Futures Tour Offers Hope For Canadian Women

For Shepley in particular, it could mean she'll in the major league of women's golf as early as 2009. Jessica is currently ninth on the FUTURES Tour money list and the Top Ten at the end of the Duramed season in a couple weeks will now graduate to the LPGA.

Coming into this weekend Shepley and Richdale were tied for third place after Friday's opening round of the $100,000 Gettysburg Championship in Pennsylvania.

"This gives five more players the opportunity for coveted membership on the LPGA," said Zayra F. Calderon, CEO of the Duramed FUTURES Tour. "It rewards our top 10 players for their superior performance during a long, challenging season and it recognizes the Duramed FUTURES Tour as the pipeline to the LPGA."

Prior to this change, only players who finished in places one through five on the Duramed FUTURES Tour as of the conclusion of the last official money event on the Duramed FUTURES Tour were eligible for LPGA Tour membership.

This may also have a profound effect on other Canadian professional hopefuls such as Kira Meizner of Richmond, who is scheduled to attend the LPGA TOUR's sectional qualifying tournament on Sept. 15 in Palm Desert, CA before heading for Australia to represent Canada at the Women's World Amateur Team Championship October 1. Should Meixner miss qualifying for her LPGA TOUR card there's a likely chance she would gain exemption to the Duramed Tour for 2009 and a shot at finishing among the top 10 money winners.

Currently Canadian women can play on the limited CN Canadian Women's Tour which offers token prize money and a chance to qualify for the Canadian Open but there are only four tournaments each season.

Since 1999, a total of 37 players have earned LPGA membership by finishing among the Duramed FUTURES Tour's top season money winners. The Tour presented LPGA membership to its top three money winners from 1999-2002, then began awarding LPGA membership to the top five money winners from 2003 to 2007.

This year marks the inaugural presentation of 10 cards to the top money winners, showcasing the Duramed FUTURES Tour as another way players can advance to the LPGA Tour.

About the Duramed FUTURES Tour
Called "The Road To the LPGA and Beyond," the Duramed FUTURES Tour has become the world's largest international women's developmental tour. In its 28th competitive season this year, the Tour has remained committed to developing LPGA stars of tomorrow and creating viable role models for youth today. The top-five money winners each season earn automatic exemptions for the LPGA Tour. With more than 300 alumnae as current members of the LPGA, through 2007, former Duramed FUTURES Tour players have won a total of 330 LPGA titles, including 35 major championships. Duramed FUTURES Tour events have contributed more than $4 million to charitable organizations throughout the nation since 1989. For more information, visit www.duramedfuturestour.com.

FUTURES Tour money List and Canadian Players

(RANK - PLAYER - TOURNAMENTS - WINS - $ WON)

1 Vicky Hurst Melbourne, Fla. 11 4 $78,472
2 Mindy Kim Diamond Bar, Calif. 15 3 $67,504
3 M. J. Hur Seoul, South Korea 15 1 $40,811
4 Jin Young Pak, Kang Leung, South Korea 15 - $38,978
5 Leah Wigger, Louisville, Ky. 12 1 $35,880
6 Song Yi Choi, Seoul, South Korea 15 - $35,857
7 Kim Welch, Sacramento, Calif. 15 1 $33,141
8 Sarah-Jane Kenyon, Queensland, Australia 8 $32,871
9 Jessica Shepley, Oakville, Ontario 15 - $30,784
10 Haeji Kang Seoul, South Korea 15 1 $28,495

Canadian Players
31 Lisa Meldrum, Montreal, Quebec 13 - $12,383
50 Samantha Richdale, Kelowna, British Columbia 14 - $8,491
67 Angela Buzminski, Oshawa, Ontario 13 - $5,923
76 Christine Boucher, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec 13 - $5,035
163 Cindy Pasechnik, Calgary, Alberta 2 - $682
185 Salimah Mussani, Burlington, Ontario 1 - $507
189 Christina Lecuyer, Edmonton, Alberta 4 - $500
189 Seema Sadekar, Toronto, Ontario 3 - $500