BAY HEAD, N.J. - LPGA professional and Golf Channel commentator Val Skinner has once again pulled together an elite field of LPGA Professionals for the 12th annual LIFE (LPGA Pros in the Fight to Eradicate Breast Cancer) tournament. The event will be held on Monday, June 27 at Sebonack Golf Club, host of the 2013 U.S. Women's Open, in Southampton, NY.
Players range from LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame members Nancy Lopez and Karrie Webb to some of the other top-ranked players in the world, including 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship winner Stacy Lewis; Laura Davies, former Open champion and winner of more than 70 tournaments worldwide; 2010 LPGA Rookie of the Year Azahara Munoz; and rising stars such as Morgan Pressel, Brittany Lincicome and Christina Kim.
"The women of the LPGA continue to show unbelievable support for this event and this cause," said Skinner. "We have all been impacted in some way by breast cancer and I'm proud that my fellow LPGA players want to be involved with finding a cure."
Players already committed to the 2011 event include:
Helen Alfredsson | Beth Bader | Sara Brown | Nicole Castrale |
Laura Davies | Laura Diaz | Maria Hjorth | Vicky Hurst |
Christina Kim | Brittany Lang | Stacy Lewis | Leta Lindley |
Paige Mackenzie | Kristy McPherson | Belen Mozo | Azahara Munoz |
Brittany Lincicome | Pernilla Lindberg | Nancy Lopez | Anna Nordqvist |
Morgan Pressel | Alena Sharp | Jiyai Shin | Jennifer Song |
Angela Stanford | Karen Stupples | Karrie Webb |
In addition to raising funds, the players will also be getting their first look at Sebonack Golf Club. Designed by Jack Nicklaus and Tom Doak, the course opened in 2006 and is considered to be one of the most challenging and exclusive courses in the country.
"Not only will this be a great day in the fight against breast cancer, but it will provide some interesting insight as to how this course will play for the 2013 Open," added Skinner.
Founded in 2000, LIFE is one of the largest single-day events benefiting breast cancer awareness charities. To date, Skinner and her foundation have raised nearly $7 million for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the LPGA's official national charity, and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ), a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer facility which houses the education-based LIFE Center, named after this advocacy. There are now six satellite LIFE Centers in New Jersey.
The Val Skinner Foundation has also collaborated with these organizations in creating the Young Women's Initiative, a multifaceted effort organized to target women, especially the younger population, with the breast cancer message. In addition, the Val Skinner Foundation is the founding sponsor of Komen on the Go™, an interactive mobile tour that travels to community events and universities across the U.S., conveying life-saving information about breast cancer. To date, Komen on the Go has reached an audience of 17.5 million.
Since the 1990s Skinner has been tireless in her advocacy. The impetus for her work originated with an aunt who experienced and survived breast cancer and the loss of two friends, one who was diagnosed at age 33 and left two children behind, and most notably, the misdiagnosis, struggle and death of popular 28-year-old LPGA star Heather Farr in 1993.
Val Skinner, a member of three golf Halls of Fame, played on the LPGA Tour for 21 years. The six-time winner was ranked in the top 15 in the world seven of those years. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors for her work in the fight against breast cancer. In addition to overseeing her Foundation work, Skinner competes on the Legends Tour and serves as a commentator for the Golf Channel.
For more information on the 2011 LIFE Event, beneficiaries and partners, visit www.valskinnerfoundation.org.
Breast Cancer Survivors Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jennifer Griffin and Jamie Ledezma to be honored as LIFE Heroes
SOUTHAMPTON, NY - June 20, 2011 - Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, National Security Correspondent for Fox News Channel Jennifer Griffin and California attorney Jamie Ledezma are to be honored as LIFE Heroes at the 12th annual LIFE (LPGA Pros in the Fight to Eradicate Breast Cancer) tournament hosted by LPGA veteran and Golf Channel analyst Val Skinner on Monday, June 27 at Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, NY.
Each year, Skinner recognizes and honors LIFE Heroes who have demonstrated courage in the face of breast cancer and/or purpose to fight the disease. "Debbie, Jennifer and Jamie have all shown incredible courage in their respective fights against breast cancer," said Skinner. "They have used their experiences to create awareness and encourage other women that breast cancer can be beaten."
LIFE Heroes come from all walks of life and serve as inspiration and a reminder of the needs of families that face this diagnosis, and how LIFE's funds are meeting those needs. Skinner, fellow LPGA players and partners will raise $500,000 at the 2011 LIFE event to go toward breast cancer initiatives.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz represents Florida's 20th Congressional district and also serves as the Democratic Vice Chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues. Before joining the U.S. Congress, she was first a representative and later a Senator in the Florida State Legislature. She is a passionate leader committed to improving the quality of life for children, lowering health care costs and protecting Social Security and Medicare among other issues.
In 2009, Wasserman Schultz revealed that she underwent seven surgeries related to breast cancer in 2008 while fulfilling her responsibilities as a member of the House and maintaining an aggressive campaign schedule. She went public in order to raise awareness and hopefully alert young women specifically of the prevalence of breast cancer. Wasserman Schultz is respected by her colleagues as a fighter with tenacity and passion, and is an inspiration to many.
About Jennifer Griffin
On September 28, 2009, Jennifer Griffin discovered a lump while nursing her new baby, and was soon diagnosed with stage 3 Triple Negative breast cancer. After her diagnosis, she underwent many aggressive treatments that resulted in no evidence of the disease. She is now determined to encourage others fighting the disease.
Griffin is the National Security Correspondent for Fox News Channel and has been based at the Pentagon covering military and intelligence matters since March 2007. She frequently reports from Kabul, Afghanistan and has covered events such at Operation Enduring Freedom and the ongoing Israeli/Palestinian conflict in the Middle East.
About Jamie Ledezma
On Valentine's Day 2007, 27-year-old Jamie Ledezma was diagnosed with breast cancer. She courageously fought breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy while 15 weeks pregnant. After six months of chemotherapy, she delivered a healthy baby boy before undergoing four additional rounds and a bilateral mastectomy that left her cancer-free.
Ledezma is a staff attorney at the Cancer Legal Resource Center and seizes every opportunity to educate others by sharing her experience as a young breast cancer survivor. She serves as the Public Policy Chair for the California Collaborative of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, on the Board of Directors for the Central Valley Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and as a member on the Board of Directors for Sisterhood of Survivors.
About LIFE
LPGA veteran and Golf Channel analyst Val Skinner founded LIFE (LPGA Pros in the Fight to Eradicate Breast Cancer) after the loss of her friend and fellow LPGA golfer, Heather Farr, who died of breast cancer in 1993 at the age of 28. Since 2000, LIFE has raised nearly $7 million for breast cancer research, awareness and prevention. For more information on the LIFE event or Val Skinner Foundation, visit www.valskinnerfoundation.org.