PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The field for the ADT Championship will grow to 15 players this week, as the first half of the LPGA Playoffs 2007 comes to an end at the conclusion of the Wegmans LPGA.
Morgan Pressel, Brittany Lincicome, Suzann Pettersen and Nicole Castrale have already secured their spot in the season-ending ADT Championship via the LPGA Playoffs 2007. The Nov. 15-18 ADT Championship is a one-of-a-kind event that will feature 32 LPGA stars playing for a record $1 million first-place paycheck for the second consecutive year. Three of the four qualifiers are Rolex First-Time Winners, with Pettersen and Castrale making their first appearance at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Pressel, Lincicome, Pettersen and Castrale all gained entry by capturing one of the Winner events in the first half of the LPGA Playoffs 2007. Nineteen-year-old Pressel was the first player to qualify for the ADT Championship at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, where she became the youngest player in LPGA Tour history to win a major championship. Lincicome punched her ticket to West Palm Beach when she notched her second career victory at the Ginn OPEN in April.
Pettersen came from four strokes back at the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill to force a three-hole playoff and came out victorious for her first-career victory. Castrale also qualified for the ADT Championship in exciting fashion as she defeated Rolex Rankings’ number one Lorena Ochoa in a one-hole, sudden-death playoff at the Ginn Tribute Hosted by ANNIKA.
Just one month after her first-career win, Pettersen also won the McDonald’s LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola, the fifth and final Winner event during the first half of the LPGA Playoffs 2007. Her win opened up another spot for players to qualify from the ADT Points list, bringing the total to 11 players who will fill out spots five through 15 after the final putt sinks on Sunday at Locust Hill Country Club.
Lorena Ochoa finds herself in a similar position to 2006, as she is yet again a lock to earn one of the at-large bids. The two-time champion this year leads the ADT Points race with 1,254,404 ADT Points, which is a 585,430-point lead over second-place Paula Creamer (668,974). On the strength of three top-five finishes in the last month, Sarah Lee is currently in third in the standings with 580,948 ADT Points, while Stacy Prammanasudh (552,707) and Mi Hyun Kim (526,988) round out the top five.
The second half of the LPGA Playoffs 2007 begins at the U.S. Women’s Open, where all point totals will be cleared to begin anew for a chance to fill an additional 15 second-half spots. ADT Points will be derived based on money that players earn in official events during the second half of the season, with one ADT Point being equivalent to $1 earned.
During the second half of the season, five players will earn automatic spots for the ADT Championship. The U.S. Women’s Open, HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship, Evian Masters, Ricoh Women’s British Open and the CN Canadian Women’s Open are the designated Winner events for the second half of the season.
After the conclusion of The Mitchell Company LPGA Tournament of Champions on Nov. 11, the remaining spots will be filled off the ADT Points list until 15 players have been added to the ADT Championship field from the second half of the LPGA Playoffs 2007. Two additional players from the LPGA Official Money List, not otherwise qualified, will be added as wildcards to round out the 32-player field.
The ADT Championship will be played in the following format (a sudden-death playoff will be used at the end of each round in the event of a tie): The first cut will be after 36 holes to 16 players and all scorecards will be wiped clean for Saturday’s third round; the second cut will be after 54 holes to eight players. The final round will be played in four groups of two, with all players again starting with a fresh scorecard. Whoever shoots the lowest score in the final round will win the ADT Championship and $1 million.
The following players lead the ADT Points race for the ADT Championship based on their performance through the McDonald’s LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola:
1 Lorena Ochoa 1,254,404
2 Paula Creamer 668,974
3 Sarah Lee 580,948
4 Stacy Prammanasudh 552,707
5 Mi Hyun Kim 526,988
6 Jee Young Lee 485,609
7 Karrie Webb 401,790
8 Juli Inkster 372,980
9 Meaghan Francella 367,413
10 Angela Park 358,764
11 Young Kim 341,924
12 Ai Miyazato 330,614
13 Laura Davies 329,225
14 Angela Stanford 316,633
15 Se Ri Pak 311,581
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About the Ladies Professional Golf Association
Featuring the world’s best golfers, the LPGA’s 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 world’s pre-eminent 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.
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