Choi Is Co-Medalist
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Dec. 3, 2006 — Hye Jung Choi said good-bye to the Duramed FUTURES Tour and hello to the 2007 LPGA Tour today when she fired a five-under-par 67 in today’s final round of the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament. Choi tied In-Kyung Kim at 347 (-13) as co-medalist at this year’s annual 90-hole Q-School tournament at LPGA International.
Choi was among five Duramed FUTURES Tour players to earn one of the 15 exempt 2007 LPGA Tour cards. Twenty-five members of the Duramed FUTURES Tour were among the 41 players who earned non-exempt status. A total of 30 Duramed FUTURES Tour members earned status on the 2007 LPGA Tour.
"I couldn’t sleep last night," admitted Choi, 22, of Seoul, Korea, who has played the last two seasons on the Duramed FUTURES Tour and won her first event this year in Frisco, Texas. "I was nervous, but I tried to just keep going."
Choi kept going on a day that produced six birdies, one bogey, 16 greens in regulation and 28 putts. Her final-round 67 also produced a bookend finish in a week that rendered scores of 67-70-75-68-67. She began today’s final round six shots behind amateur In-Kyung Kim, who carded a one-over-par 73 and fell into a tie with hard-charging Choi.
"I had lots of good holes, but I just couldn’t make any putts," said Kim, 18, who hit 14 greens but needed 33 putts today. "I was kind of nervous and I’m disappointed right now, but Choi had really good shots and she played well."
Kim said she played as an amateur this week because she wanted to make her first event as a pro an official LPGA Tour tournament, but as she stood in the parking lot at LPGA International, LPGA rules officials came driving up and reminded Kim that she needed to turn pro that day.
"Do you want to turn professional so you can play on the LPGA Tour next year?" asked rules official Doug Brecht, waiting for her answer.
"Of course," said Kim.
"OK, you are now a pro," said Brecht, driving away.
Done. That simple. And Kim joined a handful of other 18-year-olds who will move on to the LPGA Tour next year, including 2007 LPGA Tour card winners from the Duramed FUTURES Tour season, Song-Hee Kim, In-Bee Park and two more teens from this week’s event.
Rounding out the parade of teen talent was Duramed FUTURES Tour player Angela Park, 18, who fired a one-over-par 73 to finish the week at 355 (-5) and Ji-Young Oh, who played in the recent Duramed FUTURES Tour Qualifying Tournament and carded a final-round 71 (-1) to complete the week at three-under-par 357.
"I’m just glad that this week is over and I got it done," said Park, of Torrance, Calif. "Playing on the [Duramed] FUTURES Tour this year made me a better player and a more confident player. You can’t replace experience with money or anything you can buy."
Third-year Duramed FUTURES Tour member Sarah Lynn Johnston of St. Charles, Ill., carded a two-under 70, while Tour rookie Irene Cho of Fullerton, Calif., posted a one-over 73 to each tie at 358 (-2) to earn exempt 2007 LPGA Tour status. This week, Johnston put the exclamation point the 2006 roller-coaster season in which she lost her best friend in a fatal car accident and appeared as a contestant in The Golf Channel’s Big Break VI: Trump National TV show.
"Honestly, I told myself to expect to go back to the Duramed FUTURES Tour because there were only 15 exempt spots available this week," said Johnston. "But then my fiancé reminded me the worst thing that could happen is I’m playing golf somewhere next year. After that, I tried to have fun and say if something better happens, great."
Ashley Hoagland, a non-exempt LPGA Tour member this season and a winner on the 2006 Duramed FUTURES Tour, earned one of the last exempt cards at 359 (-1). Hoagland tied at 359 alongside Tour alums Aram Cho (70), Erica Blasberg (73), and Paige Mackenzie (77), who finished second at the recent Duramed FUTURES Tour Qualifying Tournament.
"It’s a long, long week," said Hoagland, 24, of Palmetto, Fla. "The last two days weren’t my best, but it was enough. Maybe I was a little anxious, but you can’t think about what it all means when you’re out here trying to play."
That’s easier said than done, and Mackenzie said it nearly made her sick to miss seven putts within five feet in today’s final round.
"I’m so relieved that I didn’t hang myself out there today," said Mackenzie, choking back tears as she squeaked in for the very last exempt card. "This was a painful day with five three-putts and it was a struggle just to get into the clubhouse. It’s disappointing, but sometimes it happens."
Duramed FUTURES Tour veteran Lisa Fernandes of Raleigh, N.C., carded a final-round 69 to grab one of the non-exempt cards, finishing at 362 (+2) for the week. Fernandes carded three birdies and one three-putt bogey to regain LPGA Tour status for the first time since 2003.
"It was perfect timing," said the former Ohio State University player. "I had nothing to lose. Mission accomplished."
Surprisingly, two season winners finished out of the exempt cards today. Two-time season winner Ji Min Jeong of Kyungki, Korea, carded a final-round 75 to finish at 369 (+9), while Ha-Na Chae of Seoul, Korea, who won this year in Syracuse, N.Y., also carded a 75 today to finish at 370 (+10). Allison Fouch of Grand Rapids, Mich., who finished sixth on the Duramed FUTURES Tour season money list, struggled in with a final-round 79 to finish at 371 (+11).
As it is with LPGA Q-School each year, some get what they came for, while others leave empty-handed.
But as she drove out of the parking lot at LPGA International, heading home to Miami, Tina Miller, who finished out of the cards at 10-over-par 370, shouted out the window to a Duramed FUTURES Tour staff member.
"See you next year," she said.
For more information, visit LPGA.com or www.duramedfuturestour.com.
Contact: Lisa D. Mickey, Duramed FUTURES Tour, 863-709-9100, Ext. 2 or lisa@duramedfuturestour.com.
Below are the finishes for the Duramed FUTURES members who competed in this year’s LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament:
2006 LPGA FINAL QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT
(Exempt 2007 LPGA Status)
1 Hye Jung Choi 347 -13 $6,000
5 Angela Park 355 -5 $4,375
10 Sarah Lynn Johnston 358 -2 $3,250
10 Irene Cho 358 -2 $3,250
12 Ashley Hoagland 359 -1 $1,975
(Non-exempt 2007 LPGA Status)
16 Teresa Lu 360 E $1,500
16 Jeanne Cho 360 E $1,500
18 Danielle Downey 361 +1
18 Jin Young Pak 361 +1
24 Lisa Fernandes 362 +2
24 Sarah Huarte 362 +2
28 Meredith Ward 363 +3
28 Mollie Fankhauser 363 +3
28 Natalie Tucker 363 +3
28 Simi Mehra 363 +3
28 Lee-Anne Pace 363 +3
34 Cindy Pasechnik 364 +4
34 Jenny Gleason 364 +4
34 Beth Allen 364 +4
44 Kristina Tucker 366 +6
44 Kristen Samp 366 +6
44 Yeon Joo Lee 366 +6
44 Kim Brozer 366 +6
44 Lisa Ferrero 366 +6
51 LeAnna Wicks 367 +7
51 Celeste Troche 367 +7
53 Sophia Sheridan 368 +8
53 Becky Lucidi 368 +8
53 Ashley Prange 368 +8
53 Su A Kim 368 +8
(Did Not Earn 2007 LPGA Status)
60 Jimin Jeong 369 +9
64 Ha-Na Chae 370 +10
64 Tina Miller 370 +10
68 Naree Song 371 +11
68 Allison Fouch 371 +11
73 Annie Young 372 +12
75 Courtney Erdman 375 +15
Contact:
Lisa D. Mickey, Duramed FUTURES Tour
863-709-9100, Ext. 2
lisa@duramedfuturestour.com
