Canadian Moves Into Lead At Duramed FUTURES QualifyingWINTER HAVEN, Fla., Nov. 4, 2009 - Canadian Danielle Mills has kept a simple approach to a stressful week. And in today's third round of the Duramed FUTURES Tour Qualifying Tournament, she carded a 3-under-par score of 69 at Huntington Hills Golf & Country Club to take a one-shot lead at 207 (-9). "The pins were accessible today, so I fired at them," said Mills, 22, of Pointe-Claire, Quebec. "I kept it pretty clean and tidy." That good housekeeping included four birdies, one bogey, 15 greens in regulation and 30 putts for the 2007 Quebec Women's Match-Play Provincial champion and recent graduate of Elon University (N.C.). "My whole game plan this week has been to look at the targets, trust my yardages, fire at the pins and not make stupid mistakes," said Mills. "And because it can be a stressful week, I've tried to come out here and have some fun. If I didn't do that, I'd definitely feel the pressure." Second-round leader Tiffany Joh of San Diego carded an even-par round of 72 at Lakeland's Golf Club at Bridgewater, while amateur Laura Kueny of Whitehall, Mich., posted a 2-under-par score of 70 at Huntington Hills in today's third round. The two players currently are tied for second at 208 (-8). Chelsea Curtis (70) of New Seabury, Mass., recorded her third round under par today at Lake Region Yacht & Country Club to move into solo fourth place at 209 (-7). Joh had an uncharacteristically slow start, albeit a cautious start on the large, undulating greens at Bridgewater. She book-ended two three-putt greens on holes No. 5 and 6, but then rolled in a five-footer for birdie on the seventh green. "Those two three-putts kind of blew the wind out of my sails a little," said Joh, 22, a former All-American at UCLA who led or shared the lead for two rounds this week. "And on those first four holes, I felt like I was just trying to scrape out some pars." Joh missed a three-foot birdie chance on the 10th green, lost her ball in a hazard on No. 11 for a bogey, but then rolled in a pair of six-foot birdies on Holes 12 and 13 to get back to even par. The two-time U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links champion had four-foot birdie chances on her last two holes, but just couldn't find the bottom of the cup. "This course is a links-style golf course and it was windy today," said Joh. "I'm totally happy with even par. I'll take it and run." Kueny, 21, started on the back nine holes at Huntington Hills and played them at one-over par, but the Michigan State University senior rallied with birdies on three of her last four holes on the front with two tap-ins, one five-foot birdie and a six-foot birdie chance. "It was a little frustrating because I left a lot of putts out there," said Kueny, who hit 15 greens in regulation. "But I'm not going to change anything. I'm happy with where I stand right now." While winds were tricky most of the day at three of the four courses being used in this week's 11th annual qualifier, Curtis, who grew up in Cape Cod, said the winds "felt like home." The 2009 Georgetown University graduate hit 14 greens in regulation and needed 29 putts to move up the leaderboard. "I hit two clubs more at least once today, and sometimes that's the hard part, to add extra club and trust it," said Curtis, 22, whose 209 total is her career-low score for 54 holes. "But already, I've far exceeded how I thought I would play this week. I picked a really good time to play my best. I want to develop my game and that's why I'm here at the Duramed FUTURES Tour's Q-School." Three players moved into a tie for fifth place at 6-under 211, including Laura Bavaird (71) of Grosse Ile, Mich., amateur Rebecca Flood (70) of Coonabarabran, Australia, and Mallory Blackwelder of Versailles, Ky., who shot the week's low score of 6-under 66 today at Huntington Hills, leaping from a tie for 28th place into the tie for fifth. Blackwelder benefited from the watchful eye of her caddie daddy, Worth Blackwelder, who just returned stateside from South Korea where he worked last week for his boss, Juli Inkster, at an LPGA Tour event in Asia. The younger Blackwelder hit 16 greens in regulation and needed only 26 putts in a bogey-free round that featured three birdies on the front and three on the back. "My dad has never seen any of these golf courses, so he can't really help me with targets, but we worked really well together reading greens and he helped with club selection," said the recent University of Kentucky graduate. "My goal this week is to finish in the top 10." A total of 26 players are at even-par 216 or better after three rounds of this year's Duramed FUTURES Tour Qualifying Tournament. A field of 287 players from 38 nations is competing in Central Florida this week on four courses in Polk County for 2010 Duramed FUTURES Tour playing status. The 90-hole tournament will continue Thursday at Winter Haven's Lake Region Yacht & Country Club, Ridgewood Lakes Golf & Country Club in Davenport, Fla., and Lakeland's Huntington Hills Golf & Country Club and The Golf Club at Bridgewater. A tournament cut will be made Thursday after 72 holes. The cut field of 90 players and ties will return to Lake Region only for the final round on Friday. A total of 275 players and ties will earn some status for the 2010 Duramed FUTURES Tour, but players earning Priority 1 (full) status will be determined after the completion of the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament. Once status is determined for the 2010 LPGA Tour, status will be assigned on the 2010 Duramed FUTURES Tour. Thursday's fourth round will begin at 8 a.m., off the first and 10th tees at each of the four courses. For scores and more information, visit www.duramedfuturestour.com . Weather: Partly cloudy with wind between 10-15 mph. Temperatures in the low-80s.
With golf becoming a part of the Olympic Games in 2016, young international professionals have expressed more than a passing interest in this year's big sports news. And among players from 38 nations competing in the Duramed FUTURES Tour Qualifying Tournament, many players from developing golf nations voiced excitement about their sport becoming one of the world's games, adding that they hope to represent their countries in 2016. Especially Victoria Alimonda of Sao Paulo, Brazil, whose homeland will host that return of golf to the Olympics for the first time since 1904. The 2016 Olympic Games will bring golf to Brazil, with Rio de Janeiro hosting the Games. "It is an honor to bring the Olympics to Brazil and it's very exciting because I think the addition of golf [to the Games] would help promote the sport tremendously," said Alimonda, 22, who played collegiately at the University of Southern California. "Golf has been growing at home, but it's still tough because we don't have financial support at all. No one has that mentality of investing in someone with a long-term goal. They're not there to aid the youth." Alimonda began playing golf at age 12 because her father played and they had access to a country club. But for the young girl just getting started in the game, there was no coaching and no encouragement. When Alimonda traveled abroad and completed her high school years in the United States, suddenly she saw a career opportunity in golf. "Not until I came to the United States, did I learn how to get better and that this game is cool," she said. "Golf can give a lot of kids hope. You have to work hard and play good tournaments to improve, and if you can do that, you can play in college and later become a professional." Alimonda spent two years at Santa Barbara City College in California and eventually earned a scholarship to play at Southern Cal. That was also the path taken by Brazilians Luciana Bemvenuti and Candy Hannemann, who played at the University of Georgia and Duke University, respectively, before each passed through the Duramed FUTURES Tour and on to the LPGA. Alumna Angela Park, who went on to become the LPGA's top rookie in 2007, also was born in Brazil, but like the others, she came to the United States to develop her game. Naela El Attar of Alexandria, Egypt, believes the addition of golf to the Olympics will help more girls take up the game in her ancient homeland and will give golf a higher profile among all sports. "If the government knows about golf and encourages people to play, it will help," said El Attar, 23, who recently graduated from the Golf Academy of America in Carlsbad, Calif. "To be a part of your country's Olympic Team, everyone has to be a champion in their sport. And by adding golf, it will build a generation of people who are motivated to become champions." El Attar played with the boys' team during her high school years. She believes that girls can especially benefit from the game if more programs are established in an effort to create future golf Olympians. "Girls need to be stronger, and sports make you stronger," she said. Hong Kong's Eva Yoe says she received more support when she played amateur and junior golf than she has now as a young professional on the Duramed FUTURES Tour. There are six golf courses in Hong Kong and one public course, but Yoe believes that with an Olympic push to identify and properly train golfers for China's Olympic teams, access to courses and funding to prepare for the highest levels likely will improve. "Maybe it would be different now if they'd had golf as an Olympic sport at the Beijing Games," said Yoe, who played college golf at California State University-Northridge. "I went to one company looking for sponsorship and they said, 'Why would we spend money on you when we can put up a sign on the road?' That's just the way they think right now." But all of the women believe their respective paths will be made easier if their homelands decide to offer support to develop golfers. If it takes the Olympics to gain that support, all are willing to offer their services to march behind their nations' flags. In most cases, they have been representing their countries all along, even without the hope of playing on an Olympic Team. "I wonder if they will take it seriously?" mused Jozi Ainley of Nakuru, Kenya, who played college golf at Southern University in Louisiana and who is also playing this week in the Duramed FUTURES Tour's Q-School. "If Kenya has enough money to send golfers to the Olympics, it will expose the country to golf a lot more," added Ainley. "God willing, I want to be on that team."
Caroline Westrup is one of those methodical Swedes who is impeccably organized and detests chaos. So, commuting this week from Orlando to the Duramed FUTURES Tour's Qualifying Tournament in nearby Polk County, she gave herself three hours to make the 40-mile trip for her 8 a.m. tee time at Huntington Hills Golf & Country Club in north Lakeland, Fla., the course the longest distance away. The former Florida State University collegian thought she was right on schedule when suddenly, her plans hit the proverbial bump in the road. "I was on I-4, right before I was supposed to exit, and my car starting shaking and I thought, 'Oh my God, why today, of all days?'" said Westrup of Ahus, Sweden, who played four years on the Florida State women's golf team. The 23-year old was ready to take her first big step as a professional to qualify for the LPGA's 2010 developmental tour and now, there was a chance she wouldn't even make it to the first tee on time because of a flat tire. "I called a cab and then one of those [Florida] Road Rangers pulled up and changed my tire," she said. "After that, I drove really fast to get to the course, and I was just hoping I wouldn't get a ticket on top of the flat tire." But Westrup made it to the course 15 minutes before her starting time. That gave her just enough time to run to the range, hit two drives and move on to start her round on a course she had never played. She had been sick with the flu in the weeks leading up to the qualifying tournament and wasn't able to play practice rounds at all four courses. Westrup bogeyed the first hole. She hit the ball fairly well during the round, but her nerves were rattled for the rest of the day after her morning highway surprise. She carded a 3-over-par score of 75, struggling all day with her chipping and putting. After the round, she drove to a tire store and then had to track down the Road Ranger, who still had her original tire. In her haste to arrive at the course on time, she left her flat tire on the truck and drove on her spare. "I called my mom [in Sweden] and all of the emotions just came pouring out," added Westrup, who is now tied for 43rd at 220 (+4). "I got the tire fixed and went home and took a bath. What a day!" And what a wake-up call. Contact: Lisa D. Mickey, Duramed FUTURES Tour at (386) 214-9726 and at lisa@duramedfuturestour.com.
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