THE OLD WITH THE NEW
While the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship debuts this week at Westchester Country Club in Harrison, New York, the LPGA’s second major of the season honors the tradition and history of the LPGA Championship. This PGA Championship will be operated by the PGA of America in close collaboration with the LPGA, with a purse among the highest in women’s golf at $3.5 million. The champion will receive the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Trophy and a five-year exemption into the LPGA’s other four major championships (ANA Inspiration, Ricoh Women’s British Open, US Women’s Open Conducted by the USGA, The Evian Championship).

PARK’S PLACE
Inbee Park, currently ranked #2 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, is the two-time defending champion, having won previously at Locust Hill Country Club (2013) and Monroe Country Club (2014). Six women have won this championship in consecutive seasons, but of the six, only Annika Sörenstam (2003-05) claimed three straight titles. Park can match Sörenstam’s three-peat with another title defense this week, and at the same time, reclaim the #1 ranking. “I've never done anything three times in a row before -- well, a couple majors -- (laughter) but three times like defending, three times, never done that before, so that would be very special for me,” added Park.

MORE MAJOR MOTIVATION
The Rolex ANNIKA Major Award (RAMA) is given annually to the LPGA player who performs best in the season’s major championships and therefore emulates the excellence that was commonly displayed by Hall of Famer Annika Sörenstam, for whom the honor is named. By winning last year’s inaugural RAMA, Michelle Wie remembers that even major championships, such as this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, can offer extra incentive. “Winning the RAMA award last year … being able to win the inaugural one, I felt very honored, “said Wie. “It's also a motivation to do it this year, as well. But you have to win a major to be able to even qualify for it, so it's definitely something I think about and something that's motivating me.”

WIE JOINS PGA JUNIOR LEAGUE GOLF AS NEWEST AMABASSADOR
During her pre-tournament media interview, Michelle Wie announced, in conjunction with the PGA of America, that she will serve as an ambassador for PGA Junior League Golf, which introduces kids ages 13 and under to the game in a fun, social and inclusive team-based environment. Wie, the reigning U.S. Women’s Open Champion, joins defending PGA Champion Rory McIlroy, who was named PGA Junior League Golf ambassador in 2014.

PGA Junior League Golf, which is owned and managed by the PGA of America, featured a soaring number of participants in 2014 with 17,500 boys and girls participating on 1,425 teams nationwide, a 95-percent increase from 2013. Nearly 30,000 youth are involved this year. “I love the concept of it, making it like a team sport a little bit. You'll have the LPGA and PGA professionals teaching the kids. I think it's such a fun concept. Golf can be a lonely sport and solo sport, and with kids it builds camaraderie and makes it more fun,” said Wie.

PGA Junior League Golf is similar in structure to other youth sports, where participants wear numbered jerseys and play on teams with friends. Following today’s Pro-Am, Wie surprised and mingled with local Junior League Golf teams from Westchester Country Club, Wykagyl Country Club and Eisenhower Park.

KERR AT HOME IN NEW YORK/WESTCHESTER COUNTRY CLUB
This week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is a homecoming of sorts for Cristie Kerr, who won this tournament in 2010. Kerr not only has a residence in the area, but has multiple friends that are members at Westchester County Club. She admitted she’s “thrown the rumor out there that I might join (Westchester Country Club).” Kerr’s reverence for the area, the course and its history are apparent, “being in the New York area, being in this area, which is such a golf town, you can't hope to be on a better golf course than this. I'm not just saying that because it's a little bit of a home game. I'm saying that because it is such a scenic, beautiful, tough as nails golf course that we deserve as a tour to be on. We are great players and it's great to be on a venue that has this much history to it.”

THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
Lexi Thompson, who won her first major at the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship, knows that Westchester Country Club is going to provide a stern test worthy of a KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. This is her first trip to Westchester and she said the West Course is in “in amazing shape.” She expects a long course made even longer by rains, but traditionally, her preparations approaching majors tend to focus on “the short game around the greens, especially this week.” Thompson continued, “there's a lot of run-offs on the greens and you have to practice little chip shots or even bumps, and the rough is pretty thick around the greens.”

DANCING IN THE PRO-AM
Two of Dancing With The Stars’ most renown instructors, Tony Dovolani and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, enjoyed back-to-back tee times in today’s Pro-Am. Dovolani played with Brooke Henderson, while Chmerkovskiy joined Belen Mozo’s group. Among the notables also enjoying Westchester today were Matt Lauer (NBC’s The Today Show, paired with Michelle Wie) and Muffet McGraw (Notre Dame head women’s basketball coach, paired with two-time major-winner Stacy Lewis).

Should you have any questions on-site, please see the Communications Team in the Media Center.

KPMG Women's PGA Championship Pre-tournament Notes

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