Captains Annika Sorenstam and Grace Park return to lead their teams
SINGAPORE (June 2, 2006) – Toyota Motor Asia Pacific and IMG today announced the return of the Lexus Cup to Singapore this December. As a result of the resounding success of last year’s tournament, the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) have decided to officially sanction the event this year, adding prestige and stature to the event.
With the sanction, only the top players from the LPGA will have a chance to represent their respective teams. The Lexus Cup will also serve as the season-ending event on the LPGA Tour calendar, providing a story book finish for some of the top female golfers in the world.
Spectators will get the chance to witness a repeat of the titanic clash between the Asian and International teams at the Lexus Cup from 15-17 December on the newly renovated Garden Course at the Tanah Merah Country Club. The prestigious ladies team event will pit 12 international players against 12 players from Asia, providing local and worldwide fans the opportunity to support their favourite players and cheer for their respective teams.
Returning captain Grace Park will be leading the Asian team, and will undoubtedly be looking to wrestle the Lexus Cup from Annika Sorenstam’s International team which soundly defeated the Asian contingent at last year’s inaugural Lexus Cup.
"Last year’s inaugural Lexus Cup had a record turnout and proved that there is significant interest in ladies golf and Lexus is excited to be part of this development and growth of the game," said Mr. M Takemoto, President of Toyota Motor Asia Pacific, "With the LPGA sanction this year, we can be sure of having an assembly of proven winners from the LPGA Tour, and spectators can look forward to a tantalizing clash of the best!"
"We are thrilled to sanction the 2006 Lexus Cup," said LPGA Commissioner Carolyn F. Bivens. "It is a prestigious team event featuring 24 of the best players from around the world competing in a competitive and entertaining format. This will be a wonderful way to conclude a terrific 2006 season. I know the players truly enjoyed the week in Singapore last year and am confident that fans will once again enjoy seeing some of the best players in the world compete."
A player selection criterion has been established to ensure that the top performers during the LPGA Tour season qualify for the respective teams. The top four (4) Asian and International players from the ADT Official Money List will be picked for each team, followed by the top four (4) Asian and International players from the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. The last four (4) members for each team will consist of two (2) captain’s picks and two (2) sponsor’s exemptions.
"The LPGA sanction is validation that the Lexus Cup is on its way to rival the likes of the President’s Cup," said Robbie Henchman, Senior Vice President of IMG. "It is a win-win situation for both the public and the growth of the game as more world class tournaments are staged to encourage people to take up the sport. IMG is honoured to be part of this development and looks forward to staging this prestigious and thrilling event again."
The event is once again supported by the Singapore Sports Council and will form part of Singapore’s growing international sporting calendar.
"With more events added to the Calendar, Singaporeans will now be able to experience more world-class action at their doorsteps. We hope to grow women’s and youth’s participation in golf through their experience as a spectator and in time, converted players. It is also a process of discovering new talents and growing the talent pool." said Daniel Metcalfe, Chief (High Participation & Industry Development Group). "Through partnerships of premium events such as this, corporate partners also stand to gain from the premium association and having a platform to articulate their corporate values."
Sponsors for this year’s Lexus Cup include DBS Bank, Rolex and Singapore Airlines.
Captain’s picks and sponsor’s exemptions for each team will be unveiled nearer the event date.
Current ADT Official Money List (top ten as of May 28, 2006)
Lorena Ochoa – Mexico
Karrie Webb – Australia
Hee-Won Han – Korea
Mi Hyun Kim – Korea
Cristie Kerr – United States
Juli Inkster – United States
Annika Sorenstam – Sweden
Seon Hwa Lee – Korea
Meena Lee – Korea
Natalie Gulbis – United States
Current Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings (top ten as of May 29, 2006)
Annika Sorenstam – Sweden
Lorena Ochoa – Mexico
Paula Creamer – United States
Karrie Webb – Australia
Cristie Kerr – United States
Yuri Fudoh – Japan
Juli Inkster – United States
Hee-Won Han – Korea
Morgan Pressel – United States
Ai Miyazato – Japan
About The Lexus Cup
The Lexus Cup is a prestigious LPGA-sanctioned ladies team event pitting 12 international players against 12 leading players from Asia. This year’s tournament will take place from 15-17 December at the Tanah Merah Country Club. Team members are selected based on their rankings and season earnings, including two (2) captain’s picks and two (2) sponsor’s exemptions. The event is supported by the Singapore Sports Council and will form part of Singapore’s growing international sporting calendar.
About Lexus
Lexus belongs to the global Toyota family. Through its passionate commitment to the finest products and the most satisfying automobile ownership experience, Lexus has become synonymous with luxury, quality and innovative engineering since its introduction in 1989. Within a decade, the Lexus brand and reputation achieved remarkable growth and became America’s best-selling line of luxury motor vehicles as it entered the new millennium.
About IMG
IMG is the world’s premier Sports, Entertainment and Media Company. IMG is a diversified global business with two major business segments: IMG Sports & Entertainment, and IMG Media. IMG employs over 2,300 people in 30 countries. Forstmann Little & Co. purchased IMG in 2004.
IMG Sports & Entertainment includes consulting services; event ownership and management; fashion events and models representation; golf course design; licensing; client representation in golf, tennis, broadcasting, baseball, hockey, football, European football, rugby, cricket, motorsports, coaching, Olympic sports and action sports. In addition, IMG Academies are the world’s largest and most successful, multi-sport training and education facilities.
IMG Media, which includes our TWI subsidiary, is recognized as a global leader in the delivery of new media services, with Internet, broadband and mobile expertise, transforming how audiences access and interact with content. In addition, IMG Media produces and distributes over 9,000 hours of content annually, including award winning television and radio programming, over multiple platforms across 200 countries and covering more than 240 sports. It also represents the broadcast rights to many of the world’s premier sporting events and has the world’s biggest sports archive with more than 200,000 hours of footage.
About the LPGA
Featuring the world’s best women golfers, the LPGA’s membership includes touring, teaching and club professionals. The LPGA Tour in 2006 features 36 events, with total prize money of more than $50 million. Since 1981, the LPGA and its tournaments have raised approximately $170 million for charity. From the dreams of its 13 founders in 1950, the LPGA has evolved into the world’s pre-eminent women’s professional sports organization. The LPGA has grown from its roots as a playing tour into a non-profit organization involved in every facet of golf. In addition to the LPGA Tour members, the LPGA membership includes nearly 1,200 certified Teaching and Club Professionals (T&CP) who serve the golf industry in teaching, coaching and management positions. The LPGA T&CP member programs focus on increasing the involvement of women, girls and youth in golf, as well as contribute to the growth of the sport overall. The LPGA is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Fla. For more information on the LPGA, log on to www.LPGA.com.
Contact:
Sheila Rasu
Fulford Public Relations
Account Director
+65 6324 2269
srasu@fulfordpr.com
