Glasgow native wins Ohio golf tournament

By JON WEBB
Glasgow Daily Times

June 23, 2009 12:02 pm

— After three rounds of exceptional golf, Glasgow native Whitney Wade is approximately $17,000 richer.
Wade won the Duramed Championship in Mason, Oh., on Sunday after she birdied a five-foot putt on the 18th hole to defeat Jean Reynolds, her former teammate at the University of Georgia.
The win catapulted Wade 35 spots in the rankings of the Duramed Futures Tour, the Lady Professional Golf Association’s (LPGA) developmental tour.
The tournament marked Wade’s first victory in the Duramed Futures.
“(Last week) was one of our biggest purses,” Wade said. “I think I went from 42nd to seventh (on the money-leader board).”
Golfers who finish in the top five at the end of the season are given a chance to obtain LPGA membership, which is ultimately Wade’s goal, she said.
“If you get in the top five each week, you’re going (to have a shot at the LPGA),” Wade said.
According to Wade, players earn their places on the Dura-med tour through LPGA qualifying schools: various tournaments held each year at different locations across the country.
Wade said players lower on the Duramed money list have to re-earn their spots each year, but Sunday’s win and purse practically guarantee Wade will be exempt from qualifying school next year.
Although Wade is only two years into her stint on the Duramed tour, she is less than $4,000 away from fifth place, and will have an opportunity for a $14,000 purse at the Horseshoe Casino Classic tournament in Hammond, Ind. next week.
Sunday’s victory, however, was special to Wade due to it being her first and because of its close-proximity to her home.
“(Mason) is about three hours away,” Wade said, “but I felt like I had the home event advantage out there.”