Welcome to the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola. Are you looking for a player to root for this weekend at Pumpkin Ridge?
Or just a little knowledge on who some of the players in the field? Well, here are nine names to remember.
1. | Defending Champion Ai Miyazato highlights a star-studded field. Miyazato is coming into this year's event playing some of her best golf of the season. She earned her first victory of 2011 at the Evian Masters last month, becoming the fourth player to have won multiple titles at the event, and finished tied for sixth at the U.S. Women's Open at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo. | |||||
2. | Rolex Rankings No. 1 Yani Tseng is coming off her second major victory of the season at the RICOH Women's British Open, which made her the youngest golfer in history - male or female-- to capture five major titles. | |||||
3. | Suzann Pettersen is heading into the event with a recent win on the Ladies European Tour. Pettersen ended her 20 month win draught on the LPGA Tour earlier this season at the Sybase Match Play Championship and has finishes of T4 and T2 in the previous years at Pumpkin Ridge. | |||||
4. | Cristie Kerr has a strong history at the Safeway Classic, having won the event in 2008 when it was played at Columbia Edgewater Country Club and finishing in a tie for second at the tournament last year. Her hope is that perhaps her winless drought will come to an end this week at Pumpkin Ridge. | |||||
5. | Four players are vying for one spot. Katie Futcher, Kristy McPherson and Vicky Hurst still can try to make a last-ditch effort to unseat Christina Kim from the No. 10 spot in the U.S. Solheim Cup standings. | |||||
6. | Rookie Hee Kyung Seo is running away with the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Race. Seo finished 2nd at this year's U.S. Women's Open and has another top-10 in her 12 starts. | |||||
7. | Juli Inkster will be making her 25th appearance in Portland this week and is a part of the elite class of players that have won this event. | |||||
8. | In 13 starts this season, Angela Stanford has recorded six top-10 finishes. Stanford finished T8 in the 2009 Safeway Classic. | |||||
9. | One of the sponsor's exemption went to incoming high school senior Ashlee Pickerell of Salem, Ore. who earned her spot in the tournament by winning the Safeway Classic Amateur Open on July 25th. Pickerell has already made an oral commitment to play collegiate golf at the University of the Tennesse. |