Kristie Smith Eagles Final Hole For First Pro Title In United States

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., April 11, 2010 – About 76 miles west of Daytona Beach in Ocala, Fla., a long-hitting, green-eyed Aussie with a model golf swing won her first professional tournament in 1995 on the FUTURES Golf Tour. That player, Karrie Webb, raised the bar for all others to follow.

So it was appropriate today, 15 years later, that another Aussie – one whose precision with her irons, length off the tee and internal fieriness are eerily similar to Webb’s – would replicate the kind of cool under fire that made Webb a World Golf Hall of Famer.

Second-year pro Kristie Smith of Perth, Australia won her first pro title stateside at the $100,000 Daytona Beach Invitational, slamming home a 20-foot putt from the fringe for an eagle-3 and the win. Smith posted rounds of 66-71-67 to finish at 12-under 204. More>>

Welcome to the Duramed FUTURES Tour’s 2010 Daytona Beach Invitational!

The Duramed FUTURES Tour is excited to once again bring golf to Daytona Beach, Florida with the Daytona Beach Invitational to be held April 9-11, at the beautiful LPGA International-Champions Course. Women's professional golf has surged in popularity and this event promises to showcase the next wave of young stars as they begin their “Road to the LPGA.”

We invite you to join us at this year's event. The fans, sponsors, and volunteers that support this event will create an atmosphere of excitement which will energize these talented young athletes, and remind the community that Daytona Beach is proud to be the home of women’s professional golf. The Duramed FUTURES Tour professionals you watch during the week come from as many as 31 countries around the world, and begin the season with great credentials and previous success in amateur and collegiate golf.

As the LPGA’s developmental tour, the Duramed FUTURES Tour, has graduated more than 300 players to the LPGA Tour. Many of these professionals have become the world's top-ranked players. Mexico's Lorena Ochoa, who was the 2002 Player of the Year on the Duramed FUTURES Tour, became the LPGA's top rookie in 2003, then went on to earn honors in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 as the LPGA's Rolex Player of the Year. Tour alum Angela Park was the LPGA’s top rookie in 2007. Inbee Park won the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open Championship.

The excitement of watching 144 of the world’s best young women golfers is memorable, but equally valuable is the opportunity that hosting this tournament provides in support for local, national, and global charities. What better way to combine world-class entertainment and charitable endeavors than to stage this tournament! It is our goal to work closely with various charities to make a lasting contribution to the community and region for years to come, as well as to stage a unique event, which the residents of Volusia County will be proud to call their own.

Thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing you at the Daytona Beach Invitational.