Rolex Rankings No.1 Yani Tseng and No. 2 Jiyai Shin headline a star-packed field which includes Top American Cristie Kerr, Hall of Fame members Juli Inkster and Karrie Webb, and LPGA newcomers Jennifer Song and Jessica Korda.
PHOENIX (March 8, 2011) – As the field closed Tuesday for the inaugural RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup, Rolex Rankings No. 1 Yani Tseng, already a four-time winner worldwide in 2011, and No. 2 Jiyai Shin, headline what will undoubtedly be an unforgettable first year for the unique event.
The RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup, taking place March 18-20 at Wildfire Golf Club at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, will donate its entire $1-million purse to charity, with $500,000 going to The LPGA Foundation and its LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program and $500,000 going to the top-10 finishers’ designated charities.
Top American Cristie Kerr, No. 5 in the Rolex Rankings, will play, as will other fan favorites Morgan Pressel, Christina Kim and Paula Creamer. LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame member Karrie Webb, who won her 37th LPGA title two weeks ago at the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore, will also be in the field. There’s also the long-hitting Brittany Lincicome and Laura Davies, the 74-time world-wide winner who will make her 2011 debut in Phoenix. You also can never count out 50-year-old Hall of Fame member and 31-time winner Juli Inkster, who’s still at the top of her game, vying to become the oldest winner in LPGA history.
The RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup will be the American professional debut of much-heralded young gun Jessica Korda, daughter of former professional tennis player Petr Korda. Joining her will be two-time LPGA Futures Tour winner Jennifer Song, the 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur and Women’s Public Links champion and now an LPGA Tour rookie. LPGA Futures Tour Player of the Year last year, Cindy LaCrosse, will make her 2011 debut.
But there’s not a hotter player in the world right now than Tseng. Tseng, who won Rolex Player of the Year last year after winning two major championships – the Kraft Nabisco Championship and RICOH Women’s British Open – made headlines when she bought Annika Sorenstam’s Orlando home and was challenged by the 73-time winner to refill her trophy cases.
Well, Tseng must have taken the challenge to heart, because to so far in 2011, she has won four times world-wide, including the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open and ANZ RACV Ladies Open co-sanctioned by Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG) and the Ladies European Tour (LET)and the season-opening Honda LPGA Thailand on the LPGA Tour. Then the following week, going for four straight, she finished third at the HSBC Women’s Champions, almost chasing down eventual winner Webb with a final-day 67.
Two players will also earn spots into the field via the qualifier on Tuesday, March 15.
While LPGA players will forgo tournament earnings in favor of charity, results at the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup will impact the 2011 LPGA Official Money List. Players also will earn points towards Rolex Player of the Year, Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year, Rolex Rankings and U.S. Solheim Cup team. Scores posted also will count towards the prestigious Vare Trophy.
The RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup Pro-Am will take place at Wildfire Golf Club at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix Thursday, March 17 and the first round begins on Friday, March 18 with the tournament concluding on Sunday, March 20.
For more tournament information, please visit www.LPGAFounders.com or call 1-888-LPGATIX (574-2849). Children 17 and under will receive free tournament admission with a ticketed adult. Active military members and their immediate family can receive free tournament admission when showing a valid active military ID at the main admission gate.
About the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup
The RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup represents the collective responsibility shared by LPGA players and sponsors – the responsibility to honor the history of the LPGA and a commitment to the future of the women’s game. LPGA players will forgo tournament earnings to support the LPGA Foundation and its LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program which impacted more than 6,600 young girls in 2010. With special appearances by LPGA Founders and LPGA and World Golf
Halls of Fame members, the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup will honor the past, showcase the present and provide for the future of the LPGA and women’s golf.
About RR Donnelley
RR Donnelley, Official Print Provider of the LPGA, is a global supplier of integrated communications. Founded in 1864, the company works collaboratively with more than 60,000
customers worldwide to develop custom communications solutions that reduce costs, enhance ROI and ensure compliance. Drawing on a range of proprietary and commercially available digital and conventional technologies deployed across four continents, the company employs a suite of leading Internet based capabilities and other resources to provide premedia, printing, logistics and business process outsourcing services to leading clients in virtually every private and public sector. For more information, and for RR Donnelley’s Corporate Social Responsibility Report, visit the company’s web site at http://www.rrdonnelley.com.
About JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa
Arizona’s largest luxury resort, JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa features 950 guestrooms, 10 dining experiences, the renowned Revive Spa, eight tennis courts and four acres of shimmering pools and waterways including the celebrated Lazy River with a serpentine slide, and two championship golf courses. JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa is located where Phoenix meets Scottsdale, just 20 minutes north of Sky Harbor International Airport, with easy access to the Loop 101 freeway. For more information about JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa located at 5350 E. Marriott Drive in Phoenix, call 480-293-5000, toll free at 800-835-6206 or visit www.jwdesertridgeresort.com.
About the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association)
The LPGA is the world’s leading professional golf organization for women. Founded in 1950, the association celebrates a diverse and storied membership with more than 1,700 members representing 29 different countries. With a Vision to inspire, empower, educate and entertain by showcasing the very best of women’s golf, LPGA Tour Professionals compete across the globe, while dedicated LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals (T&CP) directly impact the game through teaching, coaching and management. The LPGA Futures Tour consistently produces a pipeline of talent ready for the world stage. The LPGA is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida. Follow the LPGA on its television home, Golf Channel, and on the web via: www.LPGA.com, www.facebook.com/lpga.official, www.twitter.com/lpga, and www.youtube.com/lpgavideo.
Contact:
Heather Daly-Donofrio, (386) 843-0130, heather.dalydonofrio@lpga.com
Dana Gordon, Brener Zwikel & Associates, (856) 397-2917, danag@bzapr.com
Damian Secore, Brener Zwikel & Associates, (951) 454-6047, damians@bzapr.com
