Inaugural Florida’s Natural Growers Charity Classic Winner Moves to LPGA
By Joely Pique
In her two short years on the Duramed FUTURES Tour, Jean Reynolds did it. She earned her LPGA Tour card. And it all started with a win at the 2009 season opener, the inaugural Florida’s Natural Growers Charity Classic, in Winter Haven, Fla. The Georgia peach from Newnan raised the Florida oranges-filled trophy in victory after a three-hole playoff against Song Yi Choi of Seoul, South Korea.
Reynolds carded rounds of 69-73-70 to win at 212 (-4), edging Choi at Lake Region Yacht and Country Club. Choi carded rounds of 64-73-75 to finish second.
“Winter Haven brings back so many great memories,” recalls Reynolds, as she prepares for her rookie season on the LPGA Tour. “It was my first professional win and to win in a playoff was pretty exciting. I will never forget playing in the final round and I was just totally unaware of where I stood. It was an incredible feeling to walk down 18 and see the leaderboard. It was such a fun week and one I will never forget.”
Reynolds would go on to add one more win during the 2009 Duramed FUTURES Tour season. In June, she fought the gusty winds at the Horseshoe Casino Classic at Lost Marsh Golf Course in Hammond, Ind., for the win, cementing her position near the top of the Tour’s Money List and confirming her LPGA card.
But it was two weeks after that win where Reynolds made her biggest splash of the year at the 64th annual U.S. Women’s Open Championship. She stayed among the top three for 54 holes, gaining national television coverage and new fans before sliding into a tie for 17th place at 292 (+8) with a final-round score of 6-over-par 77.
As her former Duramed FUTURES Tour competitors prepare for the first tournament of the 30th anniversary season in Winter Haven, Reynolds is getting ready for her debut on the LPGA Tour.
“It just shows how fast things can change,” said Reynolds. “My first year on the [Duramed] FUTURES Tour, I doubted if I could even get my LPGA card and here I am now about to start my career in the LPGA. I am going to miss a lot of the people on the FUTURES Tour and of course my housing families who were so incredible last year. But I can not wait to start competing on the LPGA Tour. It is going to be an exciting journey and whatever happens, happens.”
Reynolds offers this last bit of advice for any of those who would like to follow in her footsteps.
“The best advice I can give to any of the players is to just have fun!” she said. “Forget about the rest of the stuff. Just go out and play golf and realize how lucky you are to play golf and compete for a living. It is an amazing opportunity and one that should not be taken for granted.”
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