Stephanie Otteson birdies last for

first win on Futures Tour

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY DURAMED FUTURES TOUR
MASON, Ohio, June 22, 2008 - It came down to the final stroke in regulation on the 18th green as Stephanie Otteson of Wilson, North Carolina, rolled home a 30ft birdie putt to cap a round of even-par 71 and earn her first professional win at the $110,000 The Duramed Championship. The second-year Tour pro finished the tournament at nine-under-par 204, and earned a $15,400 check for the victory.
Jessica Shepley (68) of Oakville, Ontario, posted her second runner-up finish of the season and finished with a three-round total of 205 (-8), one shot back.
Two-time tournament winner Mindy Kim (72) of Diamond Bar, Calif., finished with a three-day score of 206 (-7) for solo third.
It looked as if the Tour's third play-off of the year was about to get underway when Shepley drained a clutch 21ft birdie putt on the 18th green to move into a three-way tie with Kim and Otteson at eight-under par.
But Otteson ended all speculation with her dramatic putt and became the Duramed FUTURES Tour's seventh tournament champion of the 2008 season.
"Absolutely amazing," said Otteson of her final putt. "It was just one of those situations where you hope and pray it goes in and it just happened to fall in for me this time."
For Otteson, who started playing golf at age of 14, it was a dream come true. It marked her first victory since winning the Wilson County (N.C.) Junior Golf Association Championship in her hometown when she was 16.
Her good friend, former University of North Carolina-Wilmington teammate and travel partner, Michelle Jarman of Wilmington, N.C., was with her every step of the way walking the final round.
With her victory, Otteson has charged into the No. 8 position on the Tour's season money list. The North Carolinian has burst on the scene, surpassing her 12th-place finish last week in Decatur, Ill., last week at the Michelob ULTRA Duramed FUTURES Players Championship. Her previous career-best finish was a seventh-place showing at last year's event in Bloomfield, Conn. With her victory, she surged up to eighth on the season money list.
"This is a really big turning point for me and helps me realize that I belong out here," Otteson said. "It was something I couldn't anticipate. I always knew I had the talent and the drive, but it almost seemed like it didn't come together."
Cloudy skies and winds picked up as the final group made it to the 16th hole and another thunderstorm appeared to be bearing down on The Golf Center at Kings Island. After enduring more than a two-hour weather delay on Saturday, Otteson wasn't ready to head to the clubhouse.
"I wanted to keep going," Otteson said. "I did not want to go inside because I wanted us to duke it out with what we had right then and there."
Otteson was determined to finish strong in today's final round, remembering a 78 she carded at last year's Connecticut tournament after heading into the final day in third place. This time, she maintained the lead through all three rounds, sharing the first-day lead with Kim after both players opened at 7-under-par 64.
"To be honest, I feel like a completely different player than I was in Connecticut," Otteson said. "I felt more calm, almost relieved."
The round didn't start out as Otteson planned. She made bogey on two of her first three holes.
"I told myself it was just the fourth bogey I had made the entire week," Otteson said. "I knew I had some good birdie holes coming up and I tried to stick to my game."
In search of her first professional win, Shepley was knocking on the door until the very end. The gallery exploded when Shepley drained her putt, with all eyes now turned to Otteson and Kim standing in the 18th fairway.
"She (Stephanie) was playing great all week," said the Canadian. "When you see that final putt go in, your heart just sinks, but I'm really happy with how I finished."
Otteson heard the crowd erupt as she walked up the final fairway, but she wasn't aware of Shepley's score.
"I tried to sneak around and look at the leaderboard, but I couldn't see it," Otteson said. "After Mindy (Kim) hit her ball in the water, I just wanted to lay up and try to make as good of a shot as I could. I didn't know [how Shepley stood] until I walked up on the green.
Tied through 17 holes with Otteson, Kim's second shot on the last hole found a water hazard as she aimed for the green. The error cost her one shot and a chance to tie Shepley for second place.
"I thought I hit it well," Kim said. "I used a 3-wood, but it wasn't enough."
Kim moved back to the No. 1 spot on the season money list, past rookie and fellow two-time tournament champion Vicky Hurst of Melbourne, Fla., on the season money list, who spent the week at the LPGA Wegmans in Pittsford, N.Y. Kim earned $7,838 for her third-place finish. Shepley moved up from ninth to fifth on the money list, earning $11,000 for her second-place performance.
The Duramed FUTURES Tour closes out its Midwest Swing as it heads to Hammond, Indiana, for the Horseshoe Casino Classic at Lost Marsh Golf Course.
For complete scores and more information, visit www.duramedfuturestour.com.