(Stockbridge, Georgia, February 15, 2006) — Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, the LPGA Tour Player of the Year for the past five years and the top ranked woman golfer in the world, will defend her title in the 15th annual Atlanta Charity Championship hosted by Nancy Lopez. Scheduled for April 17-23 at Eagle’s Landing Country Club in Stockbridge, Georgia, the tournament offers a purse of $1.6 million and a first-place check of $240,000. Here are facts and figures about Sorenstam:
â?¢ Sorenstam dominated last year’s Chick-fil-A Charity Championship hosted by Nancy Lopez in record-breaking fashion. With three 67s along with a 64, she fired a 23-under-par total of 265 to win by a whopping 10 shots over Candie Kung. In doing so she became the first two-time winner of the event having previously captured the title in 2001.
â?¢ Her Atlanta win was one of three titles that she won by at least eight strokes. The others were the Kraft Nabisco Championship and the Samsung World Championship. In all she won 10 events in 2005 in 20 starts. Along with Mickey Wright, she is the only LPGA player to win 10 or more tournaments in two different years.
â?¢ Last year, she earned her eighth Rolex Player of the Year award to pass Kathy Whitworth for the most in LPGA history. She recorded 15 top-10 finishes in her 20 starts. Her scoring average of 69.33 was the Tour’s best and was under 70 for the fifth consecutive year.
â?¢ She has now won five or more events for six consecutive years and 43 total over the past five years. In 255 career tournaments she has missed just eight cuts, a remarkable success rate of 97%.
â?¢ Annika set or tied LPGA records for fastest to $400,000, $500,000, $700,000, $800,000, $900,000 and $1 million in season earnings; set or tied LPGA records for most consecutive $400,000, $500,000, $600,000, $700,000, $800,000, $900,000 and $1 million seasons; became the first player to reach $16 million in career earnings with her win at the Safeway International Presented by Coca-Cola; $17 million at the McDonald’s LPGA Championship and $18 million at the Mizuno Classic.
â?¢ In 2003 she became the first woman since 1945 to compete on the PGA Tour when she competed at the Bank of America Colonial in Fort Worth last May. She fired rounds of 71-75 to miss the cut, but garnered unprecedented worldwide interest and media attention to women’s golf.
â?¢ She entered the LPGA Tour and golf history books in 2001 when she fired a second round 59 at the Standard Register Ping to become the first woman to break 60 in competition. The round included 13 birdies, eight of which were in succession. Her 72 hole (261) and 36 hole (124) totals were all-time Tour records and her 54-hole total equaled Karrie Webb’s record.
â?¢ In addition to her wins at the 2001 and 2005 Chick-fil-A Charity Championship hosted by Nancy Lopez she also tied for third in 1999.
Tournament note:
The annual tournament Kid’s Clinic will be held on Tuesday, April 18 at 4:30 p.m. on the practice range. In addition to LPGA players, the instructors will include Jennifer Adyorough, the 2005 AAAA State High School Champion. Jennifer has been an active participant in the First Tee of Atlanta program. The clinic is open to all children and is free of charge.
Proceeds from the Atlanta Charity Championship benefit the Henry Medical Center; Dayton, Ohio-based AIM for the Handicapped, the favorite charity of Nancy Lopez; and the East Lake Foundation.
Contact:
John Marshall
Marshall & Associates
(770) 436-2643
Torrey Gane
Atlanta Charity Championship hosted by Nancy Lopez
(770) 474-4653
