1. Schule, Susetka named to Commissioner's Advisory Council
2. LPGA Corning Classic celebrates 31st year, Lindley returns to defend
3. This week: LPGA Corning Classic, Corning Country Club, Corning, N.Y., $1,500,000, May 21-24, 2009; TV Times; GCSAA Information
4. Race for the Cup
5. Rolex Rankings move of the week
6. Pipeline to the LPGA Tour, May 17, 2009
7. Upcoming event: LPGA State Farm Classic, Panther Creek Country Club, Springfield, Ill., $1,700,000, June 4-7, 2009; TV Times
8. Oh wins Sybase Classic Presented by ShopRite
9. LPGA T&CP National Mixed Team Championship set for May 17-19
10. Twenty-eight LPGA members participate in LIFE Event
11. Oh cards first-round hole-in-one
12. Oh earns a stay at Canyon Ranch
13. Hur cards career-low 68
1. Schule, Susetka named to Commissioner's Advisory Council
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., May 18, 2009 - Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Commissioner Carolyn F. Bivens today announced Marilyn J. Schule and Bill Susetka as new members of the 2009-10 Commissioner's Advisory Council. A 25-member board comprised of individuals from the corporate, academic, political, philanthropic and cultural arenas, the Commissioner's Advisory Council convened under Bivens' tenure in September 2006. The group meets today and tomorrow in Corning, New York.
"Marilyn and Bill each bring considerable management and marketing experience to the Council," Bivens said. "As we enhance our strategic initiatives in the areas of entertainment, exposure and economic empowerment, their input will be invaluable."
Susetka joined the LPGA staff as chief marketing officer in 2007, when he re-launched the brand. He led development of the current LPGA strategic plan and oversaw many successful brand, marketing and sales initiatives. Prior to the LPGA, Susetka rose through the executive ranks starting at Clairol, Inc., ultimately serving as president of the U.S. Retail Group. With Clairol, he led the international expansion of the Herbal Essences hair care line, which grew to become the largest brand franchise in Clairol history. Following the sale of Clairol to Procter & Gamble in 2001, Susetka joined Avon as president of Global Marketing where he led worldwide marketing, advertising and R&D and served on the company's executive committee.
Susetka retired from the LPGA earlier this month. His responsibilities have been split among existing executives.
"Bill not only re-launched the LPGA brand, he revitalized it," said Bivens. "He's been a true champion for the LPGA, and we're glad that he has agreed to continue to share his vision and insight."
Schule is a former vice president and partner at A.T. Kearney, a global management consulting firm. In her 14 years with the firm, she was involved in the growth of the business from a $300 million, 12-office company to a $1 billion-plus firm with 35 offices worldwide. She was the first woman elected into the 100-partner leadership of the then-70-year-old firm.
"Marilyn's a leader and a true pioneer," Bivens said. "She'll be a great fit for the Council as we address our pressing and long-term goals."
The role of the Commissioner's Advisory Council is to provide both expertise and guidance in all aspects of the LPGA's business, while also serving as a sounding board as the LPGA continues to grow and evolve. Members also offer expert counsel and insight in their respective areas and will assist Commissioner Bivens and her staff in optimizing opportunities for the LPGA's future growth and long-term success. The concept of a Commissioner's Advisory Council was initiated by former LPGA Commissioner Charles S. Mechem, Jr. during his tenure (1991-95). Members of the Commissioners Advisory Council are invited to serve two-year terms.
Members of the 2009-10 LPGA's Commissioner's Advisory Council
- Carolyn F. Bivens, LPGA Commissioner
- Rae F. Evans, chairwoman of Commissioner's Advisory Council and president of Evans Capitol Group
- Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of The Advertising Council, Inc.
- Peter Derby, former managing executive for Operations and Management, SEC
- Nancy Dorn, vice president government relations of General Electric
- Alice Dye, golf course architect for Pete Dye, Inc.
- Evern Cooper Epps, former president of The UPS Foundation
- Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., president and CEO of the American Gaming Association
- Joie Gregor, former assistant to President George W. Bush for presidential personnel and former vice chairman at Heidrick & Struggles
- Bonnie Hill, president of B. Hill Enterprises, LLC
- Kathy Hubbard, co-founder Bridges of Understanding
- Kim Hume, former FOX News vice president and Washington Bureau Chief
- Bill Imada, chairman and CEO of IW Group, Inc.
- John Keyser, former senior executive of Johnson & Higgins
- Nancy Lopez Knight, LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame member and founder of Nancy Lopez Golf
- Herb Lotman, chairman of Keystone Foods
- Charles S. Mechem, Jr., LPGA commissioner emeritus
- Susan S. Morse, CFA and CFP of Mosaic Financial Partners
- Susan Neely, president of the American Beverage Association
- The Honorable Tom Ridge, president and CEO of Ridge Global
- Gary Smith, founder of The Sandringham Group
- Annika Sorenstam, LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame member, founder ANNIKA Academy at Ginn Reunion Resort
- Marilyn J. Schule, former senior executive at A.T. Kearney global management consulting firm
- Bill Susetka, former LPGA CMO and senior packaged goods executive
- Sheila Tate, vice chair of Powell Tate
- Mark Woodward, CEO of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
- Carol Corcoran, LPGA chief administrative officer and Commissioner Advisory Council staff liaison
2. LPGA Corning Classic celebrates 31st year, Lindley returns to defend
CORNING, N.Y. - It was Leta Lindley's 14th year and 295th start on the LPGA Tour. She'd come close twice in 1997 and 1999, but was never able to secure the win until 2008. With her two children on the 18th green, Lindley made a six-foot winning birdie putt on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff with two-time LPGA Tour winner Jeong Jang. Lindley was the 28th winner of the event in 30 years and took home a $225,000 paycheck.
This week's LPGA Corning Classic field will be as strong as ever as 28 of the top 30 on the LPGA Official Money List will compete, which also includes 17 of the top 20 in the Rolex Rankings. In nine events in 2009, the LPGA Tour has seen eight different winners, which means the prize is anyone's for the taking this week. Ji Young Oh will be competing at Corning Country Club after her second career LPGA Tour win last week at the Sybase Classic Presented by ShopRite, over Norwegian Suzann Pettersen. It was Pettersen's second runner-up finish of the season and fifth top-10 finish in six events.
In the field and leading the LPGA Official Money List is 12-time Tour winner Cristie Kerr, who has already notched a win this season as the first two-time winner at the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill. Also coming off of a strong performance last week are Paula Creamer and Michelle Wie. Creamer has yet to win in 2009, but is ninth in season earnings and owns a 70-point advantage at the top of the U.S. Solheim Cup Team points list. She recorded her third third-place finish last week, along with Wie, and is ready to tackle the 6,223-yard track in Corning, N.Y.
3. This week: LPGA Corning Classic, Corning Country Club, Corning, N.Y., $1,500,000, May 21-24, 2009; TV Times; GCSAA Information
Par: 36-36, 72
Yardage: 6,223
Format: 72-hole stroke play
Winner: $225,000
Runner-up: $137,861
Field: 147 players
Defending champion: Leta Lindley
Victory margin: Defeated Jeong Jang on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff
Media center: 607-936-4161
LPGA media contact: Mike Scanlan
● TV Times
Golf Channel
May 21-22 6:30-8:30 p.m.
May 23 6:30-9:30 p.m.
May 24 7-9:30 p.m.
All times Eastern
● GCSAA Information
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
Corning Country Club
Corning, N.Y.
GCSAA Class A Golf Course Superintendent, contact: Dennis A. Fitzwater, 607-936-3711
Course architect, date: Thomas Winton, 1919
Most recent redesign/renovation: Forse Design, 2004
Course grasses
Tees - Bentgrass; poa annua
Fairways - Bentgrass; poa annua
Greens - Bentgrass; poa annua
Rough - Kentucky bluegrass; perennial ryegrass; fescue
For more information, access GCSAA Fact Sheets at www.GCSAA.org
4. Race for the Cup
The Solheim Cup on Twitter. The 2009 Solheim Cup has launched its own Twitter page at http://twitter.com/solheim_cup. Worldwide fans of the biennial, transatlantic match-play competition can check out The Solheim Cup page for behind-the-scenes content in the months leading up to the event, which takes place at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill., Aug 17-23.
U.S. Solheim Cup race heats up. Five Americans earned valuable points toward a spot on the 2009 U.S. Solheim Cup Team last week at the Sybase Classic Presented by ShopRite. Two-time U.S. Team member Paula Creamer earned 28.5 more points toward retaining her lead on the U.S. Solheim Cup Team points list. Creamer is well on her way to securing her third appearance in the most prestigious team event in women's golf, maintaining a 70-point lead (624 points) over Cristie Kerr (524 points). LPGA Tour rookie Michelle Wie, who tied for third with Creamer in Clifton, N.J., also earned 28.5 valuable points toward a spot in the 2009 Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill. Brittany Lincicome jumped into the top-10 with her tie for sixth (181 points), while Natalie Gulbis (189 points) moved into a tie for eighth in the points race alongside Kristy McPherson after tying for 13th at the Sybase Classic Presented by ShopRite.
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:
27 days until double points are awarded at the McDonald's LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola
76 days until U.S. and European teams are announced following the RICOH Women's British Open
95 days until matches begin at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.
5. Rolex Rankings move of the week
Ji Young Oh enters the top-25 of this week's Rolex Rankings, after earning her second career LPGA victory at the Sybase Classic Presented by ShopRite. The South Korean moved up 28 spots into 25th. Oh finished at 14-under-par 274 for the four-stroke win over Suzann Pettersen.
LPGA rookie Michelle Wie, of the United States, also made a move this week, as she broke into the top-50 of the Rolex Rankings, after jumping up 16 spots into 48th. Last week, Wie finished in a tied for for third with fifth-ranked Paula Creamer, carding an 8-under-par 280. It was Wie's third top-10 finish in 2009, as she was runner-up at the season-opening SBS Open at Turtle Bay and tied for 10th at the Corona Championship.
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.
6. Pipeline to the LPGA Tour, May 17, 2009
Rookie Serramia wins on Duramed FUTURES Tour. First-year Duramed FUTURES Tour player Elisa Serramia, of Barcelona, Spain, claimed her first victory on the LPGA's Developmental tour on Sunday, in the $100,000 Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City Championship. Serramia carded a three-day 71-77-70=218 (+5) at Leawood South Country Club in Leawood, Kan., defeating Selanee Henderson, of Apple Valley, Calif., (73-69-77); Jean Reynolds, of Newnan, Ga., (72-72-75); and Yoora Kim, of South Korea (73-76-70) by one stroke.
Reynolds' $7,405 runner-up check moved her up the Duramed FUTURES Tour money list from third to first with $26,511 earned in six events. Serramia's win puts her fourth on the list - up from 29th - with $19,215 in five events this year. Players finishing in the top 10 at the end of the season will receive membership onto the 2010 LPGA Tour. Please see current standings below.
| Player | Events played | Earnings | |
| 1. | Jean Reynolds | 6 | $26,511 |
| 2. | Misun Cho | 6 | 24,124 |
| 3. | Angela Buzminski | 6 | 21,841 |
| 4. | Elisa Serramia | 5 | 19,215 |
| 5. | Mina Harigae | 6 | 18,901 |
| 6. | Allison Hanna-Williams | 2 | 18,896 |
| 7. | Alison Walshe | 6 | 17,710 |
| 8. | Christine Song | 6 | 17,436 |
| 9. | Samantha Richdale | 6 | 16,801 |
| 10. | Danah Ford | 6 | 13,373 |
Next tournament: $110,000, Ladies Titan Tire Challenge, Hunters Ridge Golf course, Marion, Iowa, June 5-7, 2009
Charity: Junior League of Cedar Rapids
For more information, log on to www.duramedfuturestour.com.
7. Upcoming event: LPGA State Farm Classic, Panther Creek Country Club, Springfield, Ill., $1,700,000, June 4-7, 2009; TV Times
Par: 36-36, 72
Yardage: 6,608
Format: 72-hole stroke play
Winner: $255,000
Runner-up: $156,242
Field: 144 players
Defending champion: Ji Young Oh
Victory margin: Defeated Yani Tseng in a one-hole, sudden-death playoff
Tournament Information: 217-787-5742
● TV Times
ESPN2
June 5 12-2 p.m.
June 6 5-7 p.m.
June 7 1-3 p.m.
NBC
June 6 3-5 p.m.
June 7 4-6 p.m.
All times Eastern
8. Oh wins Sybase Classic Presented by ShopRite
20-year-old earns second-career LPGA Tour victory
CLIFTON, N.J., May 17, 2009 - South Korean Ji Young Oh carded a 2-under-par 70 on Sunday for a four-stroke victory at the Sybase Classic Presented by ShopRite. Tied for the lead at the start of the day with Suzann Pettersen, Oh recorded four birdies and two bogies to finish the week at 14-under-par 274 (66-69-69-70), four strokes ahead of Pettersen. Oh banks $300,000 for the victory - her second in as many years.
"From the first day when I made a hole‑in‑one, I knew that the trophy was waiting for me and I needed to do everything that I had in my power to win this tournament," said Oh, who aced the par-3 eighth hole during Thursday's first round. "I really wanted it badly and there was no way I wasn't going to get it."
Oh was the only player in the top five at the start of the day to shoot under par. She was tied with Pettersen after 10 holes, but the Norwegian carded bogies on 12, 17 - where she missed a two-and-a-half foot par putt—and 18 to finish alone in second at 10-under-par 278 (65-70-69-74).
"(Ji Young) put herself in position, makes very few mistakes and putts it great," Pettersen said. "She has a great short game. She had some great up‑and‑downs today and that's what you need around here."
With the victory, Oh crossed the $1 million mark in career earnings ($1,212,367) and jumped to eighth on the 2009 LPGA Official Money List with more than $380,000.
Three-time Tour winner Brittany Lincicome - who started the final round one-stroke behind Oh and Pettersen - dropped to a tie for sixth after a 5-over-par 77 (64-69-72-77=282, -6), while fellow Americans Michelle Wie and Paula Creamer carded identical round-by-round scores of 70-69-68-73 to tie for third at 8-under-par 280. Wie was within reach of the lead at the turn, but a double bogey on the par-4, 12th hole knocked her out of the running.
9. LPGA T&CP National Mixed Team Championship set for May 17-19. The LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals (T&CP) hosts the National Mixed Team Championship this week at the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The two-day competition starts today (May 18), played on The Haig course, with four-ball, stroke play format. Tuesday's second round will be contested on The Champion course in an alternate shot format. A pro-am on Sunday kicked-off the event.
The 2009 LPGA T&CP National Mixed Team Championship features 62 two-person teams comprised of one LPGA member and one PGA member. LPGA member Troy Beck (Northeast section) and PGA member Robert Dolan won the event in 2008. Results will be available on LPGA.com.
10. Twenty-eight LPGA members participate in LIFE Event. The Val Skinner Foundation's 10th annual LIFE Event (LPGA Pros In the Fight to Eradicate breast cancer) began today at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J. Twenty-eight of the LPGA's top players, including Morgan Pressel and Christina Kim - who have already been updating their Twitter sites about the day - are participating in what is considered to be the biggest single-day golf event fundraiser for breast cancer initiatives. In 10 years, LIFE has raised more than $5.1 million toward the fight against breast cancer, benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ). LIFE funds have been used to establish programs such as BioCONECT, the Komen On the Go™ Tour and other cancer education, research and prevention programs.
Visit LPGA.com or www.twitter.com/lpga for updates on the event and a complete listing of participants.
11. Oh cards first-round hole-in-one. The 2009 Sybase Classic Presented by ShopRite champion Ji Young Oh carded her first LPGA career hole-in-one during the first round on Thursday. The 20-year-old used a 7-iron from 140 yards on the par-3 eighth hole to record the ace - the sixth on Tour this season.
12. Oh earns a stay at Canyon Ranch. With her victory at the Sybase Classic Presented by ShopRite, Ji Young Oh earned an all-inclusive stay for two at a Canyon Ranch resort. In a combined effort to promote health and overall well-being among Tour players, Canyon Ranch will provide every winner of an LPGA event with one all-inclusive stay at one of Canyon Ranch's two destination resorts.
13. Hur cards career-low 68. LPGA Tour rookie M.J. Hur carded a final-round 4-under-par 68 to earn low rookie honors at the Sybase Classic Presented by ShopRite. Hur's four-day total of 3-under-par 285 (74-71-72-68) was good for a tie for 13th and a career-best $29,528 payout. Hur's career-best finish came as a non-member at the 2006 KOLON-Hana Bank Championship, where she tied for sixth.
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