LPGA Rookie Phenom Eyes Faldo, DiMarco in 14th Annual Event
NEW YORK – Paula Creamer, the LPGA’s 2005 Rookie of the Year, will challenge some of the best male players in golf on Nov. 14, when she competes in the ADT Skills Challenge at Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach, Fla. Creamer will join Annika Sorenstam in the eight-player field, which also includes defending Skills champion Nick Faldo, Chris DiMarco and Peter Jacobsen, plus three players to be announced.
In 2004, Sorenstam became the first female player to challenge the men in the $750,000, PGA Tour-sanctioned situational shot-making competition. Now in its 14th year, the ADT Skills Challenge is second only to The Skins Game as the longest running event from golf’s so-called "Challenge Season." It is etched on the calendar as the only golf on network television (NBC) in late December, when the sport is in its off season.
"I love the extremely competitive nature of the ADT Skills Challenge and how the pros play off of each other’s personalities. Everyone looks like they are having such a blast," said Creamer. "This event is completely different than anything I’ve done in the past, and I’m looking forward to testing my skills against some of the best golfers in the world."
The 19-year-old has already clinched the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award on the strength of two wins, eight top-10 finishes and a second-place standing on the official money list. This year, she became the youngest player in LPGA history to pass the $1 million mark in earnings, reaching that mark in record time. She also led the American team to a Solheim Cup victory over the Europeans in September.
ADT signed on as one of Creamer’s first corporate sponsors just before her professional debut last February. Often referred to as the "Pink Panther" because of her affinity for pink golf gear, Creamer wears the ADT logo on her hat.
The top player on the LPGA official money list is Sorenstam, who became the first woman in 58 years to compete against men on the PGA Tour at The Bank of America Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas in May 2003. The dominant player in women’s golf over the past decade, Sorenstam is a six-time LPGA Player of the Year and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
In the 2004 ADT Skills Challenge event at Trump International, Sorenstam finished sixth, ahead of Chris Riley, celebrity participant Mark McGwire and Nick Price. Faldo won the event, besting Jacobsen, DiMarco, Jesper Parnevik and Fred Funk.
Over the years, the competition has featured the biggest names in golf, including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson, Nick Faldo, Vijay Singh and Mike Weir. In 2003, a format change allowed for the inclusion of former record-setting Major League Baseball slugger Mark McGwire, who went on to win the competition, outperforming a field of Norman, Faldo, Peter Jacobsen, Padraig Harrington, Colin Montgomerie, Dudley Hart, Paul Azinger and Rich Beem.
About ADT Security Services, Inc.
Celebrating its 131st anniversary, ADT Security Services, Inc., a unit of Tyco Fire & Security, is the largest provider of electronic security services to more than six million commercial, government and residential customers throughout North America. ADT’s total security solutions include intrusion, fire protection, closed circuit television, access control, critical condition monitoring, electronic article surveillance, radio frequency identification (RFID) and integrated systems. ADT’s web site address is www.adt.com.
Contact:
Steve Griffith – Pyramid PR
TEL: 212/643-1068
CELL: 484/433-7757
Karen Carney – TEAM Marketing
TEL: 617/266-7515
CELL: 617/593-9496
