HAVRE DE GRACE, Md., June 7, 2007 When Se Ri Paks final putt on the 18th hole dropped today and signaled the completion of her first round at the McDonalds LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola, Pak officially qualified for entrance into the LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame, one of the most difficult in all of sports in which to gain entry. Pak will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame at the annual induction ceremony at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla., on Nov. 12.
This is the best moment of my life and Im happy to be an LPGA member joining the Hall of Fame. This is my biggest dream and basically dreams do come true, said Pak after qualifying for the LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame. This is one of the things that Ive dreamed about and finally Ive made it.
For Pak, today marks the end of more than a three-year wait, as she earned the requisite 27 points needed to qualify for membership into the Hall with her win at the 2004 Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill. However, Pak had to wait for today to complete the final requirement completing 10 seasons as an active member of the LPGA Tour.
When Pak burst onto the LPGA scene in 1998, she recorded one of the best rookie seasons in Tour history. During that season, Pak captured two major victories, including her first of three McDonalds LPGA Championship wins with a wire-to-wire victory. A mere month later, Pak became the youngest winner in U.S. Womens Open history after winning a 20-hole playoff against amateur Jenny Chuasiriporn, making that tournament at 92 holes in length the longest tournament ever in womens professional golf. With two majors under her belt, Pak joined Juli Inkster as the only LPGA players to capture two modern major championships in her rookie year. Overall in 1998, Pak accumulated $872,170 in season earnings, ranking second on the LPGA Official Season Money List behind Annika Sorenstam, notched four Tour victories and ran away with the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year honor.
During her following nine years on Tour, Pak continued to reign as a dominant figure at each Tour stop. Pak posted four additional wins in her sophomore season, and five each in 2001 and 2002.
Pak, who single-handedly introduced competitive golf to young females in South Korea, now has 23 career victories to her name, including five majors. Her induction into the Halls of Fame, and the crowning achievement of her professional career, comes at the site of her first career victory, the McDonalds LPGA Championship, which she has won three times, and is defending this week.
The LPGA Tour and the World Golf Halls of Fame is one of the hardest in all of sports to qualify for, and Se Ri has accomplished a feat that only 22 LPGA members have done before her, said LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens. The entire LPGA family is so proud of her achieving this wonderful accomplishment.
Se Ri has proven herself to be one of the greatest champions on the LPGA Tour and its appropriate that she be recognized with the greatest players of the game, said Jack Peter, senior vice president and chief operating officer of the World Golf Hall of Fame. We look forward getting to know Se Ri, her family and friends in these coming months as we prepare to tell her story alongside the other greats of the game this November.
The Hall of Fame criteria for active LPGA Tour players are based on accumulating 27 points based on performance and a 10-year-minimum for membership on the LPGA Tour. The criteria for an active player are: must be/have been an active LPGA member for 10 years; must have won/been awarded at least one of the followingan LPGA major championship, the Vare Trophy or Rolex Player of the Year honors; must have accumulated a total of 27 Hall of Fame points, which are awarded as follows1 point for each LPGA official tournament win, 2 points for each LPGA major tournament win, 1 point for each Vare Trophy earned, 1 point for each Rolex Player of the Year honor earned.
The members of the LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame are: Patty Berg (1951); Betty Jameson (1951); Louise Suggs (1951); Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1951); Betsy Rawls (1960); Mickey Wright (1964); Kathy Whitworth (1975); Sandra Haynie (1977); Carol Mann (1977); JoAnne Carner (1982); Nancy Lopez (1987); Pat Bradley (1991); Patty Sheehan (1993); Betsy King (1995); Amy Alcott (1999); Beth Daniel (1999); Juli Inkster (1999); Judy Rankin, (2000); Donna Caponi (2001); Marlene Hagge (2002); Annika Sorenstam (2003); Karrie Webb (2005); Pak (2007) and honorary member Dinah Shore (1994).
The 2007 World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Monday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. on the World Golf Hall of Fame Lawn at World Golf Village. The ceremony is free and open to the public and will be broadcast nationally on the Golf Channel. Pak will join Hubert Green (Veterans Category) and Curtis Strange (PGA TOUR Ballot), among others who are yet to be announced as part of the 2007 Class of Inductees.
About the World Golf Hall of Fame
World Golf Hall of Fame, located in St. Augustine, Fla., is the ultimate destination for the celebration and recognition of golfs greatest players and contributors and an inspiration to golfers and fans throughout the world. A collaboration of 26 national and international golf organizations support the Hall of Fame, including the PGA TOUR, LPGA, USGA, PGA of America and The R&A. The museum houses interactive exhibits and historic and personal artifacts that tell the stories of its members and the game of golf. Adjacent is the World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX Theater. For more information, visit www.wgv.com.
About Ladies Professional Golf Association
Featuring the worlds best women golfers, the LPGAs membership includes touring, teaching and club professionals. The LPGA Tour in 2007 features 35 events, with total prize money of nearly $55 million. Since 1981, the LPGA and its tournaments have raised approximately $180 million for charity. From the dreams of its 13 founders in 1950, the LPGA has evolved into the worlds pre-eminent womens 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:
Connie Wilson, LPGA, 386-274-6200
Jane Fader, World Golf Hall of Fame, 904-940-4009
Peyton Taylor, World Golf Hall of Fame, 904-940-4059
