REUNION, Fla., March 20, 2006 -The field is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing events on the LPGA, featuring 30 of the top 30 on the ADT Official Money List in the inaugural Ginn Clubs & Resorts Open at Reunion Resort & Club, the week of April 24-30. The top players on the LPGA will join No.1-World Ranked Annika Sorenstam, who is expected to play, to compete for $2.5 million–the second highest purse on the LPGA only behind the U.S. Women’s Open.
"We are pleased and honored to have such a remarkable field," said Bobby Ginn, president and CEO of The Ginn Company. "As a first-year event, we are striving to provide a one-of-a-kind event for LPGA players and fans alike. With such a high quality list of players, we look forward to watching these world-class athletes compete for the coveted trophy, as well as provide the fans an unforgettable experience."
LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famer Juli Inkster leads the ADT Official Money List. After three events, Inkster has earned $235,243. The field consists of 63 LPGA tournament winners, who own 332 titles. Sorenstam leads with 67 titles, while Inkster (31 titles), Karrie Webb (30 titles) and Amy Alcott (29 titles) are next with most wins. The field includes all the 2006 winners Joo Mi Kim (SBS Open at Turtle Bay), Meena Lee (Fields Open), Sorenstam (Mastercard Classic) and Inkster (Safeway International Presented by Coca-Cola).
Also highlighting the field is Morgan Pressel, the 17-year-old LPGA rookie, who is ranked 21st, Japanese sensation Ai Miyazato, 20, an LPGA rookie who won the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament by a record 12 shots and 2005 LPGA Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Paula Creamer, who has two LPGA titles and is currently ranked 10th. Lorena Ochoa, the Mexican sensation and owner of three LPGA titles, is ranked sixth.
Many of the top-ranked players in the world will be showcased, including 16 of the top 20 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.
The field will feature members of the victorious 2005 U.S. Solheim Cup Team, including Inkster, Creamer, Laura Diaz, Natalie Gulbis, Pat Hurst, Rosie Jones, Kerr, Christina Kim, Meg Mallon, Michele Redman and Wendy Ward. Four members of the LPGA Tour and World Golf Hall of Fame will compete including: Amy Alcott; Inkster; Sorenstam and the newest inductee Karrie Webb, who joined in 2005.
LPGA Official Money List Year-To-Date
Rank Player Name # of Events Money Won Last Week
1 Juli Inkster 3 $235,243 27
2 Seon Hwa Lee 4 $217,523 1
3 Meena Lee 4 $196,751 2
4 Annika Sorenstam 2 $195,577 3
5 Joo Mi Kim 3 $175,452 4
6 Lorena Ochoa 4 $140,825 5
7 Natalie Gulbis 4 $140,815 6
8 Sarah Lee 4 $131,700 101
9 Cristie Kerr 4 $128,850 10
10 Paula Creamer 4 $118,398 8
11 Aree Song 3 $112,612 39
12 Helen Alfredsson 4 $104,743 7
13 Soo Young Moon 4 $81,301 9
14 Jeong Jang 3 $81,132 32
15 Catriona Matthew 4 $79,412 37
16 Julieta Granada 4 $73,284 11
17 Nicole Castrale 4 $71,405 14
18 Mi Hyun Kim 4 $70,683 12
19 Stacy Prammanasudh 4 $66,228 18
20 Karen Stupples 3 $63,644 13
21 Morgan Pressel 3 $54,339 15
22 Hee-Won Han 4 $54,320 20
23 Young-A Yang 3 $50,503 58
24 Suzann Pettersen 4 $49,308 19
25 Sophie Gustafson 4 $43,285 30
26 Miriam Nagl 4 $42,132 16
27 Patricia Meunier-Lebouc 4 $41,966 58
28 Katie Futcher 4 $40,536 17
29 Carin Koch 4 $38,694 23
30 Rachel Hetherington 3 $35,859 52
Tickets will be priced at $10 for each of the practice rounds and pro-am days and $30 for general admission for each of the four rounds. Parking is complimentary and included with each ticket. Weekly badges are available for $80 which allows guests access to all of the tournament events as well as the two evenings of music on Friday and Saturday night with concerts by the Pointer Sisters and Brooks & Dunn, to name a few. Practice rounds will be held on Monday, April 24 and Tuesday, April 25. The Pro-Am will be held on Wednesday, April 26 and the 72-hole competition will begin Thursday, April 27 and run through April 30.
Seniors will be admitted to Thursday’s first round of play for $15 and all military will be admitted to the final round on Sunday for $15. Fans interested in group sales and sponsorship information can call the tournament office at 877-GINNTIX.
The inaugural Ginn Clubs & Resorts Open will be played at Reunion Resort & Club on a composite layout of two of the resort’s courses, the Legacy Course designed by Arnold Palmer and the Independence Course by Tom Watson. CBS Sports and The Golf Channel will televise the event nationally.
Reunion is home to some of the greatest golf in Central Florida. The 7,154-yard Independence Course, Watson’s first Florida design, has garnered many accolades since opening in February 2005. Equally beautiful and challenging is the 6,916-yard Legacy Course, designed by the legendary Palmer. Reunion’s third course, the Tradition Course, a Jack Nicklaus Signature design, is scheduled to open in early 2007.
The four-year agreement between Ginn Clubs & Resorts, tournament organizer Pantheon International and the LPGA, ensures that women’s professional championship golf will be prominently featured at a first-class Florida venue for years to come.
About Ginn Clubs & Resorts
The Ginn Company is a privately held resort development and management firm which specializes in exclusive leisure lifestyle and vacation destination communities across the U.S.
From private residential communities to resort destinations offering unparalleled ownership and vacation opportunities, the common denominator throughout every Ginn Club & Resort is service. The company’s principals have more than three decades of experience in creating extraordinary large-scale, recreation-oriented communities. Current Ginn Clubs & Resorts communities include Cobblestone Park in Columbia, S.C. as well as Belvidere Club & Resort, which encompasses RiverTowne Country Club, The Cottages on Charleston Harbor and Patriot’s Point Golf Course in the Charleston area. The company also owns and operates Hammock Beach, The Conservatory at Hammock Beach and Yacht Harbor Village near St. Augustine, Fla., Reunion Resort & Club of Orlando, Bella Collina north of Orlando and Tesoro and Tesoro Preserve in Port St. Lucie on Florida’s historic "Treasure Coast." The company also owns and operates Mahogany Run Golf Course in St. Thomas and has several projects under development in North Carolina, Vermont, Colorado and in the Bahamas.
About Pantheon International
Pantheon International is a privately held, Westport, CT-based sports marketing & event management firm that own event properties in California, Indiana, New York and
Florida. Pantheon specializes in providing unique corporate marketing platforms through its high profile sports events. The company is a niche leader at originating and producing marquee live sports entertainment that create powerful bonds between corporations and the passionate affinity groups that permeate sports. The company’s core properties include the prestigious John R. Wooden Classic and John R. Wooden Tradition college basketball invitational events, held in honor of the Hall of Fame coaching legend.
About Reunion Resort & Club of Orlando
Located on 2,300 gently rolling acres in Osceola County, the Resort is 25 minutes south of Orlando, Fla., immediately south of Disney’s Town of Celebration, 15 minutes from Walt Disney World and 25 minutes from Orlando International Airport. In addition to championship golf, planned amenities include a five-acre, multi-pool water and swim pavilion, a first-class tennis complex, stables and riding trails, a state-of-the-art spa and fitness center, walking and biking trails, and terrific boutique shopping and dining in Reunion Square. More information about Reunion Resort & Club is available at (888) 418-9611 and www.reunionresort.com.
Contact:
Steve Brener/Dana von Louda
Brener Zwikel & Associates, Inc.
818-344-6195, ext. 103/107
Ryan Julison
Ginn Clubs & Resorts
321-939-4705
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