McAllen, Texas, April 25, 2008 – Four rounds of 5-under par 67 highlighted a competitive first round of play Friday at the fourth annual Jalapeno Duramed FUTURES Golf Classic.

A pair of South Korean practice partners and non-exempt LPGA Tour members in Nari Kim of Seoul, South Korea, and Eunjung Yi of Murrieta, Calif., set the tone early from the morning tee-times.

Last week’s Louisiana Pelican Classic runner-up, Vicky Hurst of Melbourne, Fla., followed suit in the afternoon after making eagle on her last hole.

Kailua, Hawaii, native Bridget Dwyer closed with a flurry from back-to-back birdies to end her round after catching fire on the front nine. The former UCLA Bruin might have had the hot streak of the day, mounting a streak of five birdies on the front nine.

“It was awesome, I wasn’t really counting,” Dwyer said of her streak. “I was trying to stay in the present and just take each shot. I think that’s what I did in general today.”

For Hurst and Dwyer, they teed off in the afternoon, creating a minor mental obstacle as they prepared to face the strong wind.

“I felt a little bit nervous but this is why I want to play,” Dwyer said. “I felt like I was consistent in Louisiana and was doing a lot of positive things.”

Hurst wasn’t bothered by the fact that she hooked two drives into the water, her only bogeys of the day. She dropped a 200-foot five-iron shot about 20 feet from the pin and promptly drained an eagle putt on her last hole. A total of 10 eagles were made by the field on the 18th hole on Friday.

“I was trying to stay steady and keep a level mind,” said Hurst, 17, the 2007 Rolex AJGA Player of the Year competing in her fourth tournament as a professional. “I missed some putts early but I finished strong and really want to put myself in position to win.”

Yi, who finished tied for third at the 2007 McAllen edition, said she enjoys playing the McAllen course layout because of the manageable par 5’s. The non-exempt LPGA Tour member made birdie on her first hole of the day.

“I feel really good after this round,” Yi said. “I have to play each par-5 like it’s a par-4. I just felt really comfortable out there.”

Kim, who attended the International Golf Academy in Temecula, Calif., with Yi, continued to make her presence known. She put together a string of three consecutive birdies and was the first-day leader of the AMERICAN SYSTEMS Invitational in Daytona Beach, Fla.

“I’m feeling good,” Kim, a former exempt LPGA Tour member said. “Putting is not too bad but the irons were working well so I could make the easy putts.”

Battling a combination of 30-40 mph winds and arid heat throughout the early part of the week, players seemed to be hoping for the early tee time when first-round pairings were announced. Overcast skies hovered over the Palm View Golf Course on Friday but the clouds held back the rain and play was steady.

Strangely enough, the winds were relatively quiet Friday and early tee-times that would have favored some were no longer a factor. The interconnected insects known as “lovebugs” also were an unlikely factor, swarming around players in the tee box or landing on a ball before a putt.

Misun Cho, a former All-American at Pepperdine University, was the first player to tee off in the first group at 8 a.m. and came into the scoring tent sitting well at 3-under par (69). Cho closed with two birdies in her last three holes.

“I just had to go out and play,” Cho said. “The wind was not as strong because I couldn’t hit a par-5 in three shots earlier in the week. Overall, I was pretty consistent and the wind was nice to me.”

With all three previous winners of the Jalapeno Duramed FUTURES Golf Classic in Virada Nirapathpongporn (2005), Kristy McPherson (2006) and Emily Bastel (2007) on the ranks of the LPGA Tour, Sunday’s winner could prove to be an interesting factor if history holds true.

Last week’s Louisiana Pelican Classic champion M.J. Hur of Seoul, South Korea, was 3-under par for the day with a round of 69.

Second-round play will continue Saturday morning with an 8 a.m. start off the first and 10th tees. The leaders will tee off at 2:20 p.m.

For real-time scoring and more information, visit www.duramedfuturestour.com.

Weather: Partly cloudy with a high of 95 degrees and winds blowing SE at 15-to-25 mph and a 20 percent chance of rain.

Mendoza Stellar in Return to Lone Star State

Duramed FUTURES Tour rookie Gerina Mendoza of Roswell, N.M., had an event-filled round as the former Texas-El Paso grad made her return to the Lone Star State. Mendoza hit left-handed out of the trees. She removed her socks and shoes to stand in the water to make a par save. She bogeyed her first hole and was 2-over par through four holes. All that and she still found red numbers on the day with a round of 70 (-2).

For Mendoza, it appears she is just getting primed for the El Paso Golf Classic next weekend, where Roswell just lies beyond the Texas border.

“I’m getting excited to get back to home,” Mendoza said. “I’m looking forward to the tournament in El Paso.” The 2007 Conference USA champion and Player of the Year added, “You definitely want an early tee time for that one.”

A masher off the tee, Mendoza came into McAllen averaging 254 yards per drive. Mendoza drilled a 311-yard drive on the par-5 seventh hole to set herself up for a birdie. She overcame the early bogeys with back-to-back birdies on the par-4 13th and 14th holes. She had five birdies on the day and ended the day in a tie for 13th.

Reno Solves Tricky Palm View Golf Course

After finishing in a tie for third in the 2007 edition of the Jalapeno Duramed FUTURES Golf Classic, Cortney Reno of Grosse Ile, Mich., might be well on her way to duplicating or surpassing that finish. She carded a quite round of 3-under par after opening the day with birdies on her first two days and made another birdie on her last hole.

“I like the wind,” Reno said of playing in McAllen. “It makes me think about how much it will really affect my shot and I think that helps me out a lot.”

After missing the cut at the season-opening Bright House Networks Open in Lakeland, Fla., the former Michigan Wolverine has rebounded in a big way, tying for 11th and 23rd. In both events she has placed, she ended her day with her lowest scores of the tournament -- a 72 and 69, respectively.

The six-year Duramed FUTURES Tour veteran and 2005 Beltsville, Md., winner said she is taking a more aggressive approach to the year with success.

“Last year I put so much pressure on myself to make a putt,” Reno added. “I decided I just needed to go for it once I make the cut because I have nothing to lose.”

“Howlin’ Winds” Don’t Faze Howland in One Grand Challenge

Janell Howland proved her putting prowess on the practice green Wednesday afternoon, claiming her second putting YES! One Grand Challenge title. Howland, of Boise, Idaho, drained an “ace” on the first hole in sudden death against eight other challengers to claim the $1,000 prize.

Coincidentally, Howland’s championship quest began with a hole-in-one on her first shot on the 18-hole, par-2 set up. She won a prior One Grand Challenge crown in 2006.

Contact: Ben Schlesselman, 386-274-7096, Ben@duramedfuturestour.com.