are awesome," said Harigae, 19, who also won the 2007 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship in Kentucky. "I like it here in the Bluegrass State."
Harigae played the front nine holes at even par with two bogeys and two birdies, and toured the back nine with only one birdie from 15 feet on the 14th hole. She led for the entire final round and had a three-shot cushion going into the last hole.
“This is the kind of course where somebody can go low, so it was nerve-racking all day,” said Harigae, who also won the Ladies Titan Tire Challenge in Marion, Iowa, and the Michelob ULTRA Duramed FUTURES Players Championship in Decatur, Ill., earlier this season. “I didn’t want to be uber-aggressive today. Then again, I didn’t have to be.”
Harigae unseated former top-ranked player JEAN REYNOLDS of Newnan, Ga., who dropped to No. 2, and previously second-ranked MISUN CHO of Cheongju, South Korea, who dipped to No. 3. WHITNEY WADE of Glasgow, Ky., remained in the No. 4 spot, while SAMANTHA RICHDALE of Kelowna, British Columbia, stayed at No. 5.
Rounding out the top 10 positions are: ANGELA BUZMINSKI of Oshawa, Ontario, remaining at No. 6; ALISON WALSHE of Westford, Mass., still at No. 7; CHRISTINE SONG of Fullerton, Calif., improving to No. 8 from No. 9; DEWI CLAIRE SCHREEFEL of Diepenveen, Netherlands, slipping from No. 8 to No. 9; and SEO-JAE LEE of Seoul, South Korea, remaining at No. 10.
Making big moves within the top 50 last week were: PERNILLA LINDBERG of Bollnas, Sweden, improving from No. 35 to 17th; AMANDA BLUMENHERST of Scottsdale, Ariz., jumping from 78th to No. 31; and HANNAH YUN of Bradenton, Fla., moving up from 81st to No. 50.
This week, the Duramed FUTURES Tour travels to Richmond, Va., for the iMPACT Classic (Aug. 14-16). Only two tournaments remain in the regular season after this week. They are: the Turkey Hill Classic (Aug. 21-23) in Harrisburg, Pa.; and the season-ending ILOVENY Championship (Sept. 4-6) in Albany, N.Y.
The second annual Falls Auto Group Classic in Kentucky was presented by the law offices of Howard O. Mann, P.S.C. For scores and more information, visit duramedfuturestour.com.
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7. Moon Su Wins iPod Touch For Sunday's Low Round
MOON SU of Incheon, South Korea, was the recipient of a new 8 GB Apple iPod Touch to continue Duramed's season-long promotion of the Sunday Low Round Award with her final-round score of 68 (-4). The rookie moved up the leaderboard from a tie for 39th into a tie for 17th with her total score of 213 (-3) at Crooked Creek Golf Community in London, Ky. Her round featured five birdies and one bogey.
Tour member LISA FERRERO of Lodi, Calif., also scored a final-round 68, but Su won Sunday Low Round honors because her total score of 213 beat Ferrero's total score of even-par 216.
Two other players scored lower in Sunday's last round, but they were ineligible because each has already won the honor this season. PERNILLA LINDBERG of Bollnas, Sweden, carded a 6-under 66, while SAMANTHA RICHDALE of Kelowna, British Columbia, fired an 8-under score of 64 on Sunday.
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8. Alumna Kristy McPherson Is 2009 Solheim Cup Rookie
Duramed FUTURES Tour member KRISTY MCPHERSON of South Carolina will be a rookie on this year's U.S. Solheim Cup team. McPherson finished fourth in the points race to automatically qualify for the 2009 U.S. squad and play for fellow South Carolina native Beth Daniel, captain of this year's U.S. team. McPherson has posted four top-10 LPGA finishes so far this season, including a tie for second at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, a tie for fifth at the McDonald's LPGA Championship and a tie for seventh at the RICOH Women's British Open -- all major championships on the LPGA Tour. She also tied for second at the Wegmans LPGA. McPherson was a two-time winner on the 2006 Duramed FUTURES Tour.
Six members of this year’s U.S. and European Solheim Cup teams are alumnae of the Duramed FUTURES Tour. Alums making the U.S. squad are: CRISTIE KERR of Florida; ANGELA STANFORD of Texas; KRISTY MCPHERSON of South Carolina; NICOLE CASTRALE of California; and CHRISTINA KIM of California. Returning to the European Team, on which she has been a member since 1990, is Tour alumna LAURA DAVIES of Great Britain.
The Solheim Cup will be played Aug. 21-23, at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill. For more information, visit www.SolheimCup.com. The LPGA is idle until the biennial Solheim Cup.
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9. Quote Of The Week
“After we had rain delays for two consecutive weeks out here, I got a phone call from my Louisiana housing host and he asked me, ‘Are you playing water polo or golf?’”
-Duramed FUTURES Tour member JANELL HOWLAND of Boise, Idaho, who appeared to be pretty happy competing in last week’s blazing sunshine.
Contact: Lisa D. Mickey, Duramed FUTURES Tour, 386-274-6216, or lisa@duramedfuturestour.com.
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