BROWNSVILLE, Texas, April 24, 2009 - As predictably as the sun rises, the wind always blows in South Texas. And in today's first round of the $110,000 Historic Brownsville Open, three players held on to their hats and patience to grab a share of the lead at two-under-par 69.

Jean Reynolds of Newnan, Ga., Seo-Jae Lee of Seoul, South Korea, and Sarah Lynn Sargent of Williamston, S.C., squeaked out a one-shot lead at the El Diablo Course at Rancho Viejo Resort and Country Club.

Tied one shot back at 70 (-1) is the trio of Carling Coffing of Middletown, Ohio, Sae Hee Son of Seoul, South Korea, and Stella Lee of Seoul, South Korea.

Reynolds and Seo-Jae Lee made a pair of good frontrunners in the morning tee times. Reynolds, who won the Duramed FUTURES Tour's season kickoff tournament in Winter Haven, Fla., turned in the low number to chase on the par-71 course. A 2008 LPGA Tour member and two-time winner on the 2007 Duramed FUTURES Tour, Lee later matched 69s with Reynolds for her own share of the morning lead in this inaugural event.

"I'll take it in this wind," smiled Reynolds. "It's just mentally tiring more than anything. I kind of blanked out for a few minutes and that cost me."

Reynolds was four-under par after 14 holes. She took bogey on her first hole, but then rallied with birdies on hole Nos. 6, 7, 8, 10 and 14. She bogeyed holes 15 and 16, and had birdie chances that didn't drop from 10 feet on the 17th hole and from 12 feet on the 18th hole.

Lee's scorecard featured three bogeys and five birdies, with back-to-back birdies each from 12 feet on holes 14 and 15.

"It's really hard to calculate the wind, but for me today, it was mostly a helping wind," said Lee.

Former LPGA Tour member Sae Hee Son (70) of Seoul, South Korea and Carling Coffing (70) of Middletown, Ohio, also squeezed out scores in red numbers in the morning.

"I need to swing more slowly because I'm thinking too fast," said Son, who used only 27 putts. "It's all about rhythm in the wind. I'm just trying to play even-par golf on days like this."

Sargent was the only player in the afternoon to crack 70, but admitted her surprise at holding a share of the lead by day's end.

"Honestly, this is very unexpected, especially since I've played one round in a week," said Sargent, who doubles as the assistant women's golf coach at Furman University and who spent last week with her team at the Southern Conference Championship. "But I hit the ball really solid and in the wind, it's a lot easier if you're hitting the ball well."

Sargent birdied three of the first nine holes, saved par twice on the back from eight feet and carded her only bogey with a 3-putt green on the 17th hole from 25 feet.

"My goal was to be even par for the first three holes and I was one under," said Sargent, who also is a member of the LPGA Tour.

Those first three holes, which play into the wind, registered as the three most difficult holes on the course with the par-4 third hole playing as the toughest. The third hole registered a 4.93-stroke average in the first round, with only three birdies recorded. (Sargent and Coffing were among the three.) The third hole not only plays dead into the wind, but requires players to lay up off the tee in front of a water hazard, leaving 200-plus yards on the second shot.

Stella Lee played in the first group in the afternoon and also validated the theory that those who could get through the first three holes at even par or better, were making a move on the field. She birdied her first hole from three feet and played the next two holes at even, rolling in another birdie from five feet on the fifth hole.

"It was tough, but I was expecting it to be worse," she said. "The wind was pretty consistent, but what made it hard was the swirling."

Lee carded one more birdie and two bogeys, but took par on her last seven holes.

Tied at even-par 71, two shots off the lead, are Caroline Larsson of Stockholm, Sweden, Jenny Suh of Fairfax, Va., Angela Buzminski of Oshawa, Ontario, and Nontaya Srisawang of Chiang Mai, Thailand, who finished at even par in spite of a day that included six birdies, three bogeys and a double-bogey.

A total of 10 players finished at even-par 71 or better in today's first round in the first of two Duramed FUTURES Tour tournaments in the Lone Star State. Next week's event will be staged in San Antonio.

Saturday's second round will begin at 8 a.m., off the first and tenth tees, with the afternoon tee times starting at 12:40 p.m. The leaders will tee off at 2:30 p.m.

For scores and more information, visit duramedfuturestour.com.

Weather: Partly cloudy with temperatures in the high 80s and wind between 16-23 mph, gusting to 40 mph.


Former Champ Loops For Retamoza

There was a familiar face pulling clubs for Duramed FUTURES Tour member Violeta Retamoza of Mexico in today's first round. Former LPGA and Duramed FUTURES Tour member Kim Brozer drove down from San Antonio to help caddie for Retamoza in this week's Historic Brownsville Open.

"I'm only four hours away from here and I played a lot of golf with her in the off-season, so I thought it would be good to drive down," said Brozer, of Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. "Plus, I can see some players I haven't seen in a while."

Brozer turned professional in 1996, and was a member of the LPGA Tour in 1999, and from 2006-2007. Her last season on the Duramed FUTURES Tour was in 2007, in which she posted two top-10 finishes while bouncing back and forth between the Tour and the LPGA. She won the 2005 M&T Bank Loretto FUTURES Golf Classic in Syracuse, N.Y. Ironically, the Syracuse tournament also was Retamoza's last tournament win in 2007.

The Canadian has since stopped playing competitive golf and is pondering her next career move. Fortunately, she holds a master's degree in human resource management from Lamar University and says she is looking into options both in and outside of golf.

"It's been nice to just play some golf again for fun," said Brozer. "I enjoy playing, but I don't miss the travel. My competitive time is done."

Alums Hold Their Own In The European Nations Cup

After the second day of the Comunitat Valenciana European Nations Golf Cup in Alicante, Spain, several Duramed FUTURES Tour alums had made moves up the leaderboard after 36 holes. The American team of Beth Daniel and Tour alum Meg Mallon grabbed a two-shot lead of 133 (-11) at La Sella Resort in Denia playing a "Valencian Cup format."

The Australian team of Joanne Mills and Duramed FUTURES Tour alum Nikki Garrett led after the first round, but dropped into fourth place at 138 today. Defending champions Laura Davies and Lisa Hall of Great Britain, both alumnae of the Duramed FUTURES Tour, are tied with Switzerland at 141.

Current Duramed FUTURES Tour member Anastasia Kostina, along with her Russian team member Maria Verchenova, are tied with Finland at even-par 144 in the 20-team Ladies European Tour event.

Contact: Lisa D. Mickey, Duramed FUTURES Tour at (956) 350-6543 and at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .