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1. Ochoa wins Vare Trophy, records fourth-best scoring average in LPGA history

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Nov. 19, 2006 – Lorena Ochoa accomplished another first.

The six-time LPGA Tour winner this year outdistanced the competition to win her first career Vare Trophy, the LPGA's award for the lowest scoring average.

Ochoa, who also won her first Rolex Player of the Year award and ended the year ranked first on the ADT Official Money List, finished the season with a 69.2360 average, which is the fourth-best scoring average in the history of the Tour. It is also the lowest scoring average for a player not named Annika Sorenstam.

Ochoa bested Sorenstam by .5849 strokes, as the Swede finished with a 69.8209 average. Sorenstam, who set an LPGA record in 2004 with a 68.6970 scoring average, is a six-time Vare Trophy winner and won the award last year.

“It has been a great season,” said Ochoa, who crossed $6 million in career earnings at the ADT Championship. “Just to win the Vare Trophy, the Rolex Player of the Year award and the ADT Official Money List title has been a dream season. I try to play aggressive and make a lot of birdies. It has been a very consistent year for me, just trying to focus on being under 70 each round. That is my goal and the scores just came down.”

Came down they did. Ochoa consistently posted low scores throughout the season. The 25-year-old shot 20 rounds this year at 66 or better and did not have a favorite course, either, as those scores came at 16 different events this year. Ochoa carded 46 of 89 rounds in the 60s—second-most in the history of the Tour—and 62 of 89 rounds under par, which ranked first and fourth on Tour, respectively.

Part of the reason Ochoa earned her first Vare Trophy is that she led the Tour in greens per regulation at a 75.5 conversion rate. She also made more birdies (395) and eagles (15) than anyone else and averaged 1.75 putts per green in regulation, which tied for second-best on the Tour.

A little bit of luck never hurts either. Ochoa recorded only the 26th double-eagle in LPGA history during a final-round charge at the Evian Masters.

Ochoa turned in one of the most prolific seasons in LPGA history. She won six events and added an additional six runner-ups and two third-place finishes. She finished the season with 20 top-10 finishes in 25 starts. Her worst finish was a tie for 42nd at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

She also became the first player in LPGA history other than Sorenstam to exceed the $2 million mark in season earnings, and was later joined by Karrie Webb after her win at the Mizuno Classic. The $2,592,872 Ochoa earned this year represents the second-highest amount won by any player in a single season. Sorenstam earned $2,863,904 in 2002.

Ochoa, who owns nine LPGA titles, is the first player from Mexico to win the Vare Trophy and is the 12th consecutive international player to win the award. Beth Daniel, 1994, was the last U.S.-born player to claim the honor.

This is the first time Ochoa has ended the year with a sub-70 average. Her previous best was a 70.02 average when she carded 18 top-10 finishes during the 2004 season. Only four other players—Sorenstam (six times), Se Ri Pak (twice), Grace Park and Karrie Webb—have finished a season with an average below 70.

It's official, Ochoa wins Rolex Player of the Year. Lorena Ochoa had already secured her first Rolex Player of the Year award before the ADT Championship, but her final margin of victory was not determined until yesterday. Ochoa carried an insurmountable 69-point advantage into the ADT Championship and then earned 24 points with her second-place finish last week. She ended the year with 337 points, which was 75 points more than Karrie Webb accrued this year. Webb finished third at the ADT Championship.

2. Stage is set for LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament; 59 Tour pros, five amateurs in field of 139

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—A field of 139 players will tee it up next week at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament on both the Legends Course and Champions Course at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla. Players will compete Nov. 29-Dec. 3 to earn exempt cards on the 2007 LPGA Tour.

Two LPGA Sectional Qualifying Tournaments—one in Rancho Mirage, Calif., and the other in Venice, Fla.—have been held to help determine the field for the Final LPGA Qualifying Tournament. The top-30 finishers and ties from each LPGA Sectional Qualifying Tournament advanced to the final stage and join 59 current LPGA Tour members who are trying to improve or retain their playing status for 2007. The field is completed by the eligible players who finished sixth through 15th on the final 2006 Duramed Futures Tour money list. The top-five finishers on the Duramed Futures Tour money list automatically received their exempt card for 2007. Those players who earned their LPGA Tour exempt cards through the Duramed Futures Tour include: Song-Hee Kim, Charlotte Mayorkas, In-Bee Park, Kristy McPherson and Meaghan Francella.

Consistent with the LPGA's history as being a true World Tour, the 139-player field features 54 international players from 21 countries outside the United States, as well as one player from Puerto Rico. South Korea is represented by the most international players with 16, followed by Canada (7), Sweden (5), Australia (4), England (2), France (2), Mexico (2), Scotland (2) and Taiwan (2). The remaining countries are Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, India, Ireland, Paraguay, South Africa, Spain, Thailand and Venezuela with one player each.

There is no shortage of homegrown talent either. Twenty-nine states are represented in the final qualifying tournament, with California leading the way with 17 entrants, followed by Florida with 13. Texas has five representatives, while Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Ohio each has four. Minnesota, New York and Illinois each have three players in the field.

Highlighting the field this year are Liz Janangelo, Paige Mackenize and Jane Park. Janangelo earned National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) Player of the Year honors as a member of the Duke University women's golf team. Mackenzie, the 2006 Pac-10 champion, tied for 13th as an amateur at the 2005 U.S. Women's Open and also tied for 23rd this year at the Wendy's Championship for Children. Nineteen-year-old Park tied for 10th place at the 2006 U.S. Women's Open and was also the 2004 Women's Amateur Champion.

The field will be cut to the low 70 players and ties after 72 holes, with the remaining players contesting the final round on the Legends Course. After 90 holes, a sudden-death playoff will be held to determine who gets the final exempt card in the event of a tie.

All media interested in covering the upcoming LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla., should contact Pam Warner in the LPGA Communications Department at 386-274-6200 or at pam.warner@lpga.com.

Beth Allen, San Diego, Calif
Kim Augusta, Rumford, R.I.
Katie Bakken, Minneapolis, Minn.
Jean Bartholomew, Garden City, N.Y.
Krista Bartlett, Mesa, Ariz.
Emily Bastel, Upper Sandusky, N.Y.
Tara Bateman, Phoenix, Ariz.
Taya Battistella, Bend, Ore.
Beth Bauer, Tampa, Fla.
Patricia Baxter-Johnson, Lake Worth, Fla.
Jackie Beers, Duluth, Ga.
Isabelle Beisiegel, St. Hilaire, Canada
Erica Blasberg, Corona, Calif.
Caroline Blaylock, Cedartown, Ga.
Minea Blomqvist, Espoo, Finland
Kim Brozer, Red Deer, Canada
Ashli Bunch, Morristown, Tenn.
Audra Burks, Altamonte Springs, Fla.
Angela Buzminski, Oshawa, Canada
Kelly Cap, Boardman, Ohio
Kelly Cavanaugh, Palos Verdes, Calif.
Ha-Na Chae, Seoul, South Korea
Kuan-Pei Chen, Taipei, Taiwan
Clarissa Childs, Columbia, S.C.
Aram Cho, Kang Won Do, South Korea
Irene Cho, Fullerton, Calif.
Jeanne Cho, Altamonte Springs, Fla.
Hye Jung Choi, Seoul, South Korea
Jo Clingan, Gloucester, England
Rebecca Coakley, Carlow, Ireland
Jenna Daniels, Athens, Ga.
Annette DeLuca, Tequesta, Fla.
Danielle Downey, Spencerport, N.Y.
Meredith Duncan, Shreveport, La.
Cecilia Ekelundh, Solvesborg, Sweden
Courtney Erdman, Altadena, Calif.
Mollie Fankhauser, Columbus, Ohio
Lisa Fernandes, Raleigh, N.C.
Lisa Ferrero, Lodi, Calif.
Allison Fouch, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Adrienne Gautreaux, Mabank, Texas
Sophie Giquel, Lyon, France
Jennifer Gleason, Clearwater, Fla.
Kate Golden, Jasper, Texas
Ashley Gomes, Pleasanton, Calif.
Kimberly Hall, San Antonio, Texas
Nancy Harvey, Swift Current, Canada
Samantha Head, Ascot England
Angie Hill, Canton, Ohio
Ashley Hoagland, Palmetto, Fla.
Janell Howland, Boise, Idaho
Sarah Huarte, Shingle Springs, Calif.
Katherine Hull, Sunrise Beach, Australia
Kitty Hwang, Guayaquil, Ecuador
Kathryn Imrie, Dundee, Scotland
Diane Irvin, Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Linda Ishii, Los Angeles, Calif.
Brandi Jackson, Greenville, S.C.
Liz Janangelo, West Hartford, Conn.
Jimin Jeong, Gyeonggi, South Korea
Nicole Jeray, Berwyn, Ill.
Angela Jerman, Columbus, Ga.
Eun-Hee Ji, Gapyeong-gun, South Korea
Sarah Lynn Johnston, St. Charles, Ill.
Cathy Johnston-Forbes, Kitty Hawk, N.C.
Nicole KellerHillsboro, Ore.
Sarah-Jane Kenyon, Caloundra, Australia
Hae-Jung Kim, South Korea
Hana Kim, Los Angeles, Calif.
(a) I.K. Kim, Seoul, South Korea
Su A Kim, Seoul, South Korea
Kelly Lagedrost, Brooksville, Fla.
Vikki Laing, Musselburgh, Scotland
Seo-Jae Lee, Seoul, South Korea
Hwanhee Lee, Seoul, South Korea
Na Ri Lee, Seoul, South Korea
Yeon Joo Lee, Seoul, South Korea
Kris Lindstrom, Richfield, Minn.
(a) Carolina Llano, Medellin, Colombia
Stephanie Louden, Las Vegas, Nev.
Marilyn Lovander, Gainesville, Fla.
Teresa Lu, Taipei, Taiwan
Becky Lucidi, Poway, Calif.
Bernadette Luse, Orlando, Fla.
Paige MacKenzie, Yakima, Wash.
Paula Marti, Barcelona, Spain
Sarah Martin, Grosse Isle, Mich.
Maru Martinez, Caracas, Venezuela
Amanda McCurdy, Fayetteville, Ark.
Sasha Medina, Ponce, Puerto Rico
Smriti Mehra, Calcutta, India
Lisa Meldrum, Montreal, Canada
Tina Miller, Miami, Fla.
(a) Adrienne Millican, Fuquay Varina, N.C.
Joanne Mills, Sydney, Australia
Na On Min, Seoul, South Korea
Shayna Miyajima, Maui, Hawaii
Hyun-Hee Moon, Suwon-si, South Korea
Marianne Morris, Middletown, Ohio
Salimah Mussani, Burlington, Canada
Gwladys Nocera, Anglet, France
(a) Ji-Young Oh, Seoul, South Korea
Lee-Anne Pace, Mosselbay, South Africa
Jin Young Pak, Seoul, South Korea
Angela Park, Torrance, Calif.
Jane Park, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Cindy Pasechnik, Calgary, Canada
Jana Peterkova, Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
Ashley Prange, Noblesville, Ind.
Diana Ramage, Auburn, Ala.
Anna Rawson, Adelaide, Australia
Jessica Reese-Quayle, Santa Rosa, Calif.
(a) Violeta Retamoza, Aquascalientes, Mexico
Angie Rizzo, Coon Rapids, Minn.
Kristen Samp, Moberly, Mo.
Sophia Sheridan, Guadalajara, Mexico
Michelle Simpson, New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
Libby Smith, Essex Junction, Vt.
Naree Song, Seoul, South Korea
Charlotta Sorenstam, Stockholm, Sweden
Nontaya Srisawang, Chiang Mia, Thailand
Louise Stahle, Lund, Sweden
Kris Tamulis, Lapeer, Mich.
Celeste Troche, Asuncion, Paraguay
Kristina Tucker, Stockholm, Sweden
Natalie Tucker, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Brooke Tull, Georgetown, Texas
Julie Tvede, Copenhagen, Denmark
D'Rae Ward, Weatherford, Texas
Meredith Ward, Crystal Lake Ill.
Kim Welch, Sacramento, Calif.
Linda Wessberg, Gothenburg, Sweden
LeAnna Wicks, Brighton, Mich.
Maggie Will, Whiteville, N.C.
Caryn Wilson, Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Carri Wood, Cape Cod, Mass.
May Wood, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Minny Yeo, San Diego, Calif.
Annie Young, Highland, Utah

3. 2006 a year to remember for LPGA Tour, players, fans;
Ochoa has breakout season, earns first Rolex Player of the Year, Vare Trophy honors

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The 2006 season brought about many “firsts” for the LPGA. Golf's first-ever playoff system – the LPGA Playoffs 2006 – revolutionized the season format and delivered excitement and drama at every event. Players worked throughout the year to qualify for the season-ending ADT Championship, the culmination of the LPGA Playoffs 2006, with rookie Julieta Granada winning the event and a record $1 million paycheck, the largest paycheck in the history of women's golf.

In February, the five major women's professional golf tours – LPGA, Ladies European Tour (LET), Ladies Professional Golfers' Association of Japan (JLPGA), Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA), Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG) – and the Ladies' Golf Union (LGU) jointly unveiled the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings, the first official rankings system for women's golf.

On the golf course, competition was as fierce as ever. Annika Sorenstam's dominance of the LPGA Tour was challenged by a variety of veterans and rising stars, although Sorenstam kept her name near the top of most lists thanks in no small part to her U.S. Women's Open victory over Pat Hurst in an 18-hole playoff. Also, who could forget Sorenstam's final-round 62 for a come-from-behind win at the State Farm Classic, where she also clinched the State Farm LPGA Series $250,000 bonus pool.

Lorena Ochoa proved that she could be the heir to Sorenstam's throne with six wins this season to receive her first Rolex Player of the Year and Vare Trophy honors, earning more than $2 million this season for the 2006 ADT Official Money List title. The 25-year-old Mexican star recorded 20 top-10 finishes this season, which included six runner-up finishes. She recorded 46 of her 89 (.517) rounds in the 60s, carding scores of 66 and lower 20 times.

Karrie Webb mounted a comeback, although it's difficult to say she was ever in much of a slump, kick-started by an amazing hole-out for eagle at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first of five wins in 2006. The win inspired Se Ri Pak, who won the McDonald's LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Coca in a playoff with Webb, thanks to a hybrid 4-iron from 201 yards that rolled to within inches. Veteran Sherri Steinhauer capped off the major championship season with a win at the Weetabix Women's British Open, her third at that event but her first since it was designated a major. Cristie Kerr continued to impress as the most successful American player in the past three seasons, adding three more victories and contending in nearly every event in which she played. Inspired by a “Lucky Quarter,” she overcame an eight-stroke deficit in the final round to win the CN Canadian Women's Open. Later in the year, she shot a 61, the Tour's season-low score, in the second round of the John Q. Hammons Hotel Classic presented by SemGroup to earn her third win of the season.

Ochoa began the season tying for second place at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay, the season opener. Signs of her breakout year came during the first round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship, where she tied the lowest score in a major with an opening-round 62. Ochoa lost that week in a playoff to Webb, but came back to win her next event, the LPGA Takefuji Classic. From there, Ochoa tied for second place in her next three events before notching her second victory of the season at the rain-shortened Sybase Classic Presented by Lincoln Mercury.

Her next victory came at the Wendy's Championship for Children, as she carded all four rounds in the 60s, but it was the next three victories that were the most meaningful to Ochoa. She traveled home to Mexico in October and won her first LPGA Tour event on her home turf, when she won the Corona Morelia Championship. She followed that win up with a come-from-behind victory over Rolex Rankings No. 1 Sorenstam at the Samsung World Championship. Ochoa's final win of the 2006 season came in Mobile, Ala., two weeks ago where she recorded an amazing 10-shot victory to clinch her first Rolex Player of the Year honors.

The 2006 season was also a time for five Rolex First-Time winners to shine with their first career victories. Granada took home the largest check in LPGA history at the ADT Championship, while Brittany Lincicome notched her first career victory at the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship where she took home a $500,000 paycheck. Rookie Seon-Hwa Lee also had a breakout season, as she won the ShopRite LPGA Classic to go along with seven top-10 finishes to earn Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year honors in a star-studded rookie class.

The season belonged to the Ochoa, but she wasn't the only story of the LPGA Tour's season, as it was a memorable 2006 with so many “firsts” to go along with some amazing comebacks and multiple breakout performances.

Breakout seasons. Although Lorena Ochoa took home most of the honors this year, it was also a year for multiple breakout seasons, as five players became Rolex First-Time Winners this year. Twenty-year-old Julieta Granada was the most recent winner last week as she took home the Tour's largest paycheck, $1 million, with her win at the ADT Championship. Granada joins four other Rolex First-Time Winners, which include: Joo Mi Kim at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay; Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Seon Hwa Lee at the ShopRite LPGA Classic; Brittany Lincicome at the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship; and Sung Ah Yim at the Florida's Natural Charity Championship hosted by Nancy Lopez.

Tour sets millionaire record in 2006. Eleven LPGA members earned more than $1 million in season earnings during 2006, setting an LPGA record for most millionaires in a season. The record was previously set in 2005 when six players accomplished the feat. The following players were involved in updating the record books in 2006, earning over $1 million this season: Lorena Ochoa ($2,592,872); Karrie Webb ($2,090,113); Annika Sorenstam ($1,971,741); Julieta Granada ($1,633,586); Cristie Kerr ($1,578,362); Mi Hyun Kim ($1,332,274); Juli Inkster ($1,326,442); Jeong Jang ($1,151,070); Hee-Won Han ($1,147,651); Pat Hurst ($1,128,662) and Paula Creamer ($1,076,163).

Creamer sets LPGA money record without a win. After winning two events on Tour during her rookie season to earn Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year honors, second-year player Paula Creamer did not win an event this year, but she still turned in another successful season. The 20-year-old finished the year with 14 top-10 finishes in 27 starts. She passed the $1 million mark in season earnings for the second-consecutive year and earned $1,076,163, which is the most money earned by a player without a win. Creamer breaks Natalie Gulbis' record, which she set last year when she earned $1,010,154 without a win. Creamer's best finish of the season came two weeks ago at The Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions presented by Kathy Ireland Worldwide, where she tied for second.

Hall of Fame inductions. Three members of the LPGA were inducted into Halls of Fame during 2006. Marilynn Smith, one of the 13 founders of the LPGA Tour in 1950, was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Oct. 30 as part of the 2006 class. Smith, who was also one of the founding members of the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional (T&CP) membership, was selected for induction through the Lifetime Achievement category.

Annette Thompson, an LPGA Teaching and Club Professional (T&CP) Master Professional, was the 12th inductee into the LPGA T&CP Hall of Fame on July 21. Ann Casey Johnstone was also officially inducted into the LPGA T&CP Hall of Fame with Thompson. Johnstone was elected as the 11th inductee in 2004, but the ceremony was cancelled due to hurricanes.

4. Rookie Julieta Granada wins first-ever $1 million paycheck at ADT Championship; Becomes fifth Rolex First-Time Winner of the season

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Nov. 19, 2006 – Two days after her 20th birthday, LPGA Tour rookie Julieta Granada captured the first-ever $1 million winner's check in the history of women's professional golf at the ADT Championship. Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., hosted the Tour's 32 top qualifiers via the LPGA Playoffs 2006 who competed for the historic payday.

“It's just been incredible, this whole week. I just went out and played my game and it turned out to be the best score today,” said Granada, who moved from 19th to fourth on the ADT Official Money List with $1,663,586 in season earnings. “I'm so happy. I've been waiting for this all year.”

Granada, who has two runner-ups among seven top-10 finishes this season, carded just one bogey in her final 57 holes to outlast the 2006 Rolex Player of the Year and Vare Trophy recipient Lorena Ochoa by two strokes in the final round.

Final-round pairings were based off the ADT Official Money List, so Granada started the day two groups ahead of Ochoa and Karrie Webb, whose resurgent 2006 season was one of the best of her career with five wins. Granada and Ochoa each made the turn at 2-under-par 34, while Webb turned at 35.

However, as the pressure built, Granada continued to perform like a veteran. She birdied the 10th hole—the third toughest on the course—to take a two-stroke lead, and said she calmed down after a 20-foot par save on 11. A birdie on 16 was followed by a 50-foot, two putt for par on 17. As she approached 18, it did not occur to her that her only bogey of the past three rounds had been on that hole. Her drive landed in the fairway 175 yards out, but she overestimated her 5-iron and the ball landed closer to the back fringe of the green than the flag-stick—about 30 feet away.

“I had that second shot on 18, I couldn't think of anything. I was just trying to get over the water,” she said. “I just wanted to get the round over. I wasn't even thinking about that (Saturday bogey on 18).”

Meanwhile, she was unaware both Ochoa and Webb, who were one and two-strokes back, respectively, each sent their tee shots into hazards to the right and left of 17th green.

“I had a 5-iron in my hand and pushed it right. The wind was coming right to left,” said Ochoa, who became the 12th golfer in Tour history to cross the $6 million mark in career earnings on the strength of more than $2.5 million this season. “She played good, it wasn't something that just came out of the blue. I think she loves the pressure.”

Ochoa and Webb each bogeyed 17 and made par on the final hole for a 2-under-par 70 for Ochoa, and 1-under-par 71 for Webb.

One year ago, Granada was fresh off her first season on the Duramed Futures Tour and preparing to qualify for the LPGA Tour. Her partial season resulted in $29,153 in earnings through nine events. This year, Granada proved it was only a matter of time for her first win.

The 32-player field was filled through the LPGA Playoffs 2006 all season to culminate at this week's ADT Championship. All 32 players were in the chase for the record payday until Friday's cut to 16 spots. Rookie Ai Miyazato took control with a two-stroke lead, with Granada in sole command of second, yet all eyes were on six players involved in a three-hole, sudden-death playoff for the final three spots for Saturday's third round. Juli Inkster, Lorena Ochoa and Morgan Pressel outlasted Pat Hurst and rookies Brittany Lang and Jee Young Lee. Of the trio, Ochoa was the only one to advance through Saturday and into Sunday's final round.

The field was cut, again, on Saturday to the top-eight players. No playoff was needed as an 18th-hole birdie by Paula Creamer brought her to the 4-under-par 212 cutline with Natalie Gulbis and Ochoa. When Sunday dawned, eight players stepped onto the first tee box with a clean scorecard. Sunday's field included: Il Mi Chung, of South Korea; Creamer, of the United States; Granada, of Paraguay; Gulbis, of the United States; Mi Hyun Kim, of South Korea; Miyazato, of Japan; Ochoa, of Mexico; and Webb, of Australia.

Nine holes
In relation to par
-8 (28) Candie Kung, Tartan Fields Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio, 2006 Wendy's Championship for Children, par 36; she shot 66

Non-LPGA professionals to win an LPGA event
Jin Joo Hong, 2006 KOLON-Hana Bank Championship

Lowest final round by a winner
62 (-10), Annika Sorenstam, 2006 State Farm Classic, 70-68-69-62

Lowest round in a major championship
62 (-10), Lorena Ochoa, 2006 Kraft Nabisco Championship, 62-71-74-72

Most eagles in one round:
3, Nina Reis, holes 12, seven and eight, Columbia Edgewater Country Club, Portland, Ore, first round, 2006 Safeway Classic Presented by Pepsi; also recorded six bogeys for a 72 (E)

Back-to-back eagles
Lindsey Wright, 2006 Weetabix Women's British Open, second round, holes six (par 5) and seven (par 5)
Nina Reis, 2006 Safeway Classic Presented by Pepsi, first round, holes seven (par 5) and eight (par 3)

Most official single-season earnings by a rookie: $1,633,586, Julieta Granada, 2006 (30 events)

Most official single-season earnings without a tournament victory: $1,076,163, Paula Creamer, 2006 (27 events)

First to reach $19 million: Annika Sorenstam, July 3, 2006 (258 events; 2006 U.S. Women's Open)
First to reach $20 million: Annika Sorenstam, Sept. 10, 2006 (264 events; 2006 John Q. Hammons Hotel Classic)
Fastest to reach $2 million: Paula Creamer, 1 year, 4 months, 15 days (40 events; 2006 HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship)
Fastest to reach $4 million: Lorena Ochoa, 3 years, 1 month, 2 days (81 events; 2006 LPGA Takefuji Classic)
Fastest to reach $5 million: Lorena Ochoa, 3 years, 4 months, 17 days (90 events; 2006 Evian Masters)
Fastest to reach $6 million: Lorena Ochoa, 3 years, 7 months, 6 days (99 events; 2006 ADT Championship)
Fastest to reach $11 million: Annika Sorenstam, 8 years, 9 months, 20 days (193 events; 2002 ADT Championship)
Fastest to reach $12 million: Annika Sorenstam, 9 years, 4 months, 4 days (200 events; 2003 McDonald's LPGA Championship)

Most consecutive $300,000 seasons: 13, Laura Davies, 1994-2006
Most consecutive $400,000 seasons: 12, Annika Sorenstam, 1995-2006
Most consecutive $500,000 seasons: 12, Annika Sorenstam, 1995-2006
Most consecutive $600,000 seasons: 12, Annika Sorenstam, 1995-2006
Most consecutive $700,000 seasons: 11, Annika Sorenstam, 1996-2006
Most consecutive $800,000 seasons: 11, Annika Sorenstam, 1996-2006
Most consecutive $900,000 seasons: 7, Annika Sorenstam, 2000-06
Most consecutive $1 million seasons: 7, Annika Sorenstam, 2000-06
Most consecutive $2 million seasons: 5, Annika Sorenstam, 2001-05

Most $200,000 earners in a single season: 62, 2006
Most $300,000 earners in a single season: 43, 2006
Most $700,000 earners in a single season: 15, 2006
Most $800,000 earners in a single season: 14, 2006
Most $900,000 earners in a single season: 12, 2006
Most $1 million earners in a single season: 11, 2006
Most $2 million earners in a single season: 2, 2006

6. Next week: LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, LPGA International, Champions Course, Legends Course, Daytona Beach, Fla., $50,000, November 29-December 3, 2006

Par: 36-36, 72
Yardage: 6,431/6,393
Purse: $50,000
Winner: $6,000
Runner-up: $5,000
Format: 90-hole stroke play
Field: 139 players (59 LPGA, 5 amateurs, 75 pros)
Tournament information: LPGA Communications, 386-274-6200
Media credentials: Pam Warner, pam.warner@lpga.com

7. Upcoming event: Lexus Cup 2006, Tanah Merah Country Club, Garden Course, Singapore, $960,000, December 15-17, 2006

Par: 36-36, 72
Yardage: 6,620
Purse: $960,000
Winner: $50,000/each
Runner-up: $30,000/each
Format: Day 1: Foursome (Best ball) matches x 6
Day 2: Fourball matches x 6
Final Day: Single matches x 12
Points will be awarded for each match
Field: 24 players, 12 International, 12 Asia
Defending champion: International Team captained by Annika Sorenstam
Tournament information: 011-65-764-4653

ADT CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
Tournament Summary
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Purse: $ 1,550,000
Trump International Golf Club
Par: 36 36 - 72 Yardage: 6514

LPGA Tour Player Executive Committee announced for 2007. The 2006 LPGA season just ended, but things are already revving up for 2007. The 2007 LPGA Tour Player Executive Committee has been finalized and Vicki Goetze-Ackerman will serve as president. She is joined by voting members Jean Bartholomew, Kate Golden, Stephanie Louden, Hilary Lunke, Juli Inkster, Angela Stanford and non-voting members Pat Hurst, Annika Sorenstam and Wendy Ward.

LPGA T&CP elections finalized for 2007. The ballots have been cast and the results are in, as to who will lead the LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals in 2007. Patti Benson, who is the current LPGA National President of the Teaching and Club Professionals, was re-elected to serve a third term and will fill the role through 2009. Dawne Kortgaard is the president of the Central Section. Sherry Andonian-Smith is the vice president and Marci Bozarth is the secretary. Rebecca O'Hara is the president of the Midwest Section. The vice president is Beverly Miller and the secretary is Maria Long. Kammy Maxfeldt was re-elected to a second term as vice president for the Northeast Section, while MJ Smith will serve as secretary. Lynn Stellman will serve her third term as president of the Southeast Section and Nancy Henderson is the secretary. The Western Section vice president is Kathy O'Kelly and Patti Marquis is the treasurer.

Granada sets rookie single-season earnings record. With her $1 million first-place paycheck at the ADT Championship, 20-year-old Julieta Granada set an LPGA Tour record for the most single-season earnings by a rookie with $1,633,586. Granada has recorded seven top-10 finishes in 30 events, including two runner-up finishes at the Wegmans LPGA and at the Corona Morelia Champinship. Paula Creamer held the previous record, which she set last season with $1,531,780 in season earnings.

It must be the money. Rookie Julieta Granada did it again this year, except this time it was on the LPGA Tour and for a $1 million first-place paycheck. Granada became a Rolex First-Time Winner on Sunday at the season-ending ADT Championship and earned the largest first-place paycheck in LPGA Tour history. Last year, Granada also won the final event on the Futures Tour, the YWCA Futures Classic in York, Pa. Her $10,5000 first-place paycheck at that event was the largest first-place paycheck on the 2005 Futures Tour schedule.

Granada earns stay at Canyon Ranch. In addition to winning the record $1 million paycheck at the ADT Championship on Sunday, rookie Julieta Granada 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 an all-inclusive stay at one of Canyon Ranch's two destination resorts.

Gustafson achieves Life Membership on LET. With her win at the Siemens Austrian Ladies Open in September, Sophie Gustafson secured Life Membership status on the Ladies European Tour (LET). Similar to the LPGA Tour's Hall of Fame, Gustafson's win gave her the required 20 points needed for membership. Gustafson owns 12 victories on the LET and earned the 2000 and 2003 Order of Merit titles since she joined the LET in 1994. She is also a five-time member of the European Solheim Cup Team (1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005).

Gustafson has also had a successful career on the LPGA Tour. Since her rookie year in 1998, Gustafson has four Tour victories and crossed the $3 million mark in career earnings this year, in addition to six top-10 finishes, which included a tie for second at the Weetabix Women's British Open, a Tour major. Other Life Members on the LET include Helen Alfredsson, Laura Davies, Marie-Laure de Lorenzi, Alison Nicholas, Dale Reid, Annika Sorenstam and Liselotte Neumann.

Ochoa named Mexico's Female Athlete of the Year. Just days after being named the 2006 Rolex Player of the Year and securing the Vare Trophy with her Tour-leading 69.2360 scoring average, Lorena Ochoa was back in Mexico this morning to be honored as the country's Female Athlete of the Year. Mexican President Vicente Fox presented Ochoa as well as baseball player Vinicio Castilla with their respective awards at the presidential residence Los Pinos. The award is considered the highest honor bestowed by the Mexican government to its athletes; winners are selected by the National Sports Commission. As the only player from Mexico on the LPGA Tour, Ochoa has won six tournaments this season and was one of 32 athletes nominated for the honor. She was also the 2001 amateur recipient of the award.

LET announces The Solheim Cup international charity. The Ladies European Tour has appointed the World Childhood Foundation as the international charity of The 2007 Solheim Cup. World Childhood Foundation is a non-profit organization whose focus is serving at risk children and young mothers. The Foundation was founded in 1999 by H.M. Queen Silvia of Sweden and currently supports 90 projects in 12 countries with offices in Sweden, United States, Germany and Brazil. The 2007 Solheim Cup will be played Sept. 14-16, 2007 at Halmstad Golf Club in Sweden.

LPGA T&CP member Brintnall joins MSU study abroad. LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Jan Brintnall will be part of Michigan State University's latest study abroad program to The University of St. Andrews in Scotland. MSU's Eli Broad College of Business has developed an the international labor-management relations program, which will allow up to 35 juniors and seniors to spend two weeks in Scotland Aug. 4-18, 2007. Brintnall, an MSU alumnae and former golf team member, will be the instructor for one of the sessions “Golf as a Business Tool.” Starting next April, the session's first component involves golf lessons and instruction, which includes a review of American course design and golf's early history in America. In August, Brintnall will continue the session at St. Andrews Links Trust facilities and The University of St. Andrews. Scottish golf course design, the history of Links golf and how to navigate the Links-style courses will be on the syllabus, which will culminate with a nine-hole scramble on one of the six Andrews Links Trust courses. The trip will be the first of a 10-year agreement for the program.

Bocra is the next “Wandering Golfer.” The votes are in and the FINE LIVING channel has announced LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Gia Bocra will be the next host of “The Wandering Golfer.” Bocra was selected out of 1,500 video auditions to spend the next year traveling the world exploring people, places and experiences to share with viewers. Bocra, who has been the teaching professional at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., will take over for last season's host Chad Maulsby. “The Wandering Golfer” will air Mondays through Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST, and 4:30 p.m. EST Saturdays and Sundays.

LPGA T&CP Member Branstrom honored with Eagle Award. LPGA T&CP Master member Lynda Branstrom was awarded the 2006 SE Section Eagle Award at the T&CP Southeast Section's Seminar-at-Sea Part II aboard the Royal Carribean's Navigator of the Seas on Nov. 3. Branstrom has been an active member of the LPGA T&CP Southeast Section since 1974 and has consistently held leadership positions, including serving as the current Southeast Section secretary and was the first LPGA T&CP member to become a Master Professional in 1993, under revised guidelines. She currently works as the assistant manager and heat professional at 76 Golf World in Stuart, Fla.

The Eagle Award was created in 1989 by Lynn Stellman, former Tampa Bay Mini-Tour player (forerunner to the Duramed Futures Tour) and 20-year head golf professional at Martin County Golf and Country Club in Stuart, Fla. Stellman established the award to honor those individuals that dedicate themselves to helping others achieve their dreams. Past winners of the Eagle Award include LPGA National President of the Teaching and Club Professionals Patti Benson, LPGA Founder Patty Berg, Nancy Henderson, Barbara Romack, Gary Wiren, Annette Thompson, Eloise Trainor, JoAnne Carner and Donna White.

Founder Smith honored with Pinnacle Award. The Women's Chamber of Commerce (WCC) of West Palm Beach County honored LPGA Founder and recent World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Marilynn Smith with their 2006 Pinnacle Award. Smith received the honor for her outstanding achievements in golf and was presented the award by Honorary Chairs Jim Fazio, Trump International Golf Club designer, and his wife Amy. Smith and George Ross, a close business associate of Donald Trump and author of Trump Style Negotiation, were featured guests at the Mar-a-Lago Champagne Breakfast on Nov. 16 at Mar-a-Lago Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. Ross served as the keynote speaker for the event held annually in conjunction with the LPGA Tour's ADT Championship.

Cosmonaut to tee-off in space Nov. 22. Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin will send a gold-plated golf ball into space from a perch on the International Space Station at 6:28 p.m. EST, on Wednesday, Nov. 22. The event was conceptualized by Element 21 Golf Company in Toronto to commemorate the 35th anniversary of Alan Shephard, Jr.'s golf shot on the moon during Apollo 14. In preparation for the event, Tyurin received golf lessons from LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Famer Carol Mann and PGA Director of Instruction Rick Martino in July in Texas. Mann and Marino had to adjust their traditional instruction techniques to accommodate Tyurin's one-handed swing in zero-gravity, while tethered to the ISS. The ball is expected to remain in orbit up to three days when it should burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. The event will be broadcasted on NASA.gov. On Nov. 30, a reception at the Russian Mission to the United States in New York City will celebrate the collaboration of NASA and the Russian Space Agency, during which Tyurin will call to speak with Mann.

The following LPGA Tour members are celebrating a birthday this week.
Nov. 20
Kelly Cap (34)