Duramed FUTURES Tour
“The Road to the LPGA” GROWTH:

The FUTURES Golf Tour enters its 26^th season this year with a new three-year title sponsorship agreement with Duramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The Tour's official name became the Duramed FUTURES Tour in January 2006. An innovator in women's healthcare pharmaceutical products, Duramed is the proprietary products subsidiary of Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The Duramed FUTURES Tour has grown from a collection of 20-some North American players to more than 300 players from 27 different nations and six continents. It is now the largest international developmental tour in the world, featuring an 18-tournament schedule in 2006 in 13 states with a record total season purse of $1.35 million. The average tournament purse of $75,000 this year represents a vast improvement from the average purse size of $6,000 during the Tour's early years.

LPGA LINK:

The Tour has earned the reputation as "the road to the LPGA." That relationship with the LPGA was formalized in 1999, making the Duramed FUTURES Tour the official developmental tour of the LPGA in an agreement that offers direct avenues by which to qualify for the LPGA. Top players on the Tour's money list at the conclusion of the official season earn exempt LPGA status for the following year. Three automatic LPGA cards were awarded from 1999 to 2002, with an upgrade to five cards beginning in 2003. Starting with the sixth-ranked player at season's end, 10 Tour members who are not already members of the LPGA, automatically advance into the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament. A total of 31 Duramed FUTURES Tour players from the 2005 season qualified for playing status on the 2006 LPGA Tour. Duramed FUTURES Tour players earned 12 of the 24 available LPGA Tour exempt cards and 19 of the 45 non-exempt cards at the 2006 LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament. A total of 64 Tour members were in the final LPGA Q-School field of 142 professionals.

PAST GRADUATES:

Awarding automatic LPGA card exemptions annually to the top earners on the Duramed FUTURES Tour Money List, 27 players currently have "graduated" to the LPGA Tour. Those Duramed FUTURES Tour exempt LPGA Tour card winners are as follows::
2005—Seon-Hwa Lee, Virada Nirapathpongporn, Kyeong Bae, Nicole Castrale, Sun Young Yoo
2004—Jimin Kang, Lindsey Wright, Nicole Perrot, Aram Cho, Malinda Johnson
2003—Stacy Prammanasudh, Soo Young Moon, Candy Hannemann, Ju Kim, Reilley Rankin
2002—Lorena Ochoa, Christina Kim, Miriam Nagl
2001—Beth Bauer, Angela Buzminski, Jung Yeon Lee
2000—Heather Zakhar, Michelle Ellis, Dodie Mazzuca
1999—Grace Park, Marilyn Lovander, Audra Burks

HISTORY:

More than 280 FUTURES Tour alumnae are members of the LPGA Tour and through 2005, they own a total of 295 LPGA victories, including 31 major championships. FUTURES Tour alumnae also include LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame member Karrie Webb, Laura Davies, Rosie Jones, Cristie Kerr, Meg Mallon, Michelle McGann and Dottie Pepper. Both Beth Bauer and Lorena Ochoa were the LPGA's Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year recipients in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Founder Eloise Trainor formed the Tour in 1981, as the Tampa Bay Mini Tour to offer competitive opportunities for women aspiring to join the LPGA Tour. In the formative years, tournaments were mostly Florida-based events. Renamed the FUTURES Golf Tour in 1984, the organization grew from a one-state tour to a global entity with tournaments held throughout the United States and special events staged in Canada and Mexico.

MISSION:

The Tour's mission statement has remained the same since its inception, which is: to provide the opportunity for women professional golfers to develop their skills and move on to the LPGA; to allow tournament host cities to meet and embrace future LPGA stars; and to allow the business community and corporate leaders at host sites to link with local charities using a professional golf tournament setting to raise funds for local projects.

COMMUNITY IMPACT:

Since 1989, Duramed FUTURES Tour events have raised nearly $4 million for a range of community-based charitable organizations, such as Chip In For A Cure, the First Tee of Lakeland, the Albany (N.Y.) Police & Fire Foundation and the Betty Puskar Breast Care Center. Tournaments are staged in a cross-section of American cities with widespread community participation and support of local charities.

ORGANIZATION:

Zayra F. Calderon, president and CEO, directs The Duramed FUTURES Tour. Calderon's staff handles on-site Tour operations, officiating, marketing, tournament development, sponsorship and communications. The Tour is based in Lakeland, Fla., and its official web site is duramedfuturestour.com.