Fields Open In Hawaii
Ko Olina Golf Club
Kapolei, Hawaii
Feb. 23, 2007

Prammanasudh Wins Fields Open in Hawaii
Wins second career title

KAPOLEI, Hawaii (Feb. 24, 2007) – Stacy Prammanasudh experienced her best season on the LPGA Tour in 2006 and she knew another win couldn't be too far away.

That win came in just the second event on the 2007 LPGA Tour schedule, on Saturday at the Fields Open in Hawaii as the 27-year-old shot 4-under in the final round to secure her second career LPGA Tour victory.

Prammanasudh finished the tournament at 14-under-par 202 after shooting rounds of 69-66-68 to notch a one-shot win over South Korean Jee Young Lee.

“I think it's definitely more bittersweet than the first,” said Prammanasudh of her win. “The first kind of came upon me by surprise. I wasn't expecting to win so early, and then you put in a lot of hard work to try to get that second one. I'm definitely glad that I played well enough to come out on top today.”

With the win and an $180,000 first-place paycheck, Prammanasudh moves to the top of the LPGA Official Money List with $205,285 in season earnings after just two events.

“I had my best season in my career last year. I didn't come out with a win, but there's a lot of learning throughout the '06 season and getting over a couple of hurdles.”

After six top-10 finishes in 2006, including a tie for second at the Wendy's Championship for Children and a tie for third at the U.S. Women's Open, Prammanasudh made a few changes to her game before the 2007 season. She took her first-ever golf lesson from someone other than her father, and her husband, Pete Upton, took over as her caddie

“I was very pleased with my ball-striking today especially with the changes we're trying to make, and you never know how well it's going to stack up under the gun,” said Prammanasudh, of the changes she worked on with golf instructor Bill Harmon since her first lesson in December. “I feel a lot more confident over it and it's definitely going to help me for years to come.”

Upton was on the bag for Prammanasudh when she won her first-ever professional event on the Duramed Futures Tour, but has only caddied for her a few times since then.

“I think he knows well enough of how I am on the golf course,” said Prammanasudh about her husband taking over as a regular on her bag. “I'm very pleased to have had him on the bag and very excited to share it with him.”

Prammanasudh, who was tied for the lead with rookie Angela Park going into Saturday afternoon, began the final round with two consecutive birdies to get an early two-shot lead at 12-under and led the rest of the way.

Lee also birded the second hole to go to 10-under while Prammanasudh bogeyed the third hole to fall back to 11-under after missing the green on her second shot. Park pared her first four holes before all three players in the group birdied 5.

“Jee Young is a long ball-striker and I knew she would have an advantage on par 5s. Luckily I just got a couple of birdies early and put the pressure on,” said Prammanasudh.

Prammanasudh made the turn at 12-under and one shot ahead of Lee and Park. On 11, Prammanasudh landed her second shot six feet from the hole and was able to make her birdie putt to go to 13-under. Lee responded with a birdie on 12 while Park bogeyed the hole. All three players made birdie on 13, and they went on to par the final five holes to give Prammanasudh the win.

“Eighteen holes is a lot of time out there. It's four or five hours of concentration that you have got to keep yourself together,” said Prammanasudh. “I was really focused on just being really in the moment, focusing on each one of my targets and just keeping my mind focused on what I needed to do.”

Lee went bogey-free on the day and finished alone in second place at 12-under-par 203

“I had a good day today. It was a great day to play, but there just was not enough birdies,” said Lee. “ I think there were a lot of chances for me to catch up, but I missed that chance.”

Park finished in a three-way tie for third place with fellow 18-year-old Morgan Pressel and Japanese star Ai Miyazato at 11-under-par 205. Cristie Kerr, who shot a low-round 7-under-par 65 in the final round, tied for sixth with Vicki Goetze-Ackerman at 10-under-par 206.

Final round notes

Prammanasudh takes top spot in ADT Points race. With her second career win on Saturday at the Fields Open in Hawaii, Stacy Prammanasudh took the lead in the ADT Points race with 205, 285 points. Prammanasudh, who earned 180,000 for her win, took the top spot from Paula Creamer. Creamer now ranks second with 187,142 ADT Points. Prammanasudh has the early edge in the qualifying for the ADT Championship, where the winner will walk away with a record $1 million paycheck for the second consecutive year. Jee Young Lee used her third-place finish at the Fields Open in Hawaii to move into third with 119,948 ADT Points while Morgan Pressel used two top-5 finishes to start the season to rank fourth with 109,571 ADT Points.

Julieta Granada, who won made history by winning the first-ever $1 million paycheck in LPGA Tour history at last year's ADT Championship, ranks fifth with 98,269 points. With a change in the ADT Points for the 2007 ADT Playoffs, ADT Points will now be derived from the LPGA Official Money List. One ADT Point is now equivalent to $1 earned at all official events.

Kerr holds lead in U.S. Solheim Cup Points race. Cristie Kerr earned 24 Solheim Cup points with her tie for sixth at the Fields Open in Hawaii to hold her top spot in the U.S. Solheim Cup qualifying race. Kerr currently has 508 points and holds a 76-point lead over Paula Creamer, who currently has 432 U.S. Solheim Cup points. Pat Hurst (366.50 points), Juli Inkster (359) and Natalie Gu Team in 2005. Fields Open in Hawaii winner Stacy Prammanasudh and 18-year-old Morgan Pressel are both looking for their first appearance on the U.S. Solheim Cup Team and currently rank sixth and seventh, respectively.

Park takes lead in Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race. Eighteen-year-old Angela Park used her tie for third place at the Fields Open in Hawaii to earn 75 points in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race. Park ranks first in points and currently has 92 points after earning 17 points at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay. She holds a 51-point lead over Paige Mackenzie. Mackenzie earned lbis (306) round out the top-five in Solheim Cup points. All five were members of the victorious U.S. Solheim Cup 36 points after the SBS Open at Turtle Bay with a 17 th place finish and added five more points for making the cut at the Fields Open in Hawaii. In-Kyung Kim, who was atop the Rookie of the Year points after the first event with Mackenzie, ranks third with 36 points.

Jang hits $4 million in career earnings. South Korean Jeong Jang, who began her eighth year on the LPGA Tour just two weeks ago at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay, surpassed the $4 million mark in career earnings with her tie for 31 st at the Fields Open in Hawaii. Jang, who is a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour, has amassed $4,008,480 in career earning. She became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the 2005 Weetabix Women's British Open, one of four major championships on the LPGA Tour schedule. Jang won again in 2006 at the Wegmans LPGA.

Francella records career-best finish. Meaghan Francella posted a career-best tie for 14 th place at the Fields Open in Hawaii. Francella carded 68-73-69 to finish at 6-under-par 210 and earned a $16,037 paycheck. Her first-round 68 also marks her career-low round. Her previous career-best finish was a tie for 39 th place at the Franklin American Mortgage Championship, where she tied for 39 th. She also carded her previous career-low round in Nashville, when she shot 70 three consecutive days.

Francella, who only competed in three LPGA Tour events in 2006 as a non-exempt member, finished fifth on the Duramed Futures Tour season-ending money list to earn exempt status for the 2007 LPGA season.

Rarick records ace in second round. Cindy Rarick recorded her sixth career LPGA hole-in-one on Saturday morning during the second round at the Fields Open in Hawaii. Rarick's ace came on the par 3, 12 th hole with a 3-iron from 161 yards. With the ace, Rarick made the 70-player cut and finished the tournament tied for 67 th. It marked her first career hole-in-one since the 2000 season, when she recorded an ace during the first round of the Kathy Ireland Greens.com LPGA Classic.

Final-round leader quotes: Stacy Prammanasudh | Jee Young Lee
Cristie Kerr

Stacy Prammanasudh, 66-68-68=202 (-14)

Scorecard: Hole 1, 509-yard par 5: birdie – gap wedge to five feet
Hole 2, 395-yard par 4: birdie – 4-iron to eight feet
Hole 3, 366-yard par 4: bogey – 7-iron missed green
Hole 5, 489-yard par 5: birdie – 5-iron on green in two, two-putt from 40 feet
Hole 11, 357-yard par 4: birdie – gap wedge to six feet
Hole 13, 497-yard par 5: birdie – 3-wood to just infront of green, two-putt from 30 feet

PAM WARNER: Stacy, thanks for coming in and joining us, and congratulations on winning the Fields Open in Hawaii. Can you talk about your second career victory and how you are feeling right now?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: I think it's definitely more bittersweet than the first. You know, the first kind of came upon me by surprise. You know, I wasn't expecting to win so early, and then you know you put in a lot of hard work to try to get that second one. I'm definitely glad that I played well enough to come out on top today.

PAM WARNER: Questions for Stacy.
Q. Did you feel the gals behind you chasing you and were you trying to hold them off or were you trying to stay above them -- you took a two-shot lead early, what was your mentality going into the round?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: I mean, 18 holes is a lot of time out there. It's four or five hours of concentration that you have got to keep yourself together. With the way the talent is on our tour, I mean, you can't really let your mind slack at all. And that's what I was really focused on was just being really in the moment, focusing on each one of my targets and just keeping my minds focused on what I needed to do.

Q. Did you have an aggressive mentality or were you just, let's not do anything stupid to kind of lose it?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: No, I mean, I didn't really change my game plan going into today. I knew you had to be under par, at least, to even have a chance with the rain and playing softer. I had not been out on the course like the other two girls who finished this morning. I didn't have a feel for the course when I first stepped out there. Jee Young (Lee) is a long ball-striker and I knew she would have an advantage on par 5s. Luckily I just got a couple of birdies early and put the pressure on.

Q. You're 27, still young, but these girls are 18 and 21; do you feel that your experience kind of paid off?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: You know, Jee Young, I think she might be on Tour the same number of years I have. Angela (Park), I knew it was a new situation for her. I had been in a situation one other time and I was just trying to pull on those experiences and maintain myself out there on the golf course. You know, it's difficult and it's intense, but you know, you just find something within yourself to make it through.

Q. When you got those first two birdies, were you kind of thinking, 'Hey, this will be a pretty good day?'
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: No, you know, because you're excited about two birdies right out of get-go. But there's still 16 other difficult holes out there, and you just can't get ahead of yourself. So I just tried to keep breathing and go about my business.

Q. Breathing?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: Yeah, that was the problem, just not letting my emotions get too up or down.

Q. Your emotions, when you get excited, do you hyperventilate or are you breathing heavy or what?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: No, I mean, when anybody gets excited, your breathing changes. I mean, as long as you can regulate your heartbeat out there, I'm not freaking out out there or anything. (Laughter).

Q. What's it like working with your husband and the first time you worked with him in a real pressure tournament situation.
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: He caddied for me when I won my first Futures Tour event five years ago or something crazy. So we've worked together sporadically a couple of times here and there. But yeah, for the permanent situation the first time, the first time we've been in this situation on the LPGA.

Q. When it got to be kind of crunch time or pressure time, did you look at each other or not look at each other?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: No, I mean, he's just basically, you know, there for support. You know, we talk about clubs and yardages and all that. But I'm ultimately making the final decision. You know, he's there to back me up if I have questions or help me read greens, and that's what caddies are for. They are there to make you feel comfortable on the golf course in situations where there's a lot of pressure and things like that. So I'm very pleased to have had him on the bag and very excited to share it with him.

Q. When it started getting pressurized, did you talk more than usually do or less than usually do?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: No, we didn't change anything. On 17, we were in-between clubs and I mean, we spent a little more time over that shot. But for the most part, we didn't -- he didn't mention anything out of the usual.

Q. Was it frustrating at all to not be able to put more distance between you and the other players or was that balanced by the fact they couldn't close on you?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: Well, I gave myself a lot of good opportunities on those closing holes. I just didn't hit them hard enough, a couple putts, and, you know, luckily they didn't capitalize on their opportunities as well. So I got lucky, I guess.

Q. You had a long wait before your final round while the other players got in a few holes this morning. Obviously didn't hurt you. Did you do anything that helped you?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: Ironically it was the exact same situation for my first win. There was a rain delay, similar situation. I was not involved in the delay. First win, I was not involved in the delay; the second win. You know, we played cards last night with Pat Hurst and her husband and just had a relaxing evening and good night's rest, and packed up the room and went and had a nice sit-down breakfast this morning and got to the golf course and did my usual routine.

Q. Do you feel like you hit any loose shots out there today?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: I missed that green on 3, which I was in the rough. I didn't feel like it was a bad swing. It just might have come out a little differently than I had anticipated. But, no, I was very pleased with my ball-striking today especially with the changes we're trying to make, and you never know how well it's going to stack up under the gun. I'm just really excited that I was able to maintain myself out there and remember what I was trying to do.

Q. How did you put on the changes you've made and the work, it has been, what, seven months that you've been with the coach (Bill Harmon)?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: No. I've seen him five times since --

Q. December?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: December, middle of December.

Q. So how much of that is responsible for what happened today?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: I feel a lot more confident over it, even though it is a little different and you're not 100% positive of everything. I think in the long run with what I'm looking at, it's definitely going to help me for years to come.

Q. Other than the last putt on the last green, was there a decisive point out there for you somewhere today?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: When I have that like 6- or 8-footer on 15, and Jee Young knocked it by about four or five feet, I feel like if I made that, then it was pretty much over. I just didn't hit it hard enough. You know, the greens were getting a little hairier late in the afternoon with the grain. I guess I didn't take it into consideration enough. But she made her par putt and then I made a good par save on the next hole.

Q. When you're making these swing changes, was there any point that you felt like you wouldn't --were more comfortable with the way you were before or were you able to make yourself swing that way at any point; was there any point that you thought that you might have gone back to what you were doing before?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: No, because I know what happens with -- you know, my swing may not look different at all on TV. But it feels different, and so I guess it's what needs to be done. I was confident with the way I was swinging before. It just it doesn't hold up for, you know, all eight months of the season. I need to make it tighter and more compact, and that's what we're trying to do. You know, you've just got to understand that things are not going to be perfect for a few months. Luckily, things turned out for the better today. But, you know, next week, next month could be completely different.

Q. When did you go to the belly putter and why?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: I went to the belly putter at the Turtle Bay of 2006; so a year and a week now. I was really -- I cut it – with my conventional putter, and I was just playing with a friend who is also a head pro back home. I couldn't hit the hole from two feet, it was ridiculous, one day. He had me hit --he was like, "Just putt with your 3-wood like a belly putter." I was like, all right. And it felt decent, and I was going out to Ping the next week and I just got fit for one. He said, "Get fit for one, at least you can practice with it to get the feel of things." Brought it back home, made everything the first week; played great, first tournament. So can't turn back now.

Q. First of all, what card game did you play?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: Spades.

Q. Did you win?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: Yes, we did. (Laughter).

Q. Okay. Moving on, have you talked to your dad at all this week or last night?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: No, you know, I talked to them, Mom and Dad once last week after the first or second round, I can't remember. I was kind of leaving it up to them to call. You know, I don't want to call and be like, "I played good," you know what I mean. I'm sure there are messages on my phone right now but no, I haven't heard from them at all this week.

Q. Can you tell the story of Bill Harmon?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: I was playing a practice round with Nicole Castrale at the U.S. Open. And Bill has been Nicole's teacher from when she was little from what I understand. I wasn't striking it well going into the Open, and I was just kind of, you know, I was talking with him, walking up the fairway. I was like, "Yeah, let me know if you see anything." I was just joking. He's not there for me; he's there for her. I just threw it out there; why not. A couple of holes later he mentioned my grip looked too strong with my right hand, and that's all I focused on the remainder of the season, and that literally changed my season right there. Any other person that's ever commented on my swing has always been like your position here and here. I mean, he was completely totally simple about it. And that's what I was looking -- you know, I had always thought about going to see somebody, but was reluctant to because I don't swing like anybody else. I can't go to somebody who teaches a certain swing because that's not going to work for me. I told my husband and my dad about what Bill had told me. Dad was there, of course, and we decided that the off-season we were going to see what he -- go see him, see what he said and see how it worked out.

He explained things the way I can understand it. I've not sought out lessons very much in the previous years, but any of the golf pros back home or anybody I ever talk to, it doesn't sink in what they are saying. And this is the first person I kind of got it and he can explain what causes me to hit that shot at the time; "you need to swing like this."

Q. Have you talked to him at all this week?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: Text messages.

Q. What did he say? Did he say it looks good?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: No, he didn't say anything about how anything looked. He just said, "go out, go get 'em, great round," that sort of thing.

Q. Seems like it's been a long time between wins for you or a short time?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: No. I mean, I had my best season I had in my career last year. You know, I didn't come out with a win, but you know, there's a lot of learning throughout the '06 season and get over a couple of hurdles as far as performing in the Open, which I haven't done well in the past in that event. It's all a learning process and just baby steps you've got to take to get to where you want to go.

Q. Did it seem like it had been a long interval between wins?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: No, you can't force these type of things. The competition is so good out here that you have to be on top of your game 100% of the time to be able to come out with a win. And, you know, you get lucky every once in a while and play great and you come out on top.

Q. Are you going to see Harmon again on the way back through or are you finished with him for a while?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: No, we're going there tomorrow.

Q. When will you do to celebrate?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: No, we have a flight. We have a red eye, nothing. A glass of wine on the plane maybe, I don't know. Might need to upgrade.

Q. How did you guys know that was going to work or how did you make it work or is he just better than the average husband in that aspect?
STACY PRAMMANASUDH: Well, I think he knows me well enough of how I am on the golf course. I don't talk a lot. I'm not one of those persons that I have to be chitchatty all the time to keep my nerves intact. I think he did a fantastic job out there today for it being his first time in that situation on the LPGA. We didn't change anything. He didn't try to, you know, say too much or back off too much. He did exactly what he did the previous two days, which is all you can ask for from a caddie is to just be there for you.

Jee Young Lee, 69-66-68=203 (-13)

Scorecard: Hole 2, 395-yard par 4: birdie – 6-iron from bunker to 26 feet
Hole 5, 489-yard par 5: birdie – driver, 7-iron on green in two to 27 feet, two-putt
Hole 12, 171-yard par 3: birdie – 6-iron to 21 feet
Hole 13, 497-yard par 5: birdie – driver, rescue to 27 feet, two-putt

PAM WARNER: Thanks for coming in, 4-under par today, 13-under, runner-up. Tell us about your day.
JEE YOUNG LEE: I had a good day today. It was a great day to play. But it's just that there was a little bit of pressure on me to win the tournament and then there were a lot of gallery. So everything worked out, shots were great, but there just was not enough birdies.

PAM WARNER: Questions for Jee Young.
Q. Do you feel like she (Stacy Prammanasudh) ever gave you any chances or openings to catch her? Did you feel there was a spot there where you might be able to track her down?
JEE YOUNG LEE: Yeah, I think there were a lot of chances for me to catch up, but I missed that chance. There were a lot of chances for me to make more birdies but I just couldn't do it. So I guess she give me a lot of chances.

Q. Where were you closest to making the birdies? Which ones bother you the most?
JEE YOUNG LEE: 17th hole, I hit it too far on the drive. The yardage left, 55 yards was left and that is a yardage that I really don't like and am not comfortable with. It was about four or five steps downhill and I just didn't make it.

Q. Is there something positive that you can take from this for the rest of the year?
JEE YOUNG LEE: I believe that I started the season great, and I'm pretty sure that I'll have a second win if I play well like I did this week. Last year I finished runner-up to Seon Hwa Lee, who ended up winning the Rookie of the Year last year, and then had a win later on in the season. I'm confident that I'll be able to win throughout the year and it will help me.

Q. What did you think was the best thing about Stacy's game today, and also what's going through your head when she birdied the first two holes so easily?
JEE YOUNG LEE: I think that Stacy's game was very consistent by hitting shots and then putting and all that. Her putting was really good, and when she made birdie on her first two holes, I also made a birdie on the second hole and there was not much gap. So I figured there was enough time for me to catch up and, you know, I didn't really worry about that.

Q. What did you do in the off-season to improve the accuracy so much with your driver?
JEE YOUNG LEE: There is not much that I was focusing on. I tried to hit it straight but there was nothing that I did especially to practice, but I practiced a lot of drivers during the off-season. And I hit it hard and then somehow if I hit it hard, it kind of got straighter and straighter and it was kind of helping me out. So that's how it went.

Q. Any other good birdie chances besides 17?
JEE YOUNG LEE: No. 3. 123 yards, 9-iron, 21 feet.

Quick quotes

Cristie Kerr, 71-70-65=206 (-10)

Q. Can you talk about your round?
CRISTIE KERR: I thought I played great. I could have been ridiculously low. Seven-under is pretty low, but I missed like a two-foot putt on 14 for birdie. I was over it and a big leaf kind of blew in my way and I didn't back away. I just got distracted and I lost my focus for a second and it lipped out. I got so mad. I made a couple of great birdies coming in today and 18 is not easy today. I don't know what the leaders are at, but anything can happen.

Q. Did you play with a little bit of extra fire today?
CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, I did. I wanted to shoot a low one this week and I knew I was capable of it. In light of everything that has happened this week I'm pretty happy.

Q. Did you have a ruling today?
CRISITE KERR: I did have a ruling today. The same ruling it would have been had I not screwed up on Friday or Thursday or whenever the first round was. On the fifth hole, the par 5, the ball was on the ridge and I literally knew if I took my coin away it was going to roll so I said ‘what do I do?' So I called Janet and we found a place for it to stay stationary and I made it.

Q. How long was the putt?
CRISTIE KERR: It was on the down slope and the only thing this time keeping the ball up was the wind blowing in my face. So it was about 25 feet maybe.

Q. What did you think when you saw the position of the ball?
CRISTIE KERR: (laughter) I'm getting a ruling. Even when I was over the ball I did not ground my club until the last second, because I didn't want to have the same thing happen after hitting a great shot into the par 5. It was kind of freaky. My playing competitors were like ‘what are the odds of that happening to you twice in one tournament?'

Q. What do you take away from this week?
CRISTIE KERR: I take away how big my heart is and how much I fought out there for everything. I just really appreciate everybody supporting me on it. It was a tough deal and you learn from everything, and that is all I can take away from it.

Q. And if you come up two strokes short?
CRISTIE KERR: Well, you know what, that happened in the first round and this is the last round. I've had plenty of opportunities to make up two shots and if that is the way it ends I should have played a little bit harder.

Q. Will that stick with you in the back of your head for a long time?
CRISTIE KERR: No, if it was the last tournament of the season I think it would be different. It's only the second week of the season and I have the whole season ahead of me. If this was the last tournament of the year it would stick with you the whole off-season, so I'm glad it happened the second tournament of the year and I have this to build on.

Q. What do you think you have learned from that experience?
CRISTIE KERR: Even if you think you know the rules you can never be too good at them. To make sure situations are handled properly and to just try and always do the right thing.