Mason, Ohio is the site of the second annual Duramed Championship.  This year it's being held at the Golf Center at King's Island.  It's a par 71, playing 6,183 yards.  Of course, Mindy Kim shot a 64 and is tied for the lead with Stephanie Otteson, but that's not my story. 

When I arrived at the course I was originally scheduled to go with the 1:20 group off the 10th tee.  I ran into Kim Augusta, a tour veteran for whom I drove flast year.  We chatted for a few minutes, then we brow-beat the cart driver supervisor into letting me work Kim's group.  In addition to Kim, the threesome included fourth-year player Stella Lee and fourth-year player, and Big Break VI competitor Sarah Lynn Sargent.

Since I spent the day with only one group, I really can't say what happened elsewhere on the course.  I can tell you we started on the back nine and none of the players had a caddy so I carried all three bags. 

On the first nine, Kim carded three birdies by keeping her tee shots in or just off the fairway and displaying  some excellent putting.  Although she had a couple of bogies on the first nine, she managed to finish -1 before the second nine kicked her butt, or rather the cup on number three did.  Kim pulled her drive to the left of the fairway, which has a slight dog-leg left.  Her second shot was well placed short of the
green-side bunker on the right.  Her third was a pitch over the flag about 10-feet, but she was left with a fairly slippery downhill putt for par.  That one, grazed the cup and slid by leaving her with about three feet up hill for bogey.  Her putt hit the back of the cup and bounced right back at her -- in-freakin-credible.  None of us could believe what happened.  She cleaned it up, but the double bogey ruined an otherwise really good round.  Kim finished the day at +3, 74.   

Sarah, who is probably in the 270-yard range with her driver, hit fairways and greens with regularity but couldn't get any putts to drop so through her first seven holes she had seven pars.  On her eighth hole, she pulled her drive into the deep rough, where she muscled her second shot out of the heavy stuff, but still in the rough.  Her third shot found the bunker behind the green.  After escaping the bunker, she two-putted for a double bogey, which effectively crashed her round.  Subsequent drives were scattered right and left.  When she shifted to her three-wood off the tee for awhile Sarah straightened things out and pulled off some nice up-and-downs to finish the second nine one over.  Sarah finished her day with a +3 74.

A lot of women come and go on the FUTURES Tour.  It's fairly easy to keep track of the high-profile golfers, such as those who have spent time on the Big Break, but those who haven't tend to toil in obscurity.  Such is the plight of Stella Lee.  Although she was the shortest of the three off the tee, I don't think she missed a fairway all day long.  On the par-3 holes, she was either on the green or just in the fringe.  But her day was marred by par putts that didn't drop, her first nine she carded four bogies and only one birdie.  By the second nine, those par, and some birdie, putts started to fall.  Stella finished with a 2-over 73.

Driving three bags ended up being not much more difficult than two.  It only took a hole or so to get into the flow of a player grabbing her club(s) upon reaching her drive, then I'd move the cart to the next ball.  Sarah, being the long hitter that she is, is probably accustomed to waiting for her sticks to arrive. 

Although there isn't much chatting going on I had a great time.  I'm looking forward to my group tomorrow at 8:10 am.