MT. PLEASANT, S.C. -- South Korean Seon Hwa Lee earned a spot in the season-ending ADT Championship by winning the Ginn Tribute Hosted by ANNIKA. Lee made a par on the first hole during the sudden-death playoff against Australian Karrie Webb to collect the victory, her first of the season and the third of her career.
“I feel really great, and I don't have to worry about (ADT) points anymore, so that means a lot, so no pressure anymore. That's good for me,” said Lee who posted a final-round 5-under-par 67 to tie Webb with a tournament total of 14-under-par 274.
Lee joins Rolex Rankings’ number one Lorena Ochoa and Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam as the only automatic qualifiers this season. 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.
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 June 5-8 at the McDonald’s LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola, the second major of the LPGA season. In addition, since the McDonald’s LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola is the last tournament of the first half of the LPGA season, the top 11 players on the ADT Points List will secure their spots in the ADT Championship.
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.
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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
