CAMBRIDGE, Mass. October 24, 2006 — The Legends Tour, the LPGA’s official tour for professionals age 45 and older, announces the final roster today for the "World Team" in this year’s inaugural Handa Cup. The World Team will be comprised of eligible players who were born outside of the United States.
Captained by World Golf Hall of Fame member Hisako "Chako" Higuchi of Japan — who was the first Japanese player to compete on the LPGA Tour — the World Team will consist of 12 players, six of whom either played or currently play on the LPGA Tour.
The World team will face the previously announced United States team in the first-ever Handa Cup, to be staged Dec. 15-17, at the World Golf Village’s Slammer & Squire Course in St. Augustine, Fla. Twelve professionals from each team will square off in an event that will feature a one-day pro-am, followed by two days of team match play between the U.S. and World teams. The U.S. team is captained by LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famer Kathy Whitworth.
"Players on both sides of this year’s Handa Cup represent some of the most distinguished contributing women golf professionals in the world," said Legends Tour President Jane Blalock. "Not only have they played some amazing golf over the years, but they also have represented their home countries and states with tremendous honor and often unmatched accomplishment."
Higuchi won the Japan LPGA (JLPGA) Championship nine times and the Japanese Women’s Open four times. She won 69 JLPGA titles and was the tour’s leading money winner from 1968 to 1976. Higuchi joined the LPGA Tour in the United States in 1969 and played on a part-time basis for 10 years. She won the 1976 Colgate European Women’s Open and the 1977 LPGA Championship, becoming the first Japanese woman to win on the LPGA Tour. Higuchi is still the only Japanese player on either the PGA or LPGA Tours to win a major championship. After retiring from competitive play, she became the commissioner of the JLPGA in 1994, and currently serves as chairman of the board of the JLPGA.
Higuchi’s World team will be comprised of three current LPGA Tour members: Dawn Coe-Jones of Campbell River, British Columbia, winner of three LPGA titles and a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame; Sally Little of Cape Town, South Africa, winner of 15 LPGA titles, including two major championships at the 1980 LPGA Championship and the 1988 du Maurier Classic; and Jan Stephenson of Sydney, Australia, winner of 16 LPGA titles, including three major championships at the 1981 Peter Jackson Classic, the 1982 LPGA Championship and the 1983 U.S. Women’s Open Championship, as well as winner of the Legends Tour’s 2000 Hy-Vee Classic and 2005 BJ’s Charity Championship.
"I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Dawn Coe-Jones, Sally Little and Jan Stephenson will forever be considered among the greatest LPGA Tour players to come from their respective countries in Canada, South Africa and Australia," added Blalock. "Together, the three of them combine for 34 LPGA wins and five major championships."
Former LPGA Tour members on the World Handa Cup team will be: retired LPGA Tour member Alicia Dibos of Lima, Peru, who recorded seven top-25 LPGA finishes in 2001, including a career-best tie for second in 1994 at the Children’s Medical Center Classic, as well as two runner-up finishes on the Legends Tour at the 2006 World Senior Ladies Golf Open Championship and the 2006 Hy-Vee Classic; retired LPGA Tour member Anne-Marie Palli of Ciboure, France, winner of two LPGA titles, including the 1983 Samaritan Turquoise Classic and the 1992 ShopRite LPGA Classic; and retired LPGA Tour member Barb (Bunkowsky) Scherbak of Toronto, Ontario, an 18-year LPGA Tour veteran and winner of the 1984 Chrysler-Plymouth Charity Classic.
Rounding out the World Handa Cup team will be: Maria Alice Gonzalez of Sao Paulo, Brazil, who finished third in the 1981 World Cup Championship and was a member of the Brazilian Ladies Team, which won seven Los Andes Cup titles; Mieko Nomura of Tokyo, Japan, winner of the 2006 Fukuya Cup and a member of the Japan LPGA (JLPGA) since 1989; Michiko Okada of Iwaki-city, Japan, winner of one JLPGA title and the Guinness Book of Records title holder as the oldest winner of a golf tournament;
Cathy Panton-Lewis of Bridge of Allan, Scotland, winner of 14 Ladies European Tour (LET) victories, the 1979 LET Order of Merit winner and a founding member of the LET; Angie Tsai of Taipei City, Taiwan, president of the Taiwan LPGA; and Nayoko Yoshikawa of Kyoto, Japan, winner of 29 JLPGA victories, including the 2006 Kyocela Ladies Open, and winner of the 1998 JLPGA Medal for Merit.
Single day grounds passes ($10) will be available for purchase on-site at the entrance to the Handa Cup tournament, behind the World Golf Hall of Fame. A grounds pass will be needed for access into the tournament on Saturday, Dec. 16, and Sunday, Dec. 17. No refunds, no rain checks. Amateur spots in the Friday pro-am are still available for purchase and interested community groups may obtain complimentary one-day passes in advance by contacting JBC Golf, Inc.
The Legends Tour is an Official Tour of the LPGA for professionals 45 and older. Founded in 2000, the mission of The Legends Tour is to provide opportunities for professional women golfers to compete and to promote women’s golf worldwide. The bourgeoning women’s tour has grown to more than 100 members, including some of the most recognizable names in women’s golf. Combined, The Legends Tour members have won 600 tournaments, including 55 major championships. Current LPGA members turn 45 virtually every year, contributing to the tour’s long-term growth and vitality.
Contact:
Erin Wilson at JBC Golf, Inc.
617-225-0008, ext. 104
ewilson@jbcgolf.com