(25 July 2011 – Concord, New Hampshire)
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After six full seasons on the LPGA Futures Tour, Canada&aposs Jessica Shepley was able to win her first tournament in the United States at The International at Concord. She put together rounds of 67-70-66 to post 13-under par and finished one shot in front of American Lauren Doughtie. Misun Cho (Korea) and Mo Martin (USA) tied for third on 8-under par.
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rn"This is what I came here to do this week," said Shepley, 28. "For so long, everybody has said, &aposbe patient, be patient,&apos and there have been times when I doubted. But I guess it doesn&apost matter how you start anything – it&aposs how you finish."
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rnIt wasn’t an easy win for Shepley who played the majority of tournaments out in Australia early this year. First, she had to battle temperatures in the high-30’s in the first two rounds and in the third round, the heat came from third-year professional Doughtie, who played in front of Shepley and tied the Canadian for the lead with three holes to play.
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rnTied for the lead with Doughtie and with her heart pounding as she walked down the 18th fairway, Shepley hammered her drive and knew she&aposd better grip down a half gap wedge some 88 yards into the green. Her approach landed 10 feet from the cup.
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rn"It looked more like 40 feet," she said. "I was shaking so badly while I was trying to line up my putt that I finally told myself to just trust it. I hit it and two feet from the hole, I could see it was totally in."
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rnHer ball found its mark and after a bogey-free round that included five birdies on the front nine and the single birdie on the final hole, Shepley fist-pumped multiple times as she raced to pluck the ball out of the hole. With that long-awaited win finally in her hands and the winning scorecard staring her in the face, Shepley put her head down on the scoring table and shed tears of joy.
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rn"I feel like everything is a process and you have to build a foundation," said Shepley, who used her old University of Tennessee carry bag this week. "I&aposve always felt like I had to win out here because I&aposve wanted to win at every level."
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rnA winner of Canadian amateur events, as well as the 2009 Canadian PGA Women&aposs Championship and two CN Canadian Women&aposs Tour events, Shepley has long been one of Canada&aposs top young players. She has worked with teachers and fellow Canadians Sean Foley and Annie Mallory, who have tweaked her swing to match her athleticism. She has read books, sought advice and more than once, wondered when her week would finally arrive?
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rnDoughtie carded six birdies in her bogey-free round and posted only one bogey in 54 holes en route to her first top-10 finish on the LPGA Futures Tour. Standing adjacent to the 18th green watching Shepley stare down her last putt, Doughtie could only wait.
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rn"I figured she&aposd make that putt because Jessica&aposs a great player," said Doughtie.
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rnA lot of things changed when the Canadian&aposs ball found the bottom of the cup. She put $14,000 in her pocket, she moved from No. 112 on the Futures Tour&aposs season money list to No. 20, and she finally shook off the question of when she would finally win in the States.
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rnIn clothes soaked from a celebratory beer bath showered upon her by fellow pros, Shepley waved off her pals and said she would see them later. First, she planned to go toast this special day with the locals on the patio of the tiny Beaver Meadow clubhouse. After all, this week had been more than six years in the making and Shepley knew better than to let another moment slip by.
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rnThe only ALPG Member to make the cut was Cathryn Bristow who finished off with a final round of 4-under par 68 to move from 36th up to a tie for 18th at 3-under par.