1. Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger celebrates 25 years on LPGA Tour
2. This week: Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger, Highland Meadows Golf Club, Sylvania, Ohio, $1,400,000, July 2-5, 2009; TV Times; GCSAA Course Information; Collegiate ties to Ohio
3. Next week: U.S. Women's Open, Saucon Valley Country Club, The Old Course, Bethlehem, Pa., $3,250,000, July 9-12, 2009; TV Times; GCSAA Course Information
4. Pipeline to the LPGA Tour
5. Race for the Cup
6. Rolex Rankings move of the week
7. Rookie Shin wins 2009 Wegmans LPGA
8. McPherson, Tseng share runner-up finish at Wegmans LPGA
9. Rookies dominate top-10 on final leaderboard
10. South Korean duo cross money milestones at Wegmans LPGA
11. Wigger supports Blessings in a Backpack
12. Choi, Mayorkas sign on as LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Tour captains
13. Sorenstam part of Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame exhibit
1. Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger celebrates 25 years on LPGA Tour
Paula 'Pink Panther' Creamer will fight to be second back-to-back winner after Pak
SYLVANIA, Ohio - One of the LPGA's rising stars in Paula Creamer made one of the Tour's longest-running events her eighth LPGA career victory last year after a career-low 62 in the opening round gave her the momentum to win the 2008 Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger. Creamer - looking to overcome an injury that forced her out of competition last week - plays best when she is not feeling well and is sure to be a contender for the title at the 25th Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger and the $210,000 winner's check.
In the event's 25-year history, there have been 18 different champions, but only one has won back-to-back: LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Famer Se Ri Pak. Of Pak's 24 career LPGA victories, five have been at Highland Meadows Golf Club (1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2007). She is currently tied with Annika Sorenstam (Mizuno Classic, Samsung World Championship) and Mickey Wright (Sea Island Open) as the only players in LPGA history to win the same event five times. A win this week would be historic as she could be the only player to win the same event six times - and it would be her 25th career LPGA victory on the tournament's 25th anniversary.
Although one of South Korea's next protégé's - Jiyai Shin - has the potential to be the next winner. After her win last week at the Wegmans LPGA - her second of the year and fifth on the LPGA Tour - the rookie has now crossed $1 million in season and official career LPGA earnings, leads the LPGA Official Money List, Rolex Player of the Year race and Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race. Shin is on track to become the only player since Nancy Lopez in 1978 to win both Rolex Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season.
Boosting the purse to $1.4 million this season, as well as owning a position on the LPGA Tour schedule the week before the season's third major championship - the U.S. Women's Open - means this week's field will be one of the strongest of the season with only 14th-ranked Karrie Webb absent from the top-20 on the LPGA Official Money List. Adding to the excitement is the fact that the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger will once again serve as the U.S.-based qualifier for the RICOH Women's British Open. LPGA members who have registered for the final major championship of the year, but are not already in the field, will have a chance to play for a berth. The top-five players after 36 holes not already qualified will earn entry into the 2009 RICOH Women's British Open July 30 to Aug. 2.
Finally, after making her LPGA Tour professional debut last week with a tie for 32nd, Duke University's Amanda Blumenherst will compete this week. Blumenherst carded rounds of 70-71-79-66 for a 2-under-par 286 cumulative performance. She has also competed in two events on the Duramed FUTURES Tour this season with a season-best tie for eighth at The Duramed Championship in Mason, Ohio - just three hours south of Highland Meadows Golf Club.
2. This week: Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger, Highland Meadows Golf Club, Sylvania, Ohio, $1,400,000, July 2-5, 2009; TV Times; GCSAA Course Information; Collegiate ties to Ohio
Par: 34-37, 71
Yardage: 6,428
Format: 72-hole stroke play
Winner: $210,000
Runner-up: $128,670
Defending champion: Paula Creamer
Victory margin: Defeated Nicole Castrale by two strokes
Media center: 419-372-7000
LPGA media contact: Jason Taylor
● TV Times
ESPN2
July 3 4-6 p.m.
July 4 3-5 p.m.
July 5 4-6 p.m.
All times Eastern
● GCSAA Information
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
Highland Meadows Golf Club
Sylvania, Ohio
GCSAA Golf Course Superintendent: Daniel K. Salois, 419-882-6492
Course architect, date: Harold Weber, 1925
Course grasses
Tees - Bentgrass; poa annua
Fairways - Bentgrass; poa annua
Greens - Bentgrass; poa annua
Rough - Bentgrass, Kentucky bluegrass; perennial ryegrass
For more information, access GCSAA Fact Sheets at http://www.gcsaa.org/news/TournamentFactSheets.aspx
● Collegiate Ties to Ohio
The following players competing in this week's Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger have collegiate ties to Ohio.
The Ohio State University
Mollie Fankhauser (2003, History)
Allison Hanna-Williams (2004, Finance)
Meg Mallon
Lisa Strom (2000, Exercise Science)
3. Next week: U.S. Women's Open, Saucon Valley Country Club, The Old Course, Bethlehem, Pa., $3,250,000, July 9-12, 2009; TV Times; GCSAA Course Information
Par: 36-35, 71
Yardage: 6,740
Format: 72-hole stroke play
Winner: $585,000
Runner-up: $350,000
Defending champion: Inbee Park
Victory margin: Defeated Helen Alfredsson by four strokes
Tournament information: 610-814-6104
● TV Times
ESPN2
July 8 3:30-4:30 p.m. (preview)
ESPN
July 9-10 2-6 p.m.
NBC
July 11-12 3-6 p.m.
All times Eastern
● GCSAA Information
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
Saucon Valley Country Club, The Old Course
Bethlehem, Pa.
GCSAA Class A Director of Golf Courses and Grounds: James T. Roney, Jr., 610-758-7145
Course architect, date: Herbert Strong, 1922
Most recent redesign/renovation: Tom Marzolf, 2008
Course grasses
Tees - Bentgrass; poa annua
Fairways - Bentgrass; poa annua
Greens - Bentgrass
Rough - Kentucky bluegrass; perennial ryegrass
For more information, access GCSAA Fact Sheets at http://www.gcsaa.org/news/TournamentFactSheets.aspx
4. Pipeline to the LPGA Tour, June 28, 2009
Reynolds nabs second win of season. With 10 events under her belt, Jean Reynolds added another notch to the win column on Sunday after overcoming windy conditions at the Horseshoe Casino Classic at Lost Marsh Golf Course. It is her second win on the Duramed FUTURES Tour this season. Her 3-under-par 213 (69-71-73) was good enough for the $14,000 first-place check - just barely edging out second-round leader Misun Cho (70-65-79) and LPGA Tour rookie Pornanong Phatlum (71-70-73) at 2-under-par 214.
Reynolds also took over the top spot on the Duramed FUTURES Tour money list. The players finishing in the top 10 on the final 2009 Duramed FUTURES Tour money list will receive membership onto the 2010 LPGA Tour. Please see current standings below.
Rank |
Player | Events played |
Earnings |
1. |
Jean Reynolds | 10 |
$63,650 |
2. |
Mina Harigae | 10 |
57,460 |
3. |
Misun Cho | 10 |
46,949 |
4. |
Samantha Richdale | 10 |
30,819 |
5. |
Angela Buzminski | 10 |
27,260 |
6. |
Christine Song | 10 |
25,227 |
7. |
Whitney Wade | 10 |
23,719 |
8. |
Alison Walshe | 10 |
22,994 |
9. |
Danah Ford | 10 |
21,477 |
10. |
Elisa Serramia | 8 |
20,907 |
Next tournament: $100,000, The New England Golf Classic, Wintonbury Hills Golf Course, Bloomfield, Conn., July 17-19, 2009
Charity: Chip In For A Cure
For more information, log on to www.duramedfuturestour.com.
5. Race for the Cup
McPherson improves Solheim Cup standing. With her tie for second at the Wegmans LPGA, Kristy McPherson earned 30 points and jumped from seventh to sixth place in the 2009 U.S. Solheim Cup Team points standings. McPherson has now accumulated 276 points in the race for the U.S. Solheim Cup team - just two points behind 2007 U.S. Team member Nicole Castrale. Last week, McPherson (67-69-76-66) overcame a 4-over-par 76 in the third round to record her second runner-up finish of the year at 10-under-par 278, seven strokes behind champion Jiyai Shin. McPherson is in the running for her first-ever Solheim Cup appearance, which will be hosted Aug. 21-23 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill. Paula Creamer continues to lead the points race by nearly 96 points over Cristie Kerr (696.00 to 600.50).
The Solheim Cup is a biennial, trans-Atlantic team match-play competition featuring the best U.S.-born players from the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour and the best European members from the Ladies European Tour (LET). The U.S. Team leads the competition, 7-3, and has never lost The Solheim Cup on home soil.
Tickets are on-sale for the biennial event with options including the Weekly Grounds ticket, the PING Pavilion ticket and the Solheim After Sundown ticket. For tickets and more information about the 2009 Solheim Cup, as well as lodging options in the Sugar Grove, Ill. area, log on to www.SolheimCup.com.
2009 Solheim Cup countdown:
34 days until U.S. and European teams are announced following the RICOH Women's British Open; and
53 days until matches begin at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.
6. Rolex Rankings move of the week
Shin moves up, McPherson breaks top-15. With her victory at the Wegmans LPGA, LPGA Tour rookie and two-time season winner Jiyai Shin is now the third-ranked player on the Rolex Rankings, the only system in women's professional golf that ranks the top golfers in the world based on their performance over the past two years in sanctioned professional events. Shin is in line behind Mexico's Lorena Ochoa and 2008 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Yani Tseng, who tied for second at the LPGA event last week. Also in the runner-up position with Tseng at the Wegmans LPGA was American Kristy McPherson. Her performance pushed her up eight positions to 15th in the Rolex Rankings.
The Rolex Rankings are sanctioned by the five major women's professional golf tours: the LPGA; Ladies European Tour (LET); Ladies Professional Golfers' Association of Japan (LPGA of Japan); Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA); Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG); as well as the Ladies Golf Union (LGU), which administers the RICOH Women's British Open. The Rolex Rankings are the only women's world rankings that incorporate player performances from the five major tours and the Duramed FUTURES Tour, the official developmental tour of the LPGA.
7. Rookie Shin wins 2009 Wegmans LPGA
Crosses $1 million mark in career earnings
PITTSFORD, N.Y., June 28, 2009 - Jiyai Shin is the champion once again, this time at the 33rd Wegmans LPGA at Locust Hill Country Club. The 2009 LPGA Tour rookie turned in a 1-under-par 71 in the final round, which was enough to take the win with an overall mark of 17-under-par 271 (65-68-67-71), seven strokes ahead of American Kristy McPherson (67-69-76-66) and Taiwan's Yani Tseng (73-69-70-66), who both finished at 10-under-par 278. The seven-stroke margin of victory is the largest on the LPGA Tour this year.
"I am happy. The first hole, I made a birdie," said Shin, who crossed the $1 million mark in season and official career earnings with her $300,000 payday. "That birdie changed my feeling, confidence, so I enjoyed it. Today was a good day, a lot of rain. I think rain helped me because it gave me chance, but yes, I think it was good for me."
In a week that was plagued by rainy skies and inclement weather delays, Shin stayed tough and determined throughout, which turned out to be enough for the second official victory of her rookie year. The payout also pushes Shin across the $1 million mark in career earnings ($1,001,139), and she takes over the top spot on the LPGA Official Money List - surpassing American Cristie Kerr, who is second on the list with $840,907 this season. While earning the top-spot on the LPGA Official Money List is an accomplishment, Shin has another goal in mind.
"Still my goal is Rookie of the Year. Yes, I am number one on the money list now, but I have a lot of tournaments yet," said Shin, who leads the race for the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award by 405 points over Michelle Wie (798 to 393). "My goal is still Rookie of the Year."
Back in the opening round on Thursday, Shin put together an impressive bogey-free 7-under-par 65, which put her one stroke off the first-round leader, Sandra Gal (64-73-69-75) after her career-low 8-under-par 64. Then on Friday, in between two different severe weather delays, Shin took over the top spot of the leaderboard after turning in a 4-under-par 68, giving her a two-day total of 11-under-par 133. That score also set a new 36-hole tournament record, and gave her a one-stroke advantage heading into the weekend - from which, the South Korean star never looked back.
"This course has a lot of trees, so important to save the fairway," said Shin, who hit all 14 fairways during the third round and never fewer than 11 throughout the tournament. "This week I hit very good with my driver. And then my putting was good too. On Tuesday practice day, I practiced putting for maybe four, five hours. It worked this week for me."
Shin has now won five LPGA Tour tournaments, with two of them coming this year as official victories. One year ago as a non-member, Shin set a LPGA record for most wins by a non-member with three, including the RICOH Women's British Open (a major championship), Mizuno Classic, and the season-ending ADT Championship, where she took home the $1 million first-place prize.
8. McPherson, Tseng share runner-up finish at Wegmans LPGA
Three-year LPGA Tour member Kristy McPherson (67-69-76-66) and 2008 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Yani Tseng (73-69-70-66) turned in identical 6-under-par 66s in the final round of the Wegmans LPGA to finish at 10-under-par 278. McPherson carded her second eagle of the year on the 361-yard, par-4, 12th hole using a pitching wedge from 125 yards. It was the second of four consecutive sub-pars on her back nine. The 2003 University of South Carolina graduate now has three top-five finishes this season: tie for fifth at the McDonald's LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola, and runner-up at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and Wegmans LPGA.
Tseng, a 20-year-old player out of Taiwan, recorded her best finish since winning the LPGA Corning Classic in May. Tseng owns four additional top-five finishes this season: Corona Championship (T5), J Golf Phoenix LPGA International Presented by Mirassou Winery (T4), MasterCard Classic Honoring Alejo Peralta Presented by Nextel (T2), and the SBS Open at Turtle Bay (T5).
9. Rookies dominate top-10 on final leaderboard
The final leaderboard at the Wegmans LPGA, featured six 2009 LPGA Tour rookies finished in the top-10. In addition to champion Jiyai Shin (65-68-67-71=271, -17), Haeji Kang (68-75-65-71), Stacy Lewis (68-67-70-74) and Mika Miyazato (69-72-67-71) tied for fourth at 9-under-par 279. Second-ranked rookie Michelle Wie (69-68-75-75-69) and Mindy Kim, of California, (69-68-71-73) finished in a five-way tie for 10th at 7-under-par 281.
10. South Korean duo cross money milestones at Wegmans LPGA
In addition to Wegmans LPGA champion Jiyai Shin crossing the $1 million mark in career and season earnings with her win and $300,000 first-place check, third-year LPGA Tour member In-Kyung Kim crossed the $2 million mark in career earnings at the Wegmans LPGA, and now has $2,002,333 to her credit after a tie for 10th at 7-under-par 281 (71-71-68-71).
11. Wigger supports Blessings in a Backpack
LPGA Tour member Leah Wigger, of Kentucky, has formalized an endorsement relationship with Blessings in a Backpack - a program designed to feed children grades K-5 in Title 1 public schools who qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Meal Program and may not have any or enough food on the weekends. Wigger will now have the Blessings in a Backpack logo on her golf bag and visit schools in markets where a Blessings in a Backpack school is located. Other spokespersons for the organization (www.blessingsinabackpack.com) are actress Hilary Duff and singer Sammy Hagar.
12. Choi, Mayorkas sign on as LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Tour captains
Duramed FUTURES Tour member Susan Choi and three-year LPGA Tour member Charlotte Mayorkas are the latest to commit time to be Tour Captains for national LPGA-USGA Girls Golf (Girls Golf) programs. Choi will be the Tour Captain for the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf of Greater Boston (Mass.) chapter (Pat Shelton, site director), while Mayorkas will be the Tour captain for the San Diego (Calif.) chapter (Jacqui McSorley, site director).
Started in 1996, the LPGA Tour Captains program links a LPGA or Duramed FUTURES Tour professional with a LPGA-USGA Girls Golf club to serve as a role model for Girls Golf members, who follow their captain's career throughout the season. The Tour Captain will also participate in at least one event at their Girls Golf club site. Girls Golf celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2009.
13. Sorenstam part of Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame exhibit
Starting June 30, the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame will unveil a museum-quality exhibit featuring classic photos and memorabilia from a variety of golf's legends, including 72-time LPGA winner Annika Sorenstam, as well as Jim Colbert, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. More information will be available at www.lasvegasgolfhof.com.