Jenny Suh scores first Futures Tour win

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE DURAMED FUTURES TOUR
Jenny Suh of Fairfax, Virginia claimed her first Tour victory today in the $100,000 Alliance Bank Golf Classic. Suh (68) won in a playoff with Seo-Jae Lee of Seoul, South Korea, after both ended regulation tied at 12-under-par (201).
"It feels great," said Suh, who recorded 12 top-10 finishes in collegiate competition, including three wins, while at the University of Alabama. "When we were coming down the stretch, things got a little bit rocky for me. I had to make a few par saves. But the whole time, I was just very happy to be in contention."
Suh came into the final round sharing the lead with Lee (68). During the one-hole playoff on No. 18, Lee overshot the green, which resulted in a bogey. But even then, Suh didn't breathe any easier, because she knew it wasn’t over.
"I'm thinking, the girl's an incredible putter," said Suh, a member of the victorious 2006 U.S. Curtis Cup team at Bandon Dunes. "So it's not over. It's like match-play when you play in a play-off. You've just got to expect your opponent to hit every shot, no matter if it's a chip or fairway shot. Seo-Jae made a lot of great putts today."
Suh says it was also like match-play during regulation at Drumlins Country Club, East Course, as she and Lee, playing together in the final pairing, traded birdies and pars.
"I just kept shooting for the pins," said Suh. "Luckily it was raining, so that was to our benefit. We could stick balls close to the hole. I thought, 'You've got nothing to lose. What's the point of being a wimp today?'"
Rainy weather conditions dominated the tournament weekend, with Tour officials issuing delays twice; a 4hr 45min delay on Friday and a 2hr delay this morning prior to the completion of the second round.
Immediately after winning, Suh called her parents to let them know of her first professional win.
"I said in Korean, 'Mom, I won,'" recalled Suh. "She sighed and asked if I hadn't played well. So I said again, 'Mom, I won!' Then she got excited. I don't think it's sunk in for me yet."
Whitney Wade (66) of Glasgow, Kentucky, finished third with a final score of 202 (-11).
"I put myself into position," said Wade, winner of The Duramed Championship earlier this year in Mason, Ohio. "That's all I can ask for. I birdied the last hole, so that helps me know I can make birdies in the end."
Sharing a tie for fourth are Caroline Larsson (67) of Stockholm, Sweden, last year's Syracuse winner Kim Welch (68) of Sacramento, Calif., and Angela Buzminski (71) of Oshawa, Ontario.
"I was really close to making a hole-in-one today on No. 8," said Larsson, who was a contestant in The Golf Channel's "Big Break Prince Edward Island" series. "I hit it to the right side and I knew it was going to come back. It got to not even a foot short on the left. It must have rolled right over the cup. I used an Alliance Bank golf ball today, so I think that helped!"
With her win, Suh moves up from 56th to 15th on the Duramed FUTURES Tour money list. Jean Reynolds of Newnan, Ga., remains in first place, with Misun Cho of Cheongju, South Korea, ranked second, and Mina Harigae of Monterey, Calif., in third. Wade moves from fifth to fourth, as Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, British Columbia, moves down one spot to fifth.
Lori Atsedes of Ithaca, N.Y., claimed a Duramed FUTURES Tour record, by surpassing Marilyn Lovander of Gainesville, Fla., to become the new career money leader.
Coming into the Alliance Bank Golf Classic, Atsedes only needed $83 to take over the record. Atsedes now leads Lovander by $469.
Next stop for the Duramed FUTURES Tour is the Falls Auto Group Classic in London, Kentucky, August 7-9.