LAKELAND, Fla., – LPGA Tour member Hannah Jun of San Diego, finished with a round of even-par 72 to win the Duramed FUTURES Tour’s four-day qualifier at Cleveland Heights Golf Course. She finished with a four-day score of 12-under-par 276.
Jun edged out amateur Pernilla Lindberg of Bollnas, Sweden, who finished one stroke back at 11-under-par 277. Amateur Victoria Kiser (69) of Orlando battled back from a five-shot deficit heading into today’s final round to claim third place at 10-under-par 278, just two shots off the lead.
Amateur Kira Meixner (70) of Richmond, British Columbia, tied with Molly Birmingham (72) of Cornelius, N.C. for fifth at 5-under-par 283.
Click here to view final scores for the full field!
The 94 players who made the 54-hole cut will receive exempt or non-exempt status for the 2009 Duramed FUTURES Tour season. The number of exempt players will be determined following the final stage of LPGA Qualifying School in early December.
Jun called it a “so-so” day with two birdies and two bogeys in her final round, but it was enough to claim her first tournament win since the Canadian PGA Women’s Championship in Mississauga, Ontario, in August. Jun and Lindberg headed into today’s round tied for the lead at 12-under-par 204 through 54 holes.
“I made a lot of pars today, but I just didn’t hit the ball close enough for birdies,” Jun said. “I didn’t really know how I was standing during the day, so it was easy to not think about it and just play my game.”
Jun is now armed with momentum heading into the final stage of LPGA Qualifying School in December. She tied for 25th last year at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament to earn non-exempt status for the 2008 season.
“I learned I was a lot more patient as a player than I thought because I didn’t get off to a great start,” Jun said. “I felt like things could have gone really bad, but they didn’t.”
Lindberg finished out of sub-par red numbers for the first time this week, missing a 5-foot birdie putt on her final hole that would have tied her with Jun at the end of 72 holes. The Duramed FUTURES Tour does not play off a tie for medalist honors in the annual Q-School.
“I missed a lot of putts, but I was hitting it close all day,” said Lindberg, a senior at Oklahoma State University. “I knew I could have had a lower score today, but I had a great experience all week. It’s going to be a while before I play another tournament, but I feel really good about the way I played.”
Kiser gave a glimpse at how bright her future is, recording her fourth consecutive sub-par round. The 16-year-old Kiser politely declined to speculate on her future, but the four-time AJGA winner and 2008 Future Collegians World Tour Player of the Year proved she could spend time and stay at the top of the leaderboard in this week’s qualifier.
“Some of my best rounds begin with a bogey,” Kiser said. “I had to get over some early adrenaline, but I really enjoyed the week.
The low round of the day at The Heights went to 2008 Tour member Perry Swenson (67) of Charlotte, N.C. The former collegian at the University of Texas had fellow Tour member Meghan Little of Sturgis, S.D., on the bag as her caddie for the final round. Swenson’s round moved her up the leaderboard into a tie for 29th after she made the 54-hole cut by one stroke.
“We were able to get some good reads on the green and agreed with most of the slopes,” said Swenson, whose lone bogey was a three-putt green on No. 17. “That led to a more confident putting stroke and one of my better putting days.”
Meixner quietly maintained her status in the top 10 during the week, ending today’s round with a 2-under-par 70 to climb into a fifth-place tie. A member of the Canadian National Team, Meixner graduated from Kent State University in May, where she was a four-year starter. The Tour’s qualifier had been in Meixner’s plans for some time, but the Canadian wanted to finish college before attempting to earn status.
“I think it showed that my iron play was really good this week,” Meixner said. “I have high expectations, but I tried not to put pressure on myself. I thought I stayed calm and level all week and I’m very happy with how I finished today.”
The Duramed FUTURES Tour’s 2009 season begins March 20-22, in Winter Haven, Fla., at the inaugural Florida’s Natural Growers Charity Classic.
For final scores and more information, visit www.duramedfuturestour.com.
Weather: Sunny with a high temperature around 82 degrees with light and variable winds from the northwest.
Contact: Ben Schlesselman, 386-214-9726, Ben@duramedfuturestour.com.
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