Mendoza, Richdale Emerge As New Leaders At The Gettysburg Championship
8/23/08
GETTYSBURG, Pa., Aug. 23, 2008 – Samantha Richdale (69) of Kelowna, B.C., and Gerina Mendoza (68) of Roswell, N.M., finished tied for the lead at 6-under-par 138 through two rounds at the $100,000 Gettysburg Championship.
Richdale and Mendoza hold a three-stroke lead over five players tied at 3-under-par 141, led by Aimee Cho (67) of Orlando, Fla., who posted the low round of the day.
The sound of cannons resounded through the hills of The Links at Gettysburg as soon as second-round play ended, with some players gathering on the hill overlooking the 18th green to watch a reenactment of the epic Civil War battle.
It was a bumpy second-round ride for Mendoza, who totaled seven birdies and an eagle to offset a triple-bogey and a double-bogey. Richdale took the more conventional route with three birdies in a bogey-free round.
Mendoza labored through a triple-bogey on her second hole, but would break even par on the front nine with three birdies, including a chip-in from 15 yards out on No. 8.
“I was really frustrated by some bad swings and some mental mistakes on the second tee,” said rookie Mendoza. “I just stayed focused and positive and told myself, ‘Let’s just start from scratch now’.”
Mendoza would lose two strokes with a double-bogey on No. 12 after flying the green into a hazard, but she answered with four birdies on the back nine.
She proceeded to sink a 30-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole and added another birdie on No. 17 before setting up for the go-ahead eagle on her final hole. Mendoza closed her wild round with the eagle, planting a 3-wood approach shot from 220 yards out to five feet from the flagstick. It was the second day in a row Mendoza made eagle on No. 18. And the former University of Texas-El Paso collegian tallied three birdies and an eagle on the par-5s.
“I felt like I was hitting my iron shots pretty close today,” Mendoza said. “I was able to keep the putts within the range that I wanted.”
Richdale was steady, missing only one fairway in today’s second round. She rolled in a birdie from seven feet on No. 17 to tie Mendoza for the lead. Interestingly, the Canadian is only two weeks removed from her first LPGA Tour event at the CN Canadian Women’s Open in Ottawa, Ontario, where she finished tied for 52nd.
“I learned to handle the pressure a little bit better (in Canada),” Richdale said. “I think I’m going to be nervous and excited heading into tomorrow because I haven’t been in this spot before.”
Richdale tapped in for birdie on the fourth hole and made birdie putts of 10 and seven feet on the back nine. In two rounds of play, she has only made one bogey and missed two fairways.
“I’m pretty happy with the way I played except for a bad wedge shot on 18,” Richdale said. “Other than that, it was a really good round.”
Seventy-one players made the 18-hole cut at 7-over-par 151.
Final-round play begins Sunday morning at 8 a.m. off the first tee. The leading group of Mendoza, Richdale and Cho tees off at 11:50 a.m.
For real-time scoring and more information, visit www.duramedfuturestour.com.
Pennsylvania Locals Help Promote Gettysburg Championship
Pennsylvania native Whitney Myers of York had the rare luxury this week of staying at home just 45 minutes away from the site of The Gettysburg Championship. She had more than 30 members of family and friends in her gallery on Saturday watching her play to a 1-over-par 73.
Earlier in the week, Myers was featured in a press conference along with tournament locals Stephanie George of Myerstown, Pa., and Ashley Grier of Hagerstown, Md.
A former All-American at the University of Florida, Myers has exceeded her expectations on the professional level. She missed the cut last week in Richmond, Va., at the Greater Richmond Duramed FUTURES Classic, but came away with a newfound appreciation for her early success.
“I just wish I could have started earlier in the season,” Myers said. “It seemed like last week was not a good week, but I learned from it. I couldn’t sleep, I missed the pro-am and the course just didn’t fit my eye.”
Myers tied for third at the USI Championship in Concord, N.H., and has moved up to 42nd on the season money list after only four events.
Grier is crossing over the Maryland border to her hometown of Hagerstown, also just 45 minutes away. She was born in Waynesboro, Pa., and went to high school in nearby Smithsburg, Md.
The second-year pro from the University of Central Florida has gotten her putter going late in the season. She tied for 11th and 13th in back-to-back weeks in Syracuse, N.Y., and Concord, N.H.
Her father, Dave, is caddying this weekend and etched his name in the course record books at The Links at Gettysburg in 2000 with a 3-under-par 69 -- a course record at the time.
George, a two-time Tour winner, was born in Lebanon, Pa., and resides in Myerstown. She spoke on behalf of the tournament field about the Gettysburg experience for Duramed FUTURES Tour players.
“I’ve never heard so many players talk about one single event like they talk about Gettysburg,” George said. “Everyone is excited to play here, and that gets the fans excited, the vendors excited and the volunteers excited. We just love playing in Gettysburg.”
Co-Leader Mendoza Closing Season With a Flurry
If first-year player Gerina Mendoza of Roswell, N.M., were to reflect back at the beginning of the year, she’d be the first tell you it was anything but satisfying.
Mendoza missed the first two cuts of the year as a wide-eyed rookie, but quickly developed a rhythm as she began to settle in on the professional level.
“I was beginning to feel like I didn’t really belong out here,” Mendoza said. “I hadn’t played any tournament golf in a year and I really needed to get some confidence back.”
Her season results began to resemble a fluctuating stock market -- with highs and lows.
She placed 43rd, 31st, 20th and 12th in a stretch from April to May, seemingly poised to grab her first professional win. Mendoza followed up with a tie for 52nd and 62nd in Lake Geneva, Wis., and Decatur, Ill., before netting her first top-10 finish at The Duramed Championship in Mason, Ohio.
Mendoza seems to have hit her stride at the most critical time of the season. In the Tour’s Eastern Swing, she has a pair of 11th-place finishes and a career best runner-up showing at the USI Championship in Concord, N.H. Mendoza also tied for eighth at the inaugural Falls Auto Group Classic in London, Ky.
“I’m just trying to finish strong to my advantage,” Mendoza said. “It’s time to bite the bullet and stay mentally tough.”
The former collegian at the University of Texas-El Paso is currently ranked 15th on the season money list and is on the brink of reaching the top 10 as the Tour season comes to an end.
“I wouldn’t want to pressure myself to get into the top 10,” Mendoza said. “I’ve made tremendous strides with my game this year and it’s been great to see my name among the statistical leaders.”
