SYRACUSE, N.Y., August 1, 2009 – Canadian Angela Buzminski finished at the top of the leaderboard following completion of the suspended first round of the $100,000 Alliance Bank Golf Classic. The round was completed this morning, requiring 72 players to return to Drumlins Country Club, East Course.

Buzminski of Oshawa, Ontario, fired a 5-under-par (66) on Friday before first-round play was suspended due to darkness. The tournament experienced a four-hour, 45-minute delay Friday prior to the first group teeing off, due to steady rains that hit the area overnight and in the morning hours.  

Joining Seo-Jae Lee of Seoul, South Korea, in a three-way tie for second at 4-under-par (67), are Ashley Prange of Noblesville, Ind., and Caroline Larsson of Stockholm, Sweden.

"I should have been 6-under," said Prange, winner of The Golf Channel's Big Break V: Hawaii series. "I four-putted No. 7. I hit it to about 30 feet for birdie, got it to about 18 inches, went to finish and got careless. I tried to tap it in with one hand, missed it, and hit a two-footer for double-bogey."

Prange, a two-time winner on the Duramed FUTURES Tour, was among the players who returned to finish the first round this morning.

"I was really happy with where we were able to stop last night," said Prange, a former member of the LPGA Tour. "We got through No. 12, which is the toughest tee shot you can start with. On 13, I got to about 10 feet for birdie and held off on the putt. I wanted to be able to start with fresh greens for that putt this morning, and I made it [birdie] today. I've got good momentum going into this afternoon."

Danah Ford of Indianapolis and Lisa Ferrero of Lodi, Calif., joined a six-way tie for fifth, at 3-under-par (68), with Jenny Suh of Fairfax, Va., Taylor Leon of Dallas, Lindsey Bergeon of Sarasota, Fla., and Stephanie Otteson of Wilson, N.C.

"I got 12 holes in yesterday and came back for six today," said Ford, who recorded two wins in collegiate competition, including the 2004 Big Ten Championship, while at Indiana University. "You've got to get into a good mind frame for that. You just have to go at the pins. It's still a little wet from the rain, so you can be a little more aggressive."

The second round of the Alliance Bank Golf Classic began this morning at 10:10 a.m. EDT. Because of Friday's darkness suspension, players remained in their first-round pairings for the second round and were not paired according to score.

The field will be cut to the low 70 players and ties after the completion of two rounds.

For scores and more information, visit duramedfuturestour.com.

Weather: Sunny. High in the mid 80s. Winds from the southwest at 5 to 10 mph.

Contact: Joely Pique, Duramed FUTURES Tour at (315) 446-4555 ext. 332 and joely@duramedfuturestour.com.

SYRACUSE, N.Y., July 31, 2009 – Angela Buzminski of Oshawa, Ontario, holds the clubhouse lead at 5-under-par (66) as first-round play at the $100,000 Alliance Bank Golf Classic was suspended due to darkness.

Steady rain hit the Syracuse area overnight, and during the morning round, rendering the course unplayable. Tour officials issued a four-hour, 45-minute delay. First-round play resumed at 1:40 p.m. EDT.

Five-time Duramed FUTURES Tour winner Buzminski, who began play on the back nine, played through one hole before the horns sounded, signaling the beginning of the rain delay. When play resumed, she fired birdies on Nos. 1, 5, 6, 12 and 16.

"I love this golf course," said Buzminski, winner of this year's Historic Brownsville Open in Rancho Viejo, Texas. "Earlier this week I heard a few of the girls say that these greens weren't fast enough, and I said, 'Be careful what you wish for. They can be brutal.' We don't get to play on greens like this very often, where they're so severe. Today with all the rain, putts are a little more manageable."

This is the first year the tournament is being held on the Drumlins Country Club, East Course, and Buzminski is already a fan.

"It's very old-style," said Buzminski, who is currently a member of the LPGA Tour. "Between the trees, and the striping [mowing pattern] on the fairways, there's not one thing about this course that I do not like."

While recording a bogey-free round would certainly be a highlight of anyone's round, for Buzminski, it's more a mental victory.

"It seems this year I've been giving away too many shots," said Buzminski. "I've felt like I've given stupid putts away. But for the last couple of rounds, starting during the second round in Concord last week, I've been really good at keeping my focus. Today I kept my focus. That was the highlight of my day."

Also carding a bogey-free day was Seo-Jae Lee of Seoul, South Korea, who ended the day at 67 (-4).

"It's been a long day," said Lee, a former member of the LPGA Tour and a two-time winner on the 2007 Duramed FUTURES Tour. "It was a perfect yardage day. I was really confident last night, and now I'm ready for tomorrow."

Sharing a tie for third at 3-under-par (68) are Jenny Suh of Fairfax, Va., Taylor Leon of Dallas, Lindsey Bergeon of Sarasota, Fla., and Stephanie Otteson of Wilson, N.C.

Last year's winner of the Alliance Bank Golf Classic, Kim Welch of Sacramento, Calif., ended the day in a four-way tie for seventh at 69 (-2) with Jean Reynolds of Newnan, Ga., Sofie Andersson of Angelholm, Sweden, and Christine Cho of Kent, Wash.

"It's all about putting this week," said Welch, who earned her LPGA card last season on the Duramed FUTURES Tour. "The greens were a lot softer than they probably would have been because of the rain, so you could hold shots a little easier. But then again, they spin more. I think it [the rain] helped."

Seventy-two players will resume first-round competition Saturday at 7:30 a.m. EDT. The second round is expected to start at 10:10 a.m. EDT. Players will not be paired by score, but will remain in their first-round pairings.

For scores and more information, visit duramedfuturestour.com.

Weather: Rain in the morning, with partly cloudy skies in the afternoon. High in the mid 70s. Winds from the south - southwest at 5 to 10 mph.

Atsedes Aims For Tour Record in Syracuse

By the end of the tournament weekend, the Alliance Bank Golf Classic in Syracuse, N.Y., may hold special memories for Duramed FUTURES Tour member Lori Atsedes. Not only is the tournament being held less than 60 miles from her hometown of Ithaca, N.Y., but she's on the path to become the new Tour career money leader. Atsedes, who carded 1-over-par (72) during today's first round, needs only $83 to pass retired alumna Marilyn Lovander of Gainesville, Fla., who earned $211,106 during her years on the Tour. 

"Anytime you're close to home and your family is here, it's always going to be special," said Atsedes, a seven-time winner on the Duramed FUTURES Tour. "When I won in Lawrence, Kansas (the 2005 Lawrence FUTURES Golf Classic), it was Mother's Day. To be able to break the record here, to share it with my family, would be very special."

In order to break the record, Atsedes will have to make the 36-hole cut. Atsedes hopes to do that and more.

"I hope I keep playing solid," said Atsedes, who has made nine cuts this season. "I'd like to put a nice exclamation point on the record, instead of just making the cut and making a check."

Atsedes plans to treat family and friends to a nice dinner should she manage to overtake the record, something she says she does whenever she wins or reaches a milestone.

"It won't be a huge party," laughs Atsedes. "Unless I win, then it will be a huge party!"

Brown Teams Up With High School Students For Victory

Duramed FUTURES Tour member Sara Brown of Tucson, Ariz., partnered  with players from Fayetteville-Manlius High School to claim a second straight title at Tuesday's Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes Pro-Junior Challenge. Brown, and the F-M Hornets girls golf team, consisting of Alex Seabury, Sara Simons, Maria Mintskovsky and Lela Feldmeier, posted a best-ball score of 29 (-6). 

"We had a great time," said Brown, who is in her second season on the Tour, and shot 3-over-par (74) in today's first round of the Alliance Bank Golf Classic. "I say I didn't do much, and I really didn't. We might have taken my drive a couple of times, and I read some putts for them. But they played awesome. Maria almost made a hole-in-one."

It was Mintskovsky's eventual birdie on the 16th hole that got the team's momentum going.

"We started out not so super," said Seabury, who played on last year's winning team. "Then Maria birdied on the par-3 down the hill and that got us started. We birdied, parred and eagled (on the par-5 No. 13) our way out eventually."

Playing with the teenagers brought back some nice memories for Brown.

"They're 15 and I'm 23, so I'm not that far removed from them," said Brown. "But then again, I am. It was great hanging out with them. I had so much fun in high school. They helped me remember that golf is fun, and you should enjoy what you're doing."

Fourteen Syracuse, N.Y., area high school teams took part in the third annual Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes Pro-Junior Challenge. The nine-hole tournament was held on the Drumlins Country Club's East Course, site of this week's Alliance Bank Golf Challenge.

Professional Libby Smith of Essex Junction, Vt., partnered with second place team Rome Free Academy and Amanda Mathis of Opelousas, La., was paired with third place Auburn.

At an awards luncheon following play Brown, the F-M golfers, and coaches received individual trophies, in addition to a large traveling trophy, which will be on display at Fayetteville-Manlius High School until next year's challenge.

Contact: Joely Pique, Duramed FUTURES Tour at (315) 446-4555 ext. 332 and joely@duramedfuturestour.com.