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1. Talented field of 144 players set for 33rd staging of Wegmans LPGA
2. This week: Wegmans LPGA, Locust Hill Country Club, Pittsford, N.Y., $2,000,000, June 25-28, 2009; TV Times; GCSAA Course Information
3. Pipeline to the LPGA Tour, June 21, 2009
4. Race for the Cup
5. Rolex Rankings move of the week
6. Next week: Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger, Highland Meadows Golf Club, Sylvania, Ohio, $1,400,000, July 2-5, 2009; TV Times; GCSAA Course Information
7. Wegmans LPGA to host Web cast
8. Pak renews with keri golf
9. Pro tours team up at CVS Caremark Charity Classic
10. Ochoa wins 2009 Ixtapa Skins

1. Talented field of 144 players set for 33rd staging of Wegmans LPGA
 
PITTSFORD, N.Y. - The LPGA Tour is ready to hit the course this week for the 2009 Wegmans LPGA. The event will be celebrating its 33rd year at the Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford, N.Y., as 144 of the world's best female golfers contend for a share of the $2 million purse.

Defending her title this week is South Korean player Eun-Hee Ji, who collected her first career LPGA win a year ago by holding off five-time Tour winner Suzann Pettersen by two strokes. Entering the third round in 2008, Ji was seven strokes back from the leader, Morgan Pressel, in a five-way tie for 12th. At the end of the day, Ji was just three strokes back after firing an 8-under-par 64, catapulting her into a three-way tie for second. As her momentum continued, a 5-under-par 67 final round allowed Ji to bring home the $300,000 winner's check, and become the season's fifth Rolex First-Time Winner.

So far this year, the 23-year-old has played in 11 tournaments, and has four top-10 finishes: the SBS Open at Turtle Bay (T10), MasterCard Classic Honoring Alejo Peralta Presented by Nextel (T6), J Golf Phoenix LPGA International Presented by Mirassou Winery (T7), and the LPGA State Farm Classic (T6).

The strong cast of players who will be in Pittsford, N.Y., this week will represent 17 of the top-20 spots from the LPGA Official Money List, and 15 of the top-20 in the current Rolex Rankings. World number two Yani Tseng, third-ranked Paula Creamer, number four Jiyai Shin, fifth-ranked Cristie Kerr, eighth-ranked In-Kyung Kim, number nine Helen Alfredsson and 10th-ranked Karrie Webb are those players representing the top-10 positions in this week's Rolex Rankings. Of those, most have already notched a win this season: Shin (HSBC Women's Champions); Webb (J Golf Phoenix LPGA International Presented by Mirassou Winery); Kerr (Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill); Tseng (LPGA Corning Classic); and Kim (LPGA State Farm Classic).

Additionally, the two major championship winners of this year, Brittany Lincicome (Kraft Nabisco Championship) and rookie Anna Nordqvist (McDonald's LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola) will be teeing it up; this week's marks Nordqvist's return to competition since becoming the season's second Rolex First-Time Winner just eight days ago. Other rookies in the field include: Chella Choi, M.J. Hur, Vicky Hurst, Haeji Kang, Mindy Kim, Jeehae Lee, Stacy Lewis, Mika Miyazato, Shiho Oyama, Shin and Michelle Wie.

In addition to defending champion Ji, four other past champions of the Wegmans LPGA are competing this week: Jeong Jang (2006), Rachel Hetherington (2003), Webb (1999, 2002) and Meg Mallon (2000). Webb and Se Ri Pak, of South Korea, will be the two representatives from the LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame, combining for 26 years of LPGA Tour experience and 60 victories.

 
2. This week: Wegmans LPGA, Locust Hill Country Club, Pittsford, N.Y., $2,000,000, June 25-28, 2009; TV Times; GCSAA Course Information
 
Par: 36-36, 72
Yardage: 6,328
Format: 72-hole stroke play
            Winner:  $300,000
            Runner-up:  $183,814
Defending champion: Eun-Hee Ji
Victory margin: Defeated Suzann Pettersen by two strokes
Media center: 585-427-7665
LPGA media contacts: Jason Taylor and Mike Scanlan
 
●  TV Times
 
ESPN2
June 26 5-7 p.m.
June 27 3-5 p.m.
June 28 5-7 p.m.
 
All times Eastern
 
●  GCSAA Information
 
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
Locust Hill Country Club
Pittsford, N.Y.
 
GCSAA Class A Golf Course Superintendent: Richard W. Slattery, 585-427-7060
Course architect, date: Seymour Dunn, 1927
Most recent redesign/renovation:  Ron Prichard, 1997-2000
 
Course grasses
Tees - Bentgrass
Fairways - Bentgrass
Greens - Bentgrass
Rough - Kentucky bluegrass; perennial ryegrass; fine fescue
 
For more information, access GCSAA Fact Sheets at http://www.gcsaa.org/news/TournamentFactSheets.aspx
 

3. Pipeline to the LPGA Tour, June 21, 2009
 
Wade takes home The Duramed Championship title. With her father on the bag, second-year professional Whitney Wade, of Kentucky, carded all three rounds of The Duramed Championship in the 60s (69-69-66) for a 9-under-par 204, to edge out Jean Reynolds, of Georgia, by one stroke (68-70-67=205, -8). The event, which is one of three this season to feature a $125,000 purse, was contested at The Golf Center at Kings Island, in Mason, Ohio. Wade earned the $17,500 winner's check, of the $125,000 purse, which nearly doubled her career earnings on the Duramed FUTURES Tour and moved her into seventh on the season money list. It was also the first time all season she broke 70 in a round.

Misun Cho, of South Korea, was third in the event at 7-under-par 206 (67-70-69). The players finishing in the top 10 on the final 2009 Duramed FUTURES Tour money list will receive membership onto the 2010 LPGA Tour. Please see current standings below.

Next tournament: $100,000, Horseshoe Casino Classic at Lost Marsh Golf Course, Lost Marsh Golf Course, Hammond, Ind., June 26-28, 2009
 
Charity: Lake Area United Way
 
For more information, log on to www.duramedfuturestour.com.
 
 
4. Race for the Cup

Doing the math. The Wegmans LPGA will be the first opportunity since the McDonald's LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola for players to earn points toward qualifying for the 2009 U.S. Solheim Cup Team. The team will be announced in six weeks at the RICOH Women's British Open on Aug. 2. Comparing the standings from two years ago - when players were vying to make the 2007 U.S. Team -- Paula Creamer and Cristie Kerr still lead the Americans in points with 696 points for Creamer and 578 points for Kerr. At this point in 2007, Creamer had 621 points to Kerr's 559 points. The most noted changes, however, to the top of the list involve five players, especially Kristy McPherson whose rookie season was 2007 and she only broke into the top 20 once (Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger, T18):

The Solheim Cup is a biennial, trans-Atlantic team match-play competition featuring the best U.S.-born players from the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour and the best European members from the Ladies European Tour (LET). The U.S. Team leads the competition, 7-3, and has never lost The Solheim Cup on home soil.

Tickets are on-sale for the biennial event with options including the Weekly Grounds ticket, the PING Pavilion ticket and the Solheim After Sundown ticket. For tickets and more information about the 2009 Solheim Cup, as well as lodging options in the Sugar Grove, Ill. area, log on to www.SolheimCup.com.
 
2009 Solheim Cup countdown:

41 days until U.S. and European teams are announced following the RICOH Women's British Open; and

60 days until matches begin at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.

 
5. Rolex Rankings move of the week
 
Yokomine nabs third season win on JLPGA
 
Japan's Sakura Yokomine made the Rolex Rankings move of the week after winning her third title of the season on Sunday at the LPGA of Japan's rain-shortened Nichirei PGM Ladies, in Miho, Japan. Yokomine moved up four spots to 17th in the Rolex Rankings, the only system in women's professional golf that ranks the top golfers in the world based on their performance over the past two years in sanctioned professional events.

The Rolex Rankings are sanctioned by the five major women's professional golf tours: the LPGA; Ladies European Tour (LET); Ladies Professional Golfers' Association of Japan (LPGA of Japan); Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA); Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG); as well as the Ladies Golf Union (LGU), which administers the RICOH Women's British Open.  The Rolex Rankings are the only women's world rankings that incorporate player performances from the five major tours and the Duramed FUTURES Tour, the official developmental tour of the LPGA.

 
6. Next week: Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger, Highland Meadows Golf Club, Sylvania, Ohio, $1,400,000, July 2-5, 2009; TV Times; GCSAA Course Information
 
Par: 34-37, 71
Yardage: 6,428
Format: 72-hole stroke play
            Winner:  $210,000
            Runner-up:  $128,670
Defending champion: Paula Creamer
Victory margin: Defeated Nicole Castrale by two strokes
Tournament information: 419-531-3277
 
●  TV Times
 
ESPN2
July 3   4-6 p.m.
July 4   3-5 p.m.
July 5   4-6 p.m.
 
All times Eastern
 
●  GCSAA Information
 
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
Highland Meadows Golf Club
Sylvania, Ohio
 
GCSAA Golf Course Superintendent: Daniel K. Salois, 419-882-6492
Course architect, date: Harold Weber, 1925
 
Course grasses
Tees - Bentgrass; poa annua
Fairways - Bentgrass; poa annua
Greens - Bentgrass; poa annua
Rough - Bentgrass, Kentucky bluegrass; perennial ryegrass
 
For more information, access GCSAA Fact Sheets at http://www.gcsaa.org/news/TournamentFactSheets.aspx
 

7. Wegmans LPGA to host Web cast

The Wegmans LPGA will once again be maintaining a Web cast during the 72-hole event, hosted at Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford, N.Y. - near Rochester - June 25-28. The Web cast will start broadcasting from tournament site on Friday, June 26 and feature interviews with LPGA Tour players, tournament officials and local individuals affiliated with the tournament and community. Check out www.wegmanslpga.org for more information.
 

8. Pak renews with keri golf

LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Famer Se Ri Pak will continue to use a custom tour bag designed by keri golf for the 2009 season. This year's bag will be composed of red leather with black trim and script in white and silver. keri golf also designed the special edition Hall of Fame bag used by Pak in 2008, which is now on display at the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Fla. Other LPGA Tour members with keri golf bags include Christina Kim and Michelle McGann.
 

9. Pro tours team up at CVS Caremark Charity Classic

Twenty professionals from the LPGA Tour, PGA TOUR and Champions Tour started competing today in the 2009 CVS Caremark Charity Classic. The event boasts a $1.55 million purse with $250,000 going to the winning team at Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington, R.I. Brad Faxon and Billy Andrade are the event's hosts and each are paired with LPGA Tour veterans Juli Inkster and Helen Alfredsson, respectively. Natalie Gulbis and Morgan Pressel are also representing the LPGA, teaming with Peter Jacobsen and Davis Love III, respectively.

Professionals are paired into 10 two-person teams. Each team's hole score is determined by the best score of the two players.

 
10. Ochoa wins 2009 Ixtapa Skins

Rolex Rankings' number one Lorena Ochoa bested world number three Paula Creamer in the 2009 Ixtapa Skins match 15-3. The duo went head-to-head on June 20 in an event that traditionally had paired Ochoa vs. Annika Sorenstam. Sorenstam won the first three exhibitions in 2006-08. Photos and a complete wrap are available on LPGA.com.

Topics: News and Notes