Call it prophetic. Or maybe just optimistic.

But Kristy McPherson stood behind the scoreboard on Friday and uttered what became reality on Sunday. "If I have a chance to get back into the top five, it will be at this week's event because this is one of my favorite courses on the schedule," she said. "I'm ready to go."

She was ready and she did return to the Tour's top five on the money list. McPherson carded a final-round 67 today to win the $75,000 Betty Puskar FUTURES Golf Classic at The Pines Country Club. The fourth-year pro carded rounds of 68-72-67 for a 207 (-9), to edge Charlotte Mayorkas for her second season win. Mayorkas posted a final round of 69 to finish second at 208 (-8) at the 15th annual tournament in Morgantown.

"I gave myself a lot of opportunities and stayed away from bogeys today," said McPherson, 25, of Conway, S.C., who won her first Duramed FUTURES Tour title back in April in McAllen, Texas. "I woke up this morning knowing that I was capable of posting a good round here on a course I really like and on a course that's in really good shape."

McPherson's goal to win in Morgantown became more attainable by scoring birdies on three of her last four holes and on four of her last six holes in today's final round. Her birdie from 30 feet on the 13th hole put her within one shot of Mayorkas, who grabbed the final-round lead on the third hole. When Mayorkas bogeyed the 14th and McPherson birdied the 15th, it was the South Carolinian who now held a one-shot lead.

But McPherson knew better than to start celebrating with the former UCLA All-American still on the course two groups behind her. True to expectation, Mayorkas -- a twotime season winner herself -- birdied the 16th to stay within a shot of McPherson, who had also added a birdie on the 16th. McPherson's second shot at the par-five 18th hole landed in the front bunker, but she hit it out cleanly to four feet and converted the birdie on the last. All McPherson could do now was to wait.

"Charlotte is a great player and you can never count her out," said McPherson, a former University of South Carolina All-American. "You just have to post birdies and see what happens."

Both McPherson and Mayorkas got through the 209-yard, par-three 17th unscathed, with Mayorkas saving par from six feet. All that was left was the short par-five closing hole. If Mayorkas scored an eagle there, they would have to play off for the title.

"Charlotte can do anything and you can't count her out," said McPherson of the Tour's second-ranked player. "That hole is like a par four for her. If she were to hole out her chip shot, it's time to go play some more."

But the 6-iron, second shot by Mayorkas went right. The best she could do was knock her approach to within 15 feet and hope for a miracle. But the miracle didn't fall into the cup for the San Diego native.

"I didn't even give myself a chance to eagle that last hole to force the playoff," said Mayorkas of Las Vegas. "More than being disappointed, I'm upset with myself because I made some stupid mistakes out there with two bogeys today. Kristy had a great day, but I didn't finish it out there."

Top-ranked Song-Hee Kim of Seoul, Korea made a late charge, getting within a shot of Mayorkas. But the four-time season winner bogeyed the 15th and 16th holes and never recovered, falling into a tie for fifth at 212 (-4). Rookie Ha-Na Chae of Seoul, also made a run at the lead in today's final round, scorching 6,336-yard, par-72 Pines course with a six-under-par score of 66. But Chae she also joined the six-way tie for fifth at 212.

With an eagle on the 18th hole, third-year player Sarah Lynn Johnston of St. Charles, Ill., carded a final-round 68 to tie for third at 210 (-6). The former Furman University All-American choked down a 7-wood from 187 yards, and then converted a 35- foot putt for eagle. It was her career-low finish that included a career-low day of 25 putts.

"I definitely do not feel like I played well enough to finish like I did," said Johnston. "I was going to take this week off because I've been so mentally frustrated."

Rookie Sophia Sheridan of Guadalajara, Mexico settled into a tie for third at 210 alongside Johnston with her final round of 69. Sheridan birdied two of her last four holes for her late charge. The former collegian at the University of California- Berkeley said she was buoyed by playing in the same pairing as McPherson.

"Kristy never missed a shot and she putted really well," said Sheridan. "It made me play better because of that. You have to go low on Sundays. Sundays are about all or nothing."

That approach certainly worked for McPherson today, as it has since she was selected as a contestant in The Golf Channel's "Big Break VI: Trump National" show. Filming for the show took place in Los Angeles during June and took McPherson off the tour during that time. While she was gone, she dropped five positions on the money list and out of the top five -- risking being awarded a 2007 LPGA Tour card that belongs to the top five players on the money list at season's end. Some of her peers questioned why a strong player like McPherson would potentially trade a top-five spot on the money list for a spot in the TV show.

"She had a pretty big hole to dig herself out of after she took the two weeks off," said fellow Tour member and good friend, Janell Howland of Boise, Idaho. "But everything happens the way it's supposed to happen. And with three tournaments left, it's still a crapshoot. Fortunately, Kristy's pretty good at craps." Moving forward, McPherson hopes things will fall into place much as her game has in recent weeks. The Big Break VI show premieres on September 26th. The top five players who automatically earn 2007 LPGA Tour cards will "graduate" from the Duramed FUTURES Tour on Sept. 10th. McPherson's jump today from 11th to fifth on the Tour's current money list is a step closer to where she hopes to be.

But then again, it's right where she said she wanted to be.

Tools of a Winner

Tournament Winner: Kristy McPherson
Tournament: Betty Puskar FUTURES Golf Classic
Driver: Callaway FT3 9.5-degree loft, Fujikura Speeder graphite shaft, stiff flex
Fairway woods: Callaway 4+ metal wood, Fujikura graphite shaft, stiff flex; Sonartec 3 hybrid (21 degree), 4 hybrid (23 degree), UST iRod graphite shafts, stiff flex
Irons: Callaway X-14, 5-iron through pitching wedge, True Temper Rifle steel shafts,stiff flex
Wedges: Cleveland 588, 51 degree, 56 degree and 60 degree, Cleveland factory steel shafts, stiff flex
Putter: YES! Golf Marilyn style mallet, 33-inch steel shaft
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Grips: Golf Pride, Iomic grips on wedges
Bag: Titleist Staff bag
Shoes: Ecco
Spikes: CHAMP
Glove: FootJoy StaSof
Eyewear: Maui Jim