BLOOMFIELD, Conn., July 18, 2009 – Maybe Alison Walshe just needed to get home to New England to find her groove. The rookie from Westford, Mass., certainly found it today when she carded a 7-under-par second-round score of 63 to take a two-shot lead of 131 (-9) at the $100,000 ING New England Golf Classic.

The former All-American from the University of Arizona recorded seven birdies, one eagle and two bogeys on a day that sent her racing up the leaderboard from a tie for eighth into the leader’s position she has spent all season trying to reach.

“I have been grinding all season and I just haven’t gotten up here,” said Walshe, who was born in Galway, Ireland, and moved to the United States when she was 4. “Now, the Tour swings up here to the Northeast and I was able to see my coach right after the [U.S. Women’s] Open. He fixed some things and now I feel relaxed.”

Walshe is trailed by former Pac-10 All-American, rookie Dewi Claire Schreefel of Diepenveen, Netherlands, who carded a 6-under-par score of 64 to charge from a tie for 16th into sole possession of second at 133 (-7). Schreefel was the 2006 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship individual champion from the University of Southern California.

Former UCLA All-American Hannah Jun (68) of San Diego moved into third at 135 (-5), while rookie Moon Su (67) of Incheon, South Korea and Sofie Andersson (69) of Angelholm, Sweden, who played collegiately at the University of California-Berkeley, are tied for fourth at 4-under 136.

With parents John and Mary Walshe commuting from their Boston suburb to watch daughter Alison sizzle the par-70 Wintonbury Hills Golf Course today, the pro put on a show, much to the delight of her mother, who had never seen her compete on the Duramed FUTURES Tour.

Walshe three-putted the first hole for bogey from 30 feet, failing to make a six-footer for par, but she nearly holed out for an ace on the par-3 third hole, tapping in for birdie to get back to even. Then she went on a birdie tear with five consecutive birdies on holes 6 through 10, with no putt longer than 10 feet.

“I guess I do have an aggressive style,” said Walshe. “I was hitting my driver well and that set me up with some short irons into the greens.”

Walshe missed her 9-iron, downwind tee shot to bogey the 168-yard, par-3 12th hole, but she came back with a birdie on the 13th from three feet. The highlight of her day came on the par-4 14th hole, where she holed out from the fairway for an eagle-2 with a 6-iron from 168 yards. The shot hit 12 feet short of the hole and rolled in.

“I knew it was good,” said Walshe, who hit 15 greens in regulation and needed only 26 putts today. “My dad and his buddy were up at the green and when they screamed, I knew it went in.”

Walshe saved par from 12 feet on the 15th hole and played her last three holes at even par.

Meanwhile, Schreefel, playing three groups in front of Walshe, put together a round that featured six birdies, no bogeys and the kind of golf the methodical rookie has been trying to play all season. Buoyed by sports psychologist Bob Rotella’s audiotapes, loaned to her earlier this week by current USC player Jennifer Song (who is also in the field), the Dutch player said her focus today was more about her mental approach than her technical play.

“I’ve been trying to stay more calm and not get so hyped up about bad shots,” said Schreefel, whose best finish was a tie for third earlier this season in Brownsville, Texas. “For me, it’s all about self-talk. I know that me, myself and I are the only thing standing between me and success.”

Of course, Schreefel’s putter helped today. She needed only 26 putts, but was forced to do some serious scrambling for par on her last five holes. She pulled her tee shots on holes 14 and 15, saving par from five feet and 12 feet, respectfully. The former Trojan rolled in a birdie from six feet on the 16th, saved par from 10 feet on the par-3 17th hole, and then drained her last birdie from eight feet on the final hole.

The tournament’s leaderboard was busy in today’s second round with nine players tied for the lead at four under, before Walshe and Jun broke away with birdies at 5 under. Jun carded four birdies and two bogeys, but played her last five holes at level par on the tricky greens of the Pete Dye-designed course.

A total of 21 players are under par after two rounds, while 27 players are at even-par 140 or better.

Eighty-three players made the 36-hole cut at 145 (+5).

Sunday’s final round of the ING New England Golf Classic will begin at 7:50 a.m., off the first tee only. The leaders will tee off at 12:20 p.m.

For scores and more information, visit duramedfuturestour.com.

Weather: Mostly cloudy with heavy morning rain, delaying play by one hour rendering the course unplayable. Becoming partly sunny by late morning with temperatures reaching the mid-80s. Light winds around 6 mph.

Wake Forest Player Uses Pro Tour To Ramp Up Her Game

One year after finishing second in a professional event as an amateur, Wake Forest University junior Natalie Sheary of West Hartford, Conn., returns to her home state for this week’s ING New England Golf Classic. Last year, she was chasing her old friend from junior golf, rookie professional Vicky Hurst. Hurst won the 2008 Connecticut tournament by eight shots, finished the season as the Player of the Year and moved on to the LPGA as a 2009 rookie. While Sheary admits she wanted to win the 2008 tournament, going head-to-head with Hurst, this year, she brings the perspective of a college student-athlete honing her game during the summer months.

“I plan to stay in school,” said Sheary, who is sleeping in her own bed at her family’s home this week. “The Tour will be here when I’m finished with school. School won’t be in my life forever. Sometimes, it seems that everyone’s just rushing to come out here.”

Sheary said seeing Hurst play so well last season, transitioning right out of high school to win five tournaments as a teenage pro, was eye-opening. But Sheary added quickly that what Hurst did during the 2008 season was an exception. She talked to Duke University graduates Amanda Blumenherst of Scottsdale and fellow West Hartford (Conn.) resident Liz Janangelo about playing college golf versus leaving school early to turn pro. Both former Blue Devils encouraged her to stay in school.

“Staying in school and playing college golf worked out well for both of them and they both have done well,” said Sheary (74), who is tied for 47th at 3-over 143. “Now, it’s becoming a trend for the college girls to come out here to play [as amateurs] in the summer, mixing tournaments here with amateur events. By coming out here and playing with the pros, I can see what I need to work on in my game.”

Finishing second at the Duramed FUTURES Tour’s tournament in Connecticut last year happened two weeks before she left for college.

“The timing was really, really good,” said Sheary, 20, whose last tournament was the 2009 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship this spring.

That summer experience jump-started her college season. By early November last fall, she went to the Duramed FUTURES Tour’s Qualifying Tournament and played as an amateur to secure playing status for the summer months of 2009. She finished tied for ninth at the Tour’s Q-School, then moved into the spring college season, helping the Deacons win the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and finish tied for 13th at the 2009 NCAA Championship. Sheary was the 2009 ACC individual champion.

She believes that playing with the pros helps her arrive back on campus ready to go. Sheary qualified earlier this week for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship in August. By the time school reconvenes, she will be tournament-tested.

“I was kind of nervous two years ago when I first came out here, but I feel so comfortable now,” she said. “I was really eager to get here this week just to see how I matched up against everybody a year later. You can learn a lot about your game playing against really good competition.”

Engineering Minds At Work In The Field Of Professional Golf

After today’s second round of the ING New England Golf Classic, two professional members of the Duramed FUTURES Tour, who both just happen to have college degrees in engineering, were comparing notes.

So, the burning question was this: Do engineers make better golfers? And do they have this game all figured out?

“Oh no, it’s harder because we analyze too much,” said Tour member Libby Smith of Essex Junction, Vt., who holds a degree in civil engineering.

“Definitely not because we never forget about our score,” added Tour veteran Sue Ginter of Appleton, Wis., who holds a degree in mechanical engineering. “I think an engineering degree is probably more helpful for poker.”

Ginter, who turned professional in 1989, has played on both the Duramed FUTURES Tour (where she has won seven times) and LPGA Tour (since 1998). She now plays a few tournaments on the developmental tour and spends most of her time teaching golf at Rolling Hills Country Club in Wilton, Conn., working as a member of the LPGA’s Teaching and Club Professionals.

Ginter has no plans to use her degree, saying, “By the time I stopped playing tournament golf, my degree was obsolete.”

Smith, on the other hand, held an internship with a civil engineering firm last winter, working on a landfill project. The Vermonter says she is interested in potentially getting into sustainable golf course design and maintenance. That focus redesigns existing courses and makes them more environmentally friendly, cutting down on the use of resources, such as water.

But back to the question. Does an engineering degree make a golfer better?
Both players hedged, but agreed that there are some benefits to their discipline of study.

“I think you have to have a certain level of intelligence to be a good golfer and have the ability to make sound decisions,” said Ginter.

“It helps to be able to look ahead and make smart choices,” added Smith. “And maybe be able to balance things a bit.”

Contact: Lisa D. Mickey, Duramed FUTURES Tour at (386) 214-9726 and at lisa@duramedfuturestour.com.