No one knows how good Vicky Hurst is any better than her mother.

Yet, before Hurst hit her second shot on the par-5 seventh hole during Sunday's final round of the Jalapeño Duramed FUTURES Golf Classic - sponsored by the McAllen Hispanic Chamber of Commerce - Koko Hurst walked away from her daughter and crossed her fingers.

The shot, from about 230 yards out, hit a tree and landed on a hill just to the left of the flag.

At least on that hole, on which Hurst carded a birdie, her mother's finger-crossing certainly didn't hurt.

There were, however, other more tangible affects mom - who also serves as her daughter's caddy - had on Hurst, who won the 2008 Jalapeño Classic with a tournament and FUTURES Tour record of 18-under par total of 198, breaking Grace Park's mark set in 1999, and earning Hurst $11,900.

One of them was simply slowing her daughter down on the course.

With something of a wistful smile, mom recalled when a 9-year-old Hurst would run up to her ball before each shot. On Sunday, Hurst wasn't doing that, but she still needed someone to restrain her just a little bit.

And, of course, there's nobody better for that than mom.

"(Sunday), I had to slow her down big time because she couldn't wait to hit the ball on her next shot. She was going so fast," Koko said. "It is a really big challenge for her to slow down.

"That's always a challenge for her. I guess she can't wait to hit the next shot."

But, can you blame somebody with Hurst's talent and potential for being so eager to shoot?

Just 17 and one month away from graduating high school, she has already been featured on the cover of Golfweek and played in two U.S. Opens. This weekend at Palm View Golf Course, Hurst treated the course's par-5s like par-4s, easily reaching greens in two shots that other players would need three.

Since she is just 17, her mother is required under Duramed FUTURES Tour rules to travel with her. Mom also takes care of tasks such as making travel arrangements and dealing with potential endorsement opportunities, which certainly keeps her daughter's mind clear to concentrate on golf.

Since she serves as her daughter's caddy, she also recommends how to play certain holes, and what kinds of clubs are needed for each shot. Hurst credits her mother with "keeping her in the moment" and helping her focus on the next stroke.

Aside from pacing Hurst from stroke to stroke, mom would also like for Hurst to let go of her calm, some would say stoic, course demeanor.

"I've always been that type of person," said Hurst, who even after making the only eagle on the 14th hole Sunday showed little emotion. "My mom is always telling me to do fist pumps or get mad if I hit a bad shot."

At least on Sunday, that's something she didn't have too many chances to do.

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Brian Sandalow is a sports writer for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4436.