GLADSTONE, N.J., June 28, 2006 – The 2006 HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship further stamped itself as the premier match play event in the world by naming England’s Laura Davies and Canadian Lorie Kane as sponsor’s exemptions to the $2 million Championship, July 6-9 at Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, N.J.
The inclusion of Davies, heralded for her 20 LPGA victories, four major titles and awe-striking, long-driving ability, and Kane (four career LPGA wins) leaves only one vacancy in the 64-player field – Sunday’s U.S. Women’s Open champion. Kane’s inclusion means 15 countries are now represented in next week’s field.
Davies, 42, who was the Rolex Player of the Year in 1996, has played in nine Solheim Cups and won the 1987 U.S. Women’s Open prior to becoming a full-time LPGA member in 1988. She has amassed over $7 million in career earnings. Her driving average this year is 266.9 yards.
A strong iron player, Kane, 41, is coming off a 2005 season in which she posted four top-10 finishes. Her best result in 2006 is a tie for 20th at March’s MasterCard Classic and she has totaled over $6 million in career earnings.
The roster for this year’s Championship boasts the world’s top-ranked player, Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam, the number two player in the world in teenage phenom Michelle Wie of the United States and Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa, who is the LPGA’s leading money winner in 2006 on the strength of two wins and five runner-up finishes this year and a world ranking of number three.
Additionally, American teenage prodigies Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Natalie Gulbis and Hall of Famers Karrie Webb, from Australia, and Juli Inkster of the USA headline the impressive list of competitors who must win one-on-one duels in each round in order to stay alive in the tournament, which rewards its champion with a $500,000 check.
Twenty-five of the top 30 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings have committed to play in the Championship, which has also reserved berths for 2005 defending champion Marisa Baena, of Colombia, Ladies European Tour Order of Merit leader Gwladys Nocera, of France, and the highest 34 players from the ADT money list (through June 27) who had not otherwise qualified through the aforementioned criteria.
As a No. 60 seed last year, Baena stunningly parlayed a six-match win streak over four days to capture her first LPGA title. Kane was seeded No. 12 and Davies No.15 in last year’s inaugural Championship before both were upended in the first round.
The event will be televised by The Golf Channel on Thursday, July 6 and Friday, July 7 (8:30-10:30 p.m. EST tape delay) and by CBS on Saturday, July 8 and Sunday, July 9 (3-5 p.m. EST). Internationally, the Championship – the only match-play event on the LPGA — will be seen in major global markets with a cumulative reach of an estimated 100 million homes.
The 64 players will be seeded on Monday, July 3rd according to their standing on the Rolex World Rankings. The qualifiers are:
2006 HSBC WOMEN’S WORLD MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS
QUALIFIERS FROM TOP-30 ROLEX WOMEN’S WORLD GOLF RANKINGS (AS OF JUNE 27)
1. Annika Sorenstam Sweden 15. Brittany Langâ?¦â?¦â?¦…USA
2. Michelle Wie USA 16. Seon-Hwa Lee���.Rep. of Korea
3. Lorena Ochoa Mexico 17. Natalie Gulbis���..USA
4. Karrie Webb Australia 19. Se Ri Pak�����..Rep. of Korea
5. Paula Creamer USA 20. Pat Hurst�����..USA
6. Cristie Kerr USA 22. Julieta Granada���Paraguay
7. Yuri Fudoh Japan 23. Jee Young Lee���.Rep. of Korea
8. Jeong Jang Rep. of Korea 24. Meena Lee�����.Rep. of Korea
9. Juli Inkster�����..USA 27. Liselotte Neumann�..Sweden
10. Ai Miyazato����.Japan 28. Michele Redman��..USA
11. Hee-Won Han���..Rep. of Korea 29. Catriona Matthew��Scotland
12. Morgan Pressel���USA 30. Shi-Hyun Ahn����Rep. of Korea
13. Mi Hyun Kim����Rep. of Korea
DEFENDING CHAMPION – Marisa Baena, Colombia
LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR ORDER OF MERIT #1 AS OF JUNE 27 – Gwladys Nocera, France
ADT OFFICIAL MONEY LIST QUALIFIERS (MONEY POSITION DENOTED AS OF JUNE 27)
17. Sung Ah Yim Rep. of Korea 39. Young Kim Rep. of Korea
20. Joo Mi Kim Rep. of Korea 40. Heather Young USA
21. Sherri Steinhauer USA 41. Reilley Rankin USA
22. Helen Alfredsson Sweden 42. Patricia Meunier-Lebouc France
25. Stacy Prammanasudh USA 43. Brandie Burton USA
26. Wendy Ward USA 44. Karine Icher France
27. Laura Diaz USA 45. Nicole Castrale USA
28. Angela Stanford USA 47. Virada Nirapathpongporn Thailand
29. Gloria Hee Jung Park Rep. of Korea 48. Lindsey Wright Australia
30. Kyeong Bae Rep. of Korea 49. Young Jo Rep. of Korea
31. Brittany Lincicome USA 50. Karen Stupples England
32. Suzann Pettersen Norway 52. Rachel Hetherington Australia
33. Sophie Gustafson Sweden 53. Il Mi Chung Rep. of Korea
34. Aree Song Rep. of Korea 54. Beth Daniel USA
35. Christina Kim USA 55. Nancy Scranton USA
36. Marcy Hart USA 56. Miriam Nagl Germany
37. Sarah Lee Rep. of Korea 58. Tina Barrett USA
SPONSOR’S EXEMPTIONS – Laura Davies, England; Lorie Kane, Canada.
Notes to editors:
The HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship takes place at Hamilton Farm on July 6-9. The field will include competitors drawn from the top 30 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings (through June 27), the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open winner, the top player on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit (through June 27), two sponsor exemptions and the leading 29 golfers on the ADT LPGA Official Money List (through June 27) who have not already gained entry into the tournament via the aforementioned criteria.
For further information on the HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship and the HSBC global golf program, please visit www.hsbcgolf.com
Practice rounds will be held on Monday, July 3 and Tuesday, July 4. The HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship Pro-Am will be held on Wednesday, July 5 with a 7:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. shotgun start. Thirty-two first round matches will be held on Thursday, July 6 and sixteen second round matches will be held on Friday, July 7. Third round play will be held the morning of Saturday, July 8 and the quarter-finals will be held on Saturday afternoon. The two semi-final matches will be held Sunday morning, July 9 and the finals will tee off at 12:50 p.m. on Sunday.
Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-866-492-4722 and on line at www.hsbcgolf.com.
The Golf Channel will televise play Thursday, July 6 and Friday, July 7 from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. ET and CBS will air live on Saturday, July 8 and Sunday, July 9 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
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