Stage Is Set For Duramed FUTURES Tour’s Season-Ending Event

The Duramed FUTURES Tour returns to action this week for the season-ending Price Chopper Tour Championship in Albany, N.Y. Set for Friday through Sunday at Capital Hills at Albany, the season will come to a close at the Tour’s 17th event of 2010, and the Tour’s 11th consecutive tournament held in New York’s state capital.

At stake will not only be a purse of $120,000, with a winner’s prize check of $16,800 and $12,000 for the runner-up, but also 10 cards for 2011 LPGA membership to the top 10 season money winners at the conclusion of Sunday’s final round. The top five money winners will earn full 2011 LPGA membership.

But as has been the case at the last several final tournaments held in Albany, the fight for the No. 4 and No. 5 full cards, as well as tight competition to crack the top 10, has been intense right down to the final putt. Last year’s Albany champion, SONG YI CHOI of South Korea, jumped from 11th to fifth place with her win, but the year before, Choi was in the No. 5 spot on the money list going into the final event and was knocked out of the top five to finish the season in sixth place.

Top-ranked CINDY LACROSSE of Tampa, Fla., enters the Albany tournament with a lead of $15,614 over No. 2 CHRISTINE SONG of Fullerton, Calif. Song leads third-ranked GERINA MENDOZA of Roswell, N.M., by $9,543, but Mendoza’s lead over No. 4 JENNIFER SONG of Ann Arbor, Mich., narrows to $1,246, and only $2,079 separates Jennifer Song and fifth-ranked JENNY SHIN of Torrance, Calif.

Hot on Shin’s heels is sixth-ranked ANGELA OH of Maple Shade, N.J., a 2010 tournament winner who trails by $3,530. Oh leads No. 7 TIFFANY JOH of San Diego by $5,282, and Joh holds a $2,033 lead over former UCLA teammate and eighth-ranked RYANN O’TOOLE of San Clemente, Calif. But O’Toole has only a $266 cushion over ninth-ranked PORNANONG PHATLUM of Chaiyaphum, Thailand, and the Thai player has a mere $856 lead over No. 10 JANE RAH of Torrance, Calif.

Hoping to crack the top 10 are chasers ESTHER CHOE of Scottsdale, Ariz., ranked 11th and $1,511 behind No. 10 Rah, 12th-ranked HANNAH JUN of San Diego, No. 13 MO MARTIN of Altadena, Calif., and 14th-ranked DORI CARTER of Valdosta, Ga., a 2010 tournament winner.

“Anybody in the top 15 can win and a lot of players are going for that No. 5 card in Albany,” said LaCrosse, who won this season in Mexico, and in Syracuse, N.Y.

Other 2010 tournament winners hoping to make a big move into the top 10 are No. 20 PAOLA MORENO of Cali, Colombia, No. 21 NANNETTE HILL of Pelham, N.Y., and 26th-ranked SOPHIE JANG of Seoul, South Korea. Eleven of the 12 winners in 2010 will be in this week’s tournament field, including the four two-time 2010 tournament winners, who are LaCrosse, Christine Song, Jennifer Song (no relation) and Ryann O’Toole.

And if history repeats itself, the Tour’s culminating tournament in Albany will once again come down to the final putt on the final green.

Stage Is Set For Duramed FUTURES Tour's Season-Ending Event

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