FUTURES TOUR REPORT

Irish exile Alison Walshe leads

Texas Hill Country Classic

Born in Galway, Ireland, brought up in Boston, America, a Curtis Cup cap for the United States at the Old Course, St Andrews last year ... now rookie professional Alison Walshe of Westford, Massachusetts has taken the lead after 36 holes of the inaugural $125,000 Texas Hill Country Classic at San Antonio.

Walshe, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency at last year's Curtis Cup match, carded a bogey-free score of 66 to take the lead at 139 (-5).
"I'm happy," said Walsh, who also recorded the day's low score of six-under-par 66. "I finally putted well. I believe in professional golf, it's a putting contest. Whoever putts best, scores."
Walshe credits the tournament course, The Dominion Country Club, for some of her success on Saturday.
"The course is in great shape," said Walsh. "The greens are so pure. If you don't go where you want to go, it's your fault."
The greens did go her way as she recorded six birdies, three coming early in her round.
"The early birdies (on holes 2, 3 and 4) really got the momentum going for me," recalled Walsh, who also birdied holes 13, 14 and 16, the last of which she said she made a 40-foot "bomb."
Walshe, who missed her first cut of the season at last week's Historic Brownsville Open, credits her ability to move on after having survived Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Walshe was a student at Tulane University in New Orleans when the storm struck and was relocated with the golf team to Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She then moved on to the University of Arizona, where she finished her collegiate career.
"You have to turn it into a positive and not fret over missing a cut," said Walshe. "After Katrina, I moved around a lot, which is very similar to being on tour. I learned to get along with all types of people and it's made me stronger."
Ending the day in a four-way tie for second at four-under-par (140) were Lindsey Bergeon (71) of Sarasota, Florida, Alison Hanna-Williams (71) of Portland, Oregon, Angela Buzminski (67) of Oshawa, Ontario in Canada and Jennifer Ackerson (70) of Dallas.
Rookie Bergeon, who was in a six-way tie for the lead going into Saturday's rounds, surprised herself by playing so well so soon in the season and to be in contention for the win.
"I haven't been in this situation before on the tour," said Bergeon, who played collegiately at Florida Southern College. "I played really solid today, despite a double bogey on 18. But it's not going to leave a bad taste in my mouth, as I did really well on the other 17 holes."
In addition to the double bogey, Bergeon birdied holes 8, 9, 16 and 17 and recorded one bogey on number 10.
Hanna-Williams, who was also tied for the lead coming into Saturday's play, likes where she stands.
"I want to be close," said Hanna-Williams, who is a current member of the LPGA Tour. "I hit a lot of good shots and I'm glad I'm in a position to play well tomorrow."
Hanna-Williams scored three birdies on holes 6, 11 and 17 and had one bogey on hole 7, on which she said she chose the wrong club.
"I chose a club I had to be perfect with," recalled Hanna-Williams. "And I wasn't. So I said 'no more of that.'"
Current Duramed FUTURES Tour money list leader, Buzminski put Friday's rounds behind her and it paid off.
"Yesterday I was really sloppy," said Buzminski, a five-time Tour winner who won last week in Brownsville, Texas. "I wasn't very focused. Today I focused more and I was ok."
Five birdies in a bogey-free round highlighted Buzminski's scorecard.
Fourth-year Duramed FUTURES Tour player Ackerson ended the day with three birdies on holes 6, 11 and 18 with one bogey on hole 17.
Tied for sixth at three-under-par at 141 are Sofie Andersson (72) of Angelholm, Sweden, and Gina Umeck (70) of Redlands, California.
Seven players are tied at one-under-par at 143, with another seven players tied at even-par (144).
Seventy-five players made the 36-hole cut at 150 (+6).
Twenty-one players currently stand at even-par 144 or lower in the first two rounds.
Weather: Partly cloudy with winds from the SSE at 15 to 25 mph. High in the low 90s.
QUALIFIERS

Par 144 (2 x 72)

1 Alison Walshe (Westford, Mass.) 73-66 - 139

2 Angela Buzminski (Oshawa, Ontario) 73-67 - 140

2 Jennifer Ackerson (Dallas, Texas) 70-70 - 140

2 Allison Hanna-Williams (Portland, Ore.) 69-71 - 140

2 Lindsey Bergeon (Sarasota, Fla.) 69-71 - 140

6 Gina Umeck (Redlands, Calif.) 71-70 - 141

6 Sofie Andersson (Angelholm, Sweden) 69-72 - 141

8 Lorraine Ballerano (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) 72-71 - 143

8 Mina Harigae (Monterey, Calif.) 74-69 - 143

8 Aimee Cho (Orlando, Fla.) 70-73 - 143

8 Misun Cho (Cheongju, South Korea) 70-73 - 143

8 Christine Song (Fullerton, Calif.) 75-68 - 143

8 Danah Ford (Indianapolis, Ind.) 70-73 - 143

8 Haeji Kang (Seoul, South Korea) 69-74 - 143

15 Whitney Wade (Glasgow, Ky.) 73-71 - 144

15 Camila Mori (Santiago, Chile) 74-70 - 144 ]

15 Janell Howland (Boise, Idaho) 72-72 - 144

15 Malinda Johnson (Eau Claire, Wis.) 72-72 - 144

15 Michaela Cavener (Ponca City, Okla.) 74-70 - 144

15 Sarah Lynn Sargent (Williamston, S.C.) 71-73 - 144

15 Janice Olivencia (Caguas, Puerto Rico) 69-75 - 144

22 Nicole Hage (Coral Springs, Fla.) 73-72 - 145

22 Alejandra Shaw (Vina Del Mar, Chile) 74-71 - 145

22 Song Yi Choi (Seoul, South Korea) 74-71 - 145

22 Lisa Ferrero (Lodi, Calif.) 72-73 - 145

22 Laura Crawford (Lancaster, S.C.) 74-71 - 145

22 Hannah Jun (San Diego, Calif.) 72-73 - 145

22 Kira Meixner (a) (Richmond, British Columbia) 72-73 - 145

22 Susan Nam (Edmonton, Alberta) 74-71 - 145

22 Jenny Gleason (Clearwater, Fla.) 69-76 - 145

31 Elisa Serramia (Barcelona, Spain) 73-73 - 146

31 Seo-Jae Lee (Seoul, South Korea) 73-73 - 146

31 Su A Kim (Seoul, South Korea) 73-73 - 146

31 Ashley Grier (Hagerstown, Md.) 74-72 - 146

31 Lori Atsedes (Ithaca, N.Y.) 73-73 - 146

31 Paola Moreno (Cali, Colombia) 75-71 - 146

31 Michelle Jarman (Wilmington, N.C.) 75-71 - 146

31 Yoora Kim (Seoul, South Korea) 75-71 - 146

39 Amanda Mathis (Opelousas, La.) 77-70 - 147

39 Kim Augusta (Rumford, R.I.) 73-74 - 147

39 Sarah Olsen (Grosse Ile, Mich.) 74-73 - 147

39 Madeleine Holmblad (Stockholm, Sweden) 74-73 - 147

39 Jessica Shepley (Oakville, Ontario) 71-76 - 147

39 Jenny Suh (Fairfax, Va.) 74-73 - 147

39 Brenda McLarnon (Belfast, N Ireland) 70-77 - 147

46 Mo Martin (Altadena, Calif.) 77-71 - 148

46 Jean Reynolds (Newnan, Ga.) 76-72 - 148

46 Onnarin Sattayabanphot (Bangkok, Thailand) 73-75 - 148

46 Kelly Lagedrost (Brooksville, Fla.) 73-75 - 148

46 Sookhee Baek (Altamonte Springs, Fla.) 74-74 - 148

46 Kristie Smith (Perth, Australia) 72-76 - 148

46 Brandi Jackson (Greenville, S.C.) 74-74 - 148

53 Jasi Acharya (Columbus, Mont.) 76-73 - 149

53 Laura Baker (a) (San Antonio, Texas) 76-73 - 149

53 Stella Lee (Seoul, South Korea) 76-73 - 149

53 Perry Swenson (Charlotte, N.C.) 75-74 - 149

53 Gerina Mendoza (Roswell, N.M.) 75-74 - 149

53 Ashley Knoll (The Woodlands, Texas) 73-76 - 149

53 Tanya Dergal (Durango, Mexico) 74-75 - 149

53 Briana Vega (Andover, Mass.) 72-77 - 149

53 Hwanhee Lee (Las Vegas, Nev.) 74-75 - 149

53 Sin Ah Ham (Seoul, South Korea) 74-75 - 149

53 Sophia Sheridan (Guadalajara, Mexico) 71-78 - 149

53 Min Seo Kwak (Seoul, South Korea) 75-74 - 149

65 Tiffany Tavee (Tempe, Ariz.) 78-72 - 150

65 Hannah Yun (Bradenton, Fla.) 78-72 - 150

65 Andrea VanderLende (Longwood, Fla.) 77-73 - 150

65 Chris Brady (Charlotte, N.C.) 77-73 - 150

65 Sae Hee Son (Seoul, South Korea) 78-72 - 150

65 Stephanie Kim (a) (Orlando, Fla.) 78-72 - 150

65 Kylene Pulley (Kokomo, Ind.) 76-74 - 150

65 Garrett Phillips (St. Simons Island, Ga.) 80-70 - 150

65 Sam White (Potomac, Md.) 72-78 - 150

65 Amanda Costner (Claremore, Okla.) 72-78 - 150

65 Stephanie Otteson (Wilson, N.C.) 74-76 - 150

MISSED THE CUT

Sara Brown (Tucson, Ariz.) 77-74 - 151

Stephanie Oukeo (Paris, France) 79-72 - 151

Ashley Prange (Noblesville, Ind.) 76-75 - 151

Tzu-Chi Lin (Taichung, Taiwan) 76-75 - 151

Lili Alvarez (Durango, Mexico) 76-75 - 151

Vicki Goetze-Ackerman (Cartersville, Ga.) 75-76 - 151

Cindy Lee-Pridgen (Sabah, Malaysia) 75-76 - 151

Devan Andersen (Guadalajara, Mexico) 74-77 - 151

Taya Battistella (Bend, Ore.) 74-77 - 151

Juli Erekson (Mapleton, Utah) 75-76 - 151

Benedikte Grotvedt (Nesbru, Norway) 75-76 - 151

Marci Turner (Tompkinsville, Ky.) 78-74 - 152

Violeta Retamoza (Aguascalientes, Mexico) 78-74 - 152

Mary Kate Morgan (Longview, Wash.) 79-73 - 152

Liz Janangelo (West Hartford, Conn.) 79-73 - 152

Lee Ann Walker-Cooper (Southport, N.C.) 76-76 - 152

Tiffany Prats (Williston, Fla.) 76-76 - 152

Nicole Jeray (Berwyn, Ill.) 75-77 - 152

Rak Kyung Oh (Seoul, South Korea) 75-77 - 152

Whitney Myers (York. Pa.) 78-75 - 153

Esther Choe (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 78-75 - 153

Rebecka Heinmert (Hassleholm, Sweden) 78-75 - 153

Christi Cano (San Antonio, Texas) 77-76 - 153

Charlotte Campbell (Heathrow, Fla.) 77-76 - 153

Bridget Dwyer (Kailua, Hawaii) 76-77 - 153

Catherine Matranga (Fort Worth, Texas) 76-77 - 153

Selanee Henderson (Apple Valley, Calif.) 73-80 - 153

Lisa Meldrum (Montreal, Quebec) 74-79 - 153

Marcela Leon (Monterrey, Mexico) 78-76 - 154

Sarah Kemp (Sydney, Australia) 77-77 - 154

Dana Bates (Thousand Palms, Calif.) 76-78 - 154

Priscilla Duffield (Gold Coast, Australia) 76-78 - 154

Carling Coffing (Middletown, Ohio) 79-75 - 154

Mary J. Kim (Seoul, South Korea) 76-78 - 154

Jessica Carafiello (Coral Springs, Fla.) 80-74 - 154

Jenna Pearson (Wheaton, Ill.) 73-81 - 154

Meghan Little (Sturgis, S.D.) 75-79 - 154

Rachel Bailey (Faulconbridge, Australia) 78-77 - 155

Libby Smith (Essex Junction, Vt.) 78-77 - 155

Melissa Eaton (Port Shepstone, South Africa) 77-78 - 155

Kate Golden (Jasper, Texas) 79-76 - 155

Heather Angell (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 76-79 - 155

Kimberly Goedecke (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) 80-75 - 155

Lehua Wise (Kauai, Hawaii) 78-78 - 156

Georgette Rolle (Nassau, Bahamas) 77-79 - 156

Carol Robertson (Virginia Beach, Va.) 79-77 - 156

Ulrika Ljungman-Smith (Daytona Beach, Fla.) 81-75 - 156

Kelly Froelich (Raizeux, France) 81-75 - 156

Samantha Richdale (Kelowna, British Columbia) 81-75 - 156

Moon Su (Incheon, South Korea) 78-79 - 157

Noon Huachai (Bangkok, Thailand) 78-79 - 157

Y. J. Jin (Seoul, South Korea) 74-83 - 157

Laura Bavaird (Grosse Ile, Mich.) 75-82 - 157

Christine Cho (Kent, Wash.) 75-82 - 157

Sohi Moon (Seoul, South Korea) 78-80 - 158

Dewi Claire Schreefel (Diepenveen, Netherland 79-79 - 158

Maggie Simons (Raleigh, N.C.) 77-82 - 159

Jill Frantz (Iowa City, Iowa) 79-80 - 159

Christina Jones (Jensen Beach, Fla.) 80-79 - 159

Cindy Figg-Currier (Austin, Texas) 82-77 - 159

Caroline Larsson (Stockholm, Sweden) 84-75 - 159

Deborah Martinez (a) (San Carlos, Mexico) 80-80 - 160

Maria Laura Elvira (Buenos Aires, Argentina) 83-77 - 160

Eom Ji Park (Vancouver, BC) 80-81 - 161

Jae Oh (Je Ju, South Korea) 78-84 - 162

Eva Yoe (Hong Kong, China) 85-81 - 166

Alexandra Oviedo (a) (Monterey, Mexico) 83-85 - 168

Seema Sadekar (Toronto, Ontario) withdrew, injured