Futures Tour event at Syracuse, New York State

Vikki (71) and Pamela (72) make solid start

while temperatures goes into the 90s

PRESS RELEASE FROM DURAMED FUTURES TOUR
SYRACUSE, N.Y., July 18, 2008 - Lisa Meldrum of Montreal, Quebec, paced the field with a bogey-free round of 5-under-par 66 in first-round play at the $90,000 Alliance Bank Golf Classic presented by BILL RAPP SUPERSTORE on Friday.
Meldrum fended off an afternoon flurry by Jin Young Pak (67) of Kang Leung, South Korea, Mo Martin (67) of Altadena, Calif., and Gerina Mendoza (67) of Roswell, N.M., who are one stroke back at 4-under par.
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SCOTSWATCH: Vikki Laing is sharing 17th place on 71 and Pamela Feggans is joint 32nd on 72. Not a Scot but sure you would like to know that Brenda McLarnon from Belfast had a 75.
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Thirty-one players finished their first round on the 6,206-yard, par-71 lay-out at The Links at Erie Village at even par or better, battling a stifling heat that reached into the lower 90s throughout the day.
The afternoon trio of Pak, Martin and Mendoza threatened Meldrum's morning total, but she retained the lead throughout the day after scattering five birdies on her scorecard. Meldrum, a third-year Duramed FUTURES Tour pro, is pursuing her second professional victory after winning the CN Canadian Women's Open Championship in 2006.
"It was just a pretty solid round," Meldrum said. "I was just able to roll the ball a little bit better today and get some putts to drop."
The soft-spoken Meldrum converted a 30-foot putt to save par on her ninth hole after clipping the flagstick out of the bunker. She followed with another key par save on the 11th hole and attributed putting as a critical factor to getting her round off to a good start.
"The greens really liked me today, which was nice for a change," said Meldrum, who had 27 putts. "Hopefully they will like me tomorrow."
Meldrum said her season has been one of ups and downs, but recent results from The Duramed Championship (T17) in Mason, Ohio, and the CIGNA Golf Classic (T42) in Bloomfield, Conn., signify a reversal of fortune.
"I had a rough start to the season, but the last two events have been my best tournaments of the year," Meldrum said.
Pak, a 2005 Duramed FUTURES Tour winner, started out with four birdies in her first five holes. Mendoza carded her first bogey-free round of the year, posting back-to-back birdies on No. 6 and 7 on her back nine. Martin, the 2007 El Paso Golf Classic champion, registered five birdies and one bogey that came on the par-5, 17th hole.
Second-round play begins Saturday morning at 8 a.m. off the first and 10th tees. The leading group of Meldrum, Pak and Martin tee off at 2:30 p.m.
For real-time scoring and more information, visit www.duramedfuturestour.com.
Weather: A mix of sun and clouds with temperatures reaching 91 degrees and winds blowing southwest from 10-20 mph.