California dreaming .... Cool Kim Welch leads

by two at halfway stage of Futures title chase

NEWS RELEASE FOR US DURAMED FUTURES TOUR
She only had two highlights on her first 10 holes, and she needed an abundance of patience when the birdie putts flirted, but wouldn't drop.
Still, Kim Welch, the cool Californian in silk scarves and sporty shades, got as excited as a laid-back NoCal woman can get when she grabbed the lead in Friday's second round of the $125,000 Michelob ULTRA Duramed FUTURES Players Championship.
Welch carded a 3-under-par score of 69 to take a two-shot lead at 137 (-7) after 36 holes at Hickory Point Golf Club in the Tour's only major championship and only 72-hole event. But the fourth-year professional knew better than to spend any energy prematurely.
"I think I've played pretty strong for the first two days, but seven under is not good enough to win this thing," said Welch, a 2008 tournament winner from Sacramento, Calif. "I have to keep going lower and lower. Crazy would be nice, but three to four under every day is just solid golf."
Welch rolled in her first birdie from 35 feet on the par-3 fourth hole, and then saved par with a "fried-egg" buried lie in a bunker on the 10th hole. But the current LPGA Tour member finally got it rolling on the back nine with three birdies and one bogey, hitting 12 greens in regulation and ending her round with a 15-footer for birdie on the 18th to take the morning lead.
By day's end at this 25th annual tournament, that lead held and three players were nipping at her heels at 5-under 139. That trio was comprised of Christi Cano (70) of San Antonio, Ashley Prange (69) of Noblesville, Ind., and Lisa Ferrero (70) of Lodi, Calif.
Since last year's event, Hickory Point has undergone major bunker renovations, which Cano says has worked to her advantage this week. And while the 6,594-yard course is no pushover, without the wind that blew in the first round, the course wasn't as punitive as it has been in past years to wayward tee shots.
"I play a draw, so it seems that a lot of the fairway bunkers they took out used to be in my landing area," said Cano, who had two birdies in her bogey-free round today. "What's really different is there's not a lot going on in front of the greens, so you can be aggressive. It's just a matter of getting the right yardage and swinging away."
But free swinging for the greens was something that didn't happen for first-round leader Sofie Andersson (74) of Angelholm, Sweden, who slid into a tie for ninth at 141 (-3), or for rookie Amanda Blumenherst (76) of Scottsdale, Ariz., who dropped from a tie for second into a tie for 34th at even-par 144.
"It was not a good day and I was unsure of my swing," said the former Duke University All-American, who is making her pro debut this week. "I started hitting it left and didn't make any putts on the front nine holes."
Ditto for Andersson, who posted three bogeys and a single birdie in today's second round.
"Today was a completely different day than yesterday," said the Swede. "All I can say is, we have two more rounds."
Prange, a two-time Tour winner, credits switching over from a traditional putter to a belly putter for her renewed effectiveness with the flat stick. She needed only 26 putts today and got up and down for par six of seven times.
"When I missed a green today, I made a good recovery," said Prange, appearing in her fifth tournament in Decatur. "It's usually a putting contest out here anyway and in the past, that has been my weakness. Now, my putting is a strength."
Ferrero carded three birdies and one bogey in today's round, climbing from a share of fifth into a tie for second. The former LPGA Tour member benefited from sparkling iron play that rendered 16 greens in regulation, albeit a balky putter that needed 32 strokes.
"I'm fine with where I am," said the Californian, who is still seeking her first professional win. "Any time you're within two shots of the leader, you're in good shape and we have two more days."
Three shots off the lead in a tie for fifth at 140 (-4) are Sophia Sheridan (69) of Guadalajara, Mexico, 2007 tournament runner-up Onnarin Sattayabanphot (70) of Bangkok, Thailand, Gina Umeck (70) of Redlands, Calif., and Kylene Pulley (70) of Kokomo, Ind.
Seventy-four players made the 36-hole cut at 146 (+2).
Saturday's third round will begin at 7:50 a.m., off the first tee only. The tournament leaders will tee off at 11:50 a.m.
For scores and more information, visit duramedfuturestour.com.
Weather: Mostly sunny with temperatures in the high 70s with wind between 5-8 mph.
Links to the live coverage of the final two roundsmay be found on the real-time scoring page on duramedfuturestour.com, on the tournament website page at DecaturFuturesTour.com and on http://www.wsoyam.com/.

LEADING SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Hickory Point golf course, Decatur, Illinois.
6594yd. Par 144 (2 x 72).
1 Kim Welch (Sacramento, Calif.) 68-69 - 137.
2 Christi Cano (San Antonio, Texas) 69-70 - 139.
2 Ashley Prange (Noblesville, Ind.) 70-69 - 139.
2 Lisa Ferrero (Lodi, Calif.) 69-70 - 139.
5 Sophia Sheridan (Guadalajara, Mexico) 71-69 - 140.
5 Onnarin Sattayabanphot (Bangkok, Thailand) 70-70 - 140.
5 Gina Umeck (Redlands, Calif.) 70-70 - 140.
5 Kylene Pulley (Kokomo, Ind.) 70-70 - 140.
9 Nicole Hage (Coral Springs, Fla.) 69-72 - 141.
9 Misun Cho (Cheongju, South Korea) 71-70 - 141.
9 Mina Harigae (Monterey, Calif.) 71-70 - 141.
9 Sofie Andersson (Angelholm, Sweden) 67-74 - 141.
13 Jean Reynolds (Newnan, Ga.) 71-71 - 142.
13 Alison Walshe (Westford, Mass.) 70-72 - 142.
13 Moon Su (Incheon, South Korea) 70-72 - 142.
13 Madeleine Holmblad (Stockholm, Sweden) 74-68 - 142.
13 Nicole Jeray (Berwyn, Ill.) 75-67 - 142.
13 Jessica Shepley (Oakville, Ontario) 72-70 - 142.
13 Moah Chang (Los Angeles, Calif.) 71-71 - 142.
13 Blair Lamb (Flat Rock, N.C.) 71-71 - 142.
13 Pornanong Phatlum (Chaiyaphum, Thailand) 69-73 - 142.
13 Lehua Wise (Kauai, Hawaii) 70-72 - 142.
13 Liz Janangelo (West Hartford, Conn.) 72-70 - 142.
13 Jane Chin (Mission Viejo, Calif.) 69-73 - 142.
13 Susan Nam (Edmonton, Alberta) 71-71 - 142.
26 Pernilla Lindberg (Bollnas, Sweden) 71-72 - 143
26 Juli Erekson (Mapleton, Utah) 73-70 - 143.
26 Sarah Olsen (Grosse Ile, Mich.) 71-72 - 143.
26 Lisa Meldrum (Montreal, Quebec) 71-72 - 143.
26 Sunny Oh (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) 70-73 - 143.
26 Stephanie Otteson (Wilson, N.C.) 70-73 - 143.
26 Rebecca Kim (Tigard, Ore.) 68-75 - 143.
26 Cindy LaCrosse (Tampa, Fla.) 70-73 - 143.
Selected scores:
Kelly Froelich (Raizeux, France) 75-69 - 144.
Maria Hernandez (Pamplona, Spain) 73-71 - 144.
Elisa Serramia (Barcelona, Spain) 76-68 - 144.
Amanda Blumenherst (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 68-76 - 144.
MISSED THE CUT
Dewi Claire Schreefel (Diepenveen, Netherland 71-76 - 147.
Rachel Bailey (Faulconbridge, Australia) 75-73 - 148
Caroline Larsson (Stockholm, Sweden) 75-74 - 149
Benedikte Grotvedt (Nesbru, Norway) 76-76 - 152.