QUICK GLANCE AT FUTURES FIELD

The three-day long $120,000 Price Chopper Tour Championship begins Friday. The 144-player field includes Latham’s Bailey Cocca, 16, who is making her third consecutive appearance in this event after winning the sponsor’s qualifier on Saturday. Cocca tees off at 1:25PM Friday off #1.

It is the season-ender for the Futures, the Tour’s 17th event of the year and the 11th consecutive tournament held in New York’s state capital. It’s been at Capital Hills now for seven years.

“I appreciate the Golub family for understanding the importance of the tournament,” said Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings, who was out at the course Wednesday. “We couldn’t put it on without their support and they deserve a lot of credit.”

Top prize is $16,800, $12,000 for the runner-up. Ten cards for 2011 LPGA membership will be given out to the top 10 season money winners on Sunday. The top five earn full 2011 LPGA status. Defending champion Song Yi Choi of South Korea used Albany to springboard into the top-5 last year, jumping from 11th to fifth. In 2008, Choi was fifth headed into Albany and was knocked down to sixth.

Cindy LaCrosse (Tampa, FL) has a lead of $15,614 over Christine Song (Fullerton, CA). Third is Gerina Mendoza of Roswell, NM. She leads Jennifer Song (Ann Arbor, MI) by $1,246 and only $2,079 separates Jennifer Song and fifth-ranked Jenny Shin (Torrance, CA).

“I really like the golf course,” said Jennifer Song. “The greens are huge and there’s a lot of undulations and you’ve got to place your tee shots and I think it’s going to be a nice competition this week.”

At sixth, Angela Oh (Maple Shade, NJ), who as a 2010 win, leads Tiffany Joh (San Diego) by $5,282; Joh is up $2,033 over former UCLA teammate Ryann O’Toole (San Clemente, CA). She has a mere $266 pad over Pornanong Phatlum (Thailand), who leads Jane Rah (Torrance, CA) by $856.

As for the course, superintendent Scott Gallup admits this has been the toughest summer in decades, “every since I’ve been here,” he said. Gallup started in April 1990.

He and his team of 18 full and part timers are watching the course closely, arriving at 4:30AM Friday through Sunday.

“Every little area has its own microclimate,” Gallup said. “The difference between 17 green and 3 green is immense. I probably water the 17th green a tenth as much as I water three. There’s just a little bit different soil conditions.”

Also in the field is Golf Channel’s new Big Break: Sandals Resort winner, Carling Coffing, who kept her pro-am laughing and close, tying for first Wednesday at 15-under.

“It’s a great Albany event and with the popularity of golf and especially women’s golf, I think it’s a great opportunity to support some of these younger players,” said Thomas Brockley, of RBC Wealth Management, who had Coffing in his fivesome.

PAST WINNERS:
2004: Nicole Perrot of Vina Del Mar, Chile (203)
2005: Seon-Hwa Lee of Chonan, Korea (199)
2006: Ji-Min Jeong of Kyungki, South Korea (206)
2007: Onnarin Sattayabanphot of Bangkok, Thailand (210)
2008: Sarah-Jane Kenyon of Queensland, Australia (204)
2009: Song Yi Choi, Seoul of South Korea (205)

TAMPA NATIVE HAD TEMPER, NOW CALMER

The quiet and introverted Cindy LaCrosse, a second-year pro from Tampa, FL and the daughter of a golf professional, has a belly with fire, Cokes and hot dogs.

LaCrosse, 23, is the number one player on the Duramed Futures Tour’s 2010 money list.

“I definitely have less pressure than some other girls but I still want to come here out and play well and play my best,” said LaCrosse, while taking a water break during her Wednesday afternoon pro-am.

LaCrosse played Capital Hills @ Albany last year so she’s familiarizing herself with the course and remembers the hills.

“Very hilly,” she said. “I’m glad I only have to walk it three days. The greens are pretty good, they’re getting quicker as the week goes on so that’s nice…They’re tricky. You’ve got to know where you want to be.”

Her first goal of the season was to finish in the top-five on the money list, which earns an LPGA exemption for 2011. She won twice: Mexico and Syracuse. She has ten top-10 finishes in 14 events and earnings of $77,778.

The former All-American from the University of Louisville joined the Tour in the spring of 2009, following the NCAA Championship, and recorded five top-10 finishes in 11 tournaments as a rookie. Her scoring average is 71.13, and headed into the LPGA’s Q-School last fall with more than half a professional season of experience.
 
“Coming out of college golf, you don’t know what to expect, but I did pretty well in my first year and I played well enough that I knew I could eventually win,” said LaCrosse, the 2009 Big East Player of the Year and a four-time collegiate winner. “I went to LPGA Q-School and I wanted to be on the LPGA, but I also knew I wasn’t completely ready. I wanted to get in a full year out here and finish in the top five. I wanted the experience of playing in the lead group and having the pressure to win before I went to the LPGA.”
 
After Q-School, she hit the gym, lifting weights, she took a boxing class, worked out in cardio, and then fine-tuned the elements of her game with Orlando-based swing coach Sean Foley. When the quiet Floridian showed up for the start of the season this year, she had definition in her arms, purpose in her step and a new focus that immediately transferred into her level of play.
 
She finished third in the season-opening event in Winter Haven, FL, and then rallied from three shots back at the second tournament to earn her first Tour title in Mexico. LaCrosse pocketed the Tour’s top winner’s check of $21,000 at that event and never looked back.
 
“I stayed patient during the whole tournament and it was so satisfying to win early in the season,” she said. “I felt stronger, and I said, ‘Let’s see if we can do it again.’”
 
LaCrosse tied for fifth at the next tournament in Daytona Beach, and tied as the runner-up a few weeks later in San Antonio. But as she was gaining confidence and showing greater consistency in her ball striking, putting and temperament, LaCrosse also was getting more comfortable and proficient at shooting low numbers.
 
In 14 tournaments, she has scored a season-low round of 66 five times and scored in the 60s 19 times in 40 rounds, currently holding the Tour’s second lowest scoring average of 69.53. In addition, LaCrosse leads the Tour in sub-par holes (164 in 40 rounds) and is also the Tour’s birdie leader (162).
 
“She has been very dedicated and she has followed the process of learning and gaining experience,” said her father, Doug LaCrosse, a former golf professional who got his daughter started in the game around age 5 by buying her Cokes and hotdogs and letting her sit in the golf cart while he practiced. “The process is, you have to put in the time.”
 
But while her swing and short game have consistently improved over the years, one of the things that sometimes hampered the young pro was her temper. A self-admitted “perfectionist,” LaCrosse would find that her temper flared when things happened on the golf course that were completely out of her control. A good shot that bounded 30 yards in the wrong direction off a sprinkler head would sometimes cause LaCrosse to unravel and lose focus.
 
“It worked on her sometimes,” said her father, Doug. “A seasoned player accepts bad things that happen on the course. It was important that she learn to put things behind her, but on the other hand, you also have to have a little fire.”
 
LaCrosse admits she used to have a bad temper. The truth of that statement was evident when the Tour returned for its annual event in Syracuse this year. In 2009, LaCrosse missed the 36-hole tournament cut in Syracuse and was upset with herself. This year was an entirely different experience.
 
“Last year, she told her housing host in Syracuse that she was going to come back to Syracuse this year,” Doug said. “And she told the housing host that she was going to be good.”
 
LaCrosse also called her father and asked if he could come to Syracuse. Doug LaCrosse made the trip to upstate New York and caddied for his daughter. And he was on the bag when she won her second tournament, carding rounds of 67-66-68 to win at 12-under 201.
 
“I encouraged her to get things in order, but she did it all,” said her dad. “She played great, and after that tournament in Syracuse, she said, ‘It’s good to be back on top.’”
 
While LaCrosse and Christine Song have largely dominated the top spot on the Tour’s money list all season, it has not been a nerve-racking experience that many other players feel. Doug LaCrosse noted that the effort of climbing the rankings has been more motivating than detrimental for his daughter.
 
“The money list has motivated her, but her goal all along was to get her full LPGA card,” said the player’s dad. “If you do that, it shows you worked your rear end off, not just for one week at Q-School, but for an entire season. There are a lot of good players on that tour and it has been a very good training ground for Cindy.”
 
And while LaCrosse earned low status on the 2010 LPGA Tour last fall at Q-School, she has opted to spend most of her time and energy this season as a full-time member of the Duramed Futures Tour. She has played in some LPGA tournaments in the off-weeks, but mainly, her focus has remained on the tour helping her to move up and to gain professional experience.
 
“There are still some things I want to work on in the off-season, but I feel like I’m ready for the LPGA,” she said. “I’m excited about what I’ve done this year. Good golf always helps.”
 
And only three rounds away from holding up a replica LPGA Tour card in Sunday’s awards ceremony, LaCrosse is also excited to earn her full 2011 LPGA membership without setting foot on the grounds of LPGA Q-School. This week in Albany, some of her high school friends from Florida are planning to come to New York to cheer on their friend as she plays her final developmental tour event.
 
“They know how big a deal it is,” she said. “A lot of hard work is paying off.”

DURAMED FUTURES BACK FOR 11TH STRAIGHT YEAR IN ALBANY
 
The Duramed Futures Tour returns this week for the season-ending $120,000 Price Chopper Tour Championship at Capital Hills @ Albany, Friday through Sunday. It’s the Tour’s 17th event of 2010. The top prize is $16,800, $12,000 for the runner-up. Also, 10 cards for 2011 LPGA membership go to the top-10 season money winners at the conclusion of Sunday’s final round. The top-5 money winners earn full 2011 LPGA membership.

Read the rest of this entry »

While Cindy LaCrosse (Tampa, FL) has a sizable lead for honors as the Duramed Futures Tour’s “Player of the Year,” one of the more compelling races this season is for honors as the Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year. Two-time 2010 tournament winner Jennifer Song (Ann Arbor, MI) leads second-ranked rookie Jenny Shin (Torrance, CA). The two are also Nos. 4 and 5, respectively, on the Tour’s season money list.

Read the rest of this entry »

HEAD PRO AT COLONIE GOLF & CC ON FIRE, FIRES -3 TO WIN
By John Craig

When Frank Mellet, the head pro at Colonie Golf & CC stepped to the 15th tee Tuesday at The Edison Club, he “took a peek” at the leaderboard for the first time. While his name was on top, he got a lot closer to the pack when he three-putted the green.

“They were so fast,” Mellet said of the greens. He wasn’t sure anyone was putting with any real confidence at the 66th Northeastern New York PGA Stroke Play Championship.

Read the rest of this entry »

NENY PGA HOSTS “WOMEN’S DAY” AT CAPITAL HILLS

The Northeastern New York PGA Section will hold its Play Golf America “Women’s Day” at Capital Hills @ Albany on Tuesday, August 31st from 3:00PM – 6:00PM.

Play Golf America Days enable golfers of all ages and skill levels to receive complimentary group and individual instruction from their local NENY PGA Professional instructors and Duramed FUTURES players. The Futures will hold its season-ending event beginning Friday at Capital Hills.

Read the rest of this entry »

TWO EDISON ASSISTANTS AMONG 13 WITHIN FOUR SHOTS
By John Craig

REXFORD – Two first-year assistants at the host club are within three strokes of the lead for the 66th Northeastern New York PGA Stroke Play Championship. But all 30 pros in the field at The Edison Club are chasing one man – Frank Mellet, the head pro at Colonie Golf & CC. Mellet is the points’ leader for Player of the Year

“It’s a very nice golf course,” Mellet said. “It’s right in front of you, you’ve got to drive it straight. It’s a very fair course.”

Read the rest of this entry »

LOCAL PROS FOR PGA SENIORS

Paul Jaycox of Cobleskill Golf & Country Club is having quite a run. Last week he, Don Brigham of Onteora and Brent Smith of Tupper Lake won the three qualifying spots at Tupper Lake for the PGA Senior Professional Championship. That tournament will be played Oct. 7-10 in La Quinta, CA.

Read the rest of this entry »

SORENSTAM, OCHOA, MAHAN HEADLINE NB3 AT TURNING STONE

On Tuesday, Turning Stone’s Atunyote Golf Course will once again be teeming with top names in the game. It’s all for the 3rd Annual Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge.

The star-studded NB3 12-player field features PGA Tour stars Anthony Kim, Camilo Villegas and Hunter Mahan, along with LPGA retirees Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa.

Read the rest of this entry »

NENY AT CAPITAL HILLS: AUGUST 24

McGregor Links Country Club pro Tom Oppedisano won the Northeastern New York PGA Pro Event #4 at Capital Hills @ Albany on Tuesday, 32-36=68, pocketing $655. Scott Berliner of Shaker Ridge CC 36-33=69 was second tied with Bob Mucha of Greenock CC 34-35=69.

Read the rest of this entry »