Jalapeño Golf Classic: DOMINATION

McALLEN - For all 54 holes of the 2008 Jalapeño Duramed FUTURES Golf Classic sponsored by the McAllen Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, 17-year-old rookie Vicky Hurst was the event's best player.

On two of them, Hurst reaffirmed why she might be the best prospect to play on the Duramed FUTURES Tour since Lorena Ochoa in 2002.

Hurst shot a final-round 64 on Sunday and won the Jalapeño Golf Classic with an 18-under 198 by three strokes over Ashley Prange. The three-day total established a new tour record, topping Grace Park's 16-under at the 1999 Betty Puskar FUTURES Golf Classic in Morgantown, W. Va., and easily broke Virada Nirapathpongporn's event-record low of 12 under set in 2005. Hurst's final-round performance equaled Kim Augusta's 18-hole record score of 64, set in last year's second round.

But on the 14th and 15th holes, Hurst showed she also can withstand a challenge.

One week removed from losing in a playoff after squandering a four-stroke lead, Hurst approached the tee on the par-3 14th with a one-shot lead over Ashley Prange, an edge that once was five. Prange later said she was in the middle of a "career round," one that included back-to-back birdies on 12 and 13 to get to within one shot of the lead.

Hurst, using a 7-iron, stuck her first shot to within two feet of the hole, leading to a tap-in birdie. Prange only could counter with a par, stretching Hurst's lead back to two.

"I just looked at my caddy and said, ‘It's like a gnat. She just won't go away,'" said Prange, who finished third at the 2006 Jalapeño Golf Classic. "There's nothing wrong with finishing second to a player like Vicky."

Then on the par-5 15th, Hurst did something no one else could Sunday, justifying the praise from opponents and awe from her gallery.

Instead of laying up from about 240 yards, Hurst aimed for the green with her second shot, landing safely 20 feet from the hole and setting herself up for an eagle chance. Knowing that the best Prange could do was birdie the hole - which she did - Hurst drained her putt to take a three-shot lead with three holes left.

After the round, Hurst said she didn't know she was the only player not to need three shots to reach the 15th green.

"These par-5s are shorter than what we usually play," said Hurst, who sits atop the Duramed FUTURES Tour money list with $22,277 in earnings, ahead of second-place M.J. Hur and third-place Leah Wigger. "When you have a chance to go for the green and get there, especially with that hole that's that straightforward, I just went all-out to reach the green."

That effort helped overshadow what was an important weekend for Prange, who jumped to seventh on the tour money list. Prior to the Jalapeño Golf Classic, Prange was 58th on the money list and hadn't finished better than a tie for 30th.

"I needed this weekend," said Prange, who backed up a two-win 2006 with a difficult 2007 that included only two top 10s. "Now in 2008, my game is back and I'm better than I've ever been."

That could be true, but it still wasn't enough to top Hurst. As scary as it might be for Prange and the rest the FUTURES Tour players, Hurst isn't even at her peak.

Then again, if Hurst keeps playing the way she did in McAllen, they probably won't have to deal with her for that much longer.

"I hope I'm not (back here again next year)," Hurst said. "Nothing against this area.

"It gives me the confidence to know I can shoot the low scores and play out of my mind."

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