Golf News for Monday, May 19, 2008 | Tournaments

Ochoa and Sorenstam still only sure ADT Championship golfers

CLIFTON, N.J. -- Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa moved a third ADT Championship qualifying spot, fourth overall, to the ADT Points list after winning the rain-shortened Sybase Classic Presented by ShopRite. Ochoa and Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam are the only two players this season to secure their spots in the season-ending ADT Championship.

Ochoa secured her spot in the ADT Championship by winning the HSBC Women’s Champions earlier in March, while Sorenstam claimed a spot with a victory at the Stanford International Pro-Am in April. Both Ochoa and Sorenstam have won multiple Winner Events moving a total of four qualifying spots to the ADT Points and upping the total number of LPGA players to qualifying off the list during the first half of the season to 11.

Paula Creamer stayed on top of the first-half ADT Points list with 855,334 points, while rookie Yani Tseng moved back into second place with 500,184 points. The first half of the ADT Point List will culminate after the second major of the LPGA season - the McDonald’s LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola.

The following is an up-to-date First Half ADT Points list:
Rank Player Name Points
1 Paula Creamer 855,334
2 Yani Tseng 500,184
3 Jeong Jang 486,955
4 Suzann Pettersen 417,527
5 Na Yeon Choi 348,157
6 Angela Stanford 334,491
7 Christina Kim 334,265
8 Karen Stupples 327,836
9 Brittany Lang 323,135
10 Jee Young Lee 308,136
11 Teresa Lu 295,712
12 Song-Hee Kim 289,792
13 Inbee Park 286,036
14 Laura Diaz 264,607
15 Lindsey Wright 260,993

The LPGA Playoffs 2008, a yearlong competitive structure that splits the official LPGA season into two halves, culminates at the ADT Championship, Nov. 20-23, at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. Fifteen players from each half qualify for the ADT Championship, and two additional wildcards will be determined following the Lorena Ochoa Invitational Presented by Banamex and Corona.

Out of the 32 spots in the ADT Championship, 13 will be awarded to winners of Winner Events, which are defined as official LPGA Tour events with a purse of at least $2 million. The remaining spots in each half will be awarded using a performance-based points system–ADT Points – to determine ADT Championship qualifiers who are not otherwise qualified.

The next Winner Event is in two weeks when the LPGA Tour stops in South Carolina for the Ginn Tribute Hosted by ANNIKA.

The 2008 ADT Championship features a $1,550,000 purse with the winner taking home a $1 million paycheck, the largest first-place prize in the history of women’s golf. The ADT Championship will also feature three days of playoffs with a cut after 36 holes. Players start with a fresh scorecard for the third round, which ends with another cut to the top eight players. A live draw will take place with the final eight players immediately following the third round, where players will draft their own tee time based on their third-round finish. A final-day shoot-out with the remaining players will have them, again, starting with a fresh scorecard for their chance at the $1 million winner’s check.

Tickets and packages to the ADT Championship are available online at www.adtchampionship.com or by calling 888-LPGA-TIX (574-2849). All children 15 years old and under will receive free grounds admission when accompanied by a ticketed adult.

About ADT Security Services
ADT Security Services, a unit of Tyco International, is the largest provider of electronic security services to nearly six million commercial, government and residential customers throughout North America. ADT's total security solutions include intrusion, fire protection, closed circuit television, access control, critical condition monitoring, electronic article surveillance, radio frequency identification (RFID) and integrated systems. ADT's Web site address is www.adt.com

About the Ladies Professional Golf Association
As the longest-running women’s professional sports organization in the world, the LPGA features a membership comprised of world-class LPGA Tour professionals and dedicated Teaching and Club Professionals (T&CP). Today’s LPGA Tour features the most talented global sampling of professional athletes competing in 35 events on six continents with total prize money of more than $60 million. In addition to its dynamic Tour members, nearly 1,200 certified T&CP members serve the golf industry in teaching, coaching and management positions, and oversee programs aimed at increasing the involvement of women, girls and youth in golf. The not-for-profit LPGA’s Vision is to inspire, empower, educate and entertain by showcasing the best golf professionals in the world. Its Mission is to be a leader in the world of sports, to promote economic empowerment for all members, and to serve as role models on and off the course. The LPGA is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Fla. For more information on the LPGA, log on to www.LPGA.com.

Media contact: Rebecca Seelig; PBPR, 561.628.5929, rseelig@pb-pr.com



 
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