HALF MOON BAY, Calif. -- San Mateo County's oldest town, dating back to 1840, Half Moon Bay has been inhabited by the Costanoan Indians, Spanish settlers and Canadian rumrunners from the Prohibition era. Tucked away from the larger, more populated cities within the Bay Area and sandwiched between the ominous presence of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean shoreline, the quaint, quiet coastal town of 12,000 people already brims with excitement upon the LPGA's discovery of its hidden jewel of golf.
The 20 best female golfers of 2008 will earn the privilege of exploring the Ocean Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links for the first time on the LPGA at the $1 million Samsung World Championship from Oct. 1-5. Held on some of the world's finest courses, the Samsung World Championship has been played on five continents in 27 years. Half Moon Bay Golf Links is the 15th course to host the event, which began in 1980 at The Country Club in suburban Cleveland, Ohio.
"It is the best thing to have happened to Half Moon Bay Golf Links, and an incredible honor to host this event," Half Moon Bay Golf Links General Manager/Director of Golf Lyn Nelson said. "To host an event where the most elite field in women's golf will be participating is amazing for us. Everyone is excited, the news is shared with our guests and we can't wait for the event to arrive. Half Moon Bay is a special place, and one that we get to share."
"The Samsung World Championship is the talk around town," Half Moon Bay Golf Links head golf professional Kevin Niessner added. "The community is definitely looking forward to hosting this event and showing off their great town by the ocean. The staff at Half Moon Bay Golf Links is very excited to be hosting a world-class event here at our facility."
The Samsung World Championship field boasts the winners of all four LPGA major tournaments in 2008, the leading money winner on the Ladies European Tour and the leading LPGA money winners. Eighteen players who have yet to qualify will aim to challenge defending champion, LPGA Player of the Year, Money List and Vare Trophy champ Lorena Ochoa, the World No. 1 who won the first major of the year at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, McDonald's LPGA Championship teenage winner Yani Tseng, U.S. Women's Open champion Inbee Park and Ricoh Women's British Open champion Ji-Yai Shin.
An Arthur Hills design that opened in 1997, the Ocean Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links is a links course set on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
It will play to 6,450 yards (par 72) for the Samsung World Championship. Ever since the Ocean Course was officially announced as the new tournament site, the local community has been eagerly awaiting the arrival of October.
Said Nelson: "Early on, I attended a City Merchants Committee to give them an overview of the event and share how excited we were to host the tournament. After the presentation, every merchant asked what they could do. Already, many of the stores on Main Street and in the Strawflower Shopping Center have decorated their storefront windows in golf motifs to promote the event. This is definitely a community affair that wants to welcome this event to a place that is warm, friendly and energized to see world-class golf in their backyard. We can't wait to see the best in world play against the ocean."
Weather conditions, namely the wind blowing off of the Pacific Ocean, will make the challenge all the stiffer for the LPGA stars, providing for a thorough examination of their course management.
"Weather will be a large factor in deciding how the ladies score," Niessner said. "The Ocean Course is a links style golf course with nothing to stop the wind if it blows in from off the ocean. If it is blowing hard, it will become the focal point. Playing 2-4 clubs different, it will affect every part of the player's game, even the putting. Course setup will not change very much for the tournament. We will pinch in a few fairways, but it will play close to how it plays everyday."
There are ocean views on every hole, but the course's signature holes are the final three: a 384-yard (from the tips) par 4, a 184-yard par 3 and the finishing 533-yard par-5 18th. All three play along the ocean bluffs and all three combine stellar shot making demands with stunning views. The par-3 17th hole is the course's centerpiece by which fans can be awed while observing how the hole is played.
"No. 17 is a par three that plays along the bluff," Niessner said. "If the wind is blowing, it may be necessary to aim your shot out over the bluff and have the wind bring it back in. Spectacular views of the ocean and playing right up against the bluff make it a great hole."
Preparing the Ocean Course for the Samsung World Championship has been an ongoing process. HMBGL added six staff members to the Ocean Course to assist with tournament preparations. The supplemental staff is in charge of manicuring cart paths, working on sprinkler heads, hand trimming and detailing the bunker edges. Nelson estimates approximately 1,200 man hours will be spent on event preparations above and beyond normal course maintenance.
In January, HMBGL conducted a site inspection to determine where it could add native plants, which include the California Poppy, to the golf course that would enhance the course's color and visual appearance in a natural way and better frame the holes.
A 90-by-50-foot driving range tee area has been set on the first hole of HMBGL's neighboring Old Course and select fairway widths will be modified in order to make landing areas tighter. Rough heights will be raised to play a little more treacherous
"The other projects we are undertaking to enhance the course is extensive top dressing to speed up the greens and bunker refurbishment to provide championship conditions worthy of this remarkable field of players," Nelson said. "As with links style courses, they are a little more rustic, so our focus is to make sure the bunker depth is consistent, that the grasses are pristine and the course signage looks fresh and new."
Golf Channel will broadcast the Samsung World Championship from 3:30-5:30 p.m. (PT) on Thursday and Friday (Oct. 2-3). NBC's live coverage is 9:30-11:30 a.m. (PT) Saturday, Oct. 4 and 1-3 p.m. (PT) Sunday, Oct. 5.
Past Championship winners include some of the world's finest players: Beth Daniel (1980, '81, '94), JoAnne Carner (1982, '83), Nancy Lopez (1984), Amy Alcott (1985), Pat Bradley (1986), Ayako Okamoto (1987), Rosie Jones (1988), Betsy King (1989), Cathy Gerring (1990), Meg Mallon (1991), Dottie Pepper (1993), Se Ri Pak (1999), Juli Inkster (1997, '98, 2000), Dorothy Delasin (2001), Annika Sorenstam (1995, '96, 2002, '04, '05), Sophie Gustafson (2003) and Ochoa (2006, '07).
"Watching the world's best of 2008 competing on the Ocean Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links makes for great sporting spectacle, fabulous scenery, fun and relaxation," Samsung World Championship Director Torrey Gane said. "Golf and sports fans are ensured of witnessing the highest quality of golf here."
Daily tickets, five-day grounds passes and corporate ticket packages for the Samsung World Championship are available for purchase by calling 888-345-LPGA (888-345-5742), and are available online at the tournament Web site, www.samsung.com/golf. A variety of ticket options are available. The best bargain is the five-day grounds pass, which allows admission to all five days of the tournament and must be purchased pre-event – before Sept. 30 – for $83 ($43 savings from ticket prices at the gate).
Daily tickets to Thursday's first round and Friday's second round are $24 when purchased pre-event (before Sept. 30), $29 during the event. The weekend's final rounds, Saturday and Sunday, are $29 pre-event, $34 during the event. Admission is free to the Samsung World Championship Pro-Am on Wednesday, Oct. 1. Children 17 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by a paid adult. For more information on acquiring corporate ticket packages, call the Samsung World Championship tournament office at 650-712-8060.
About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), based in Ridgefield Park, NJ, is a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. The company markets a broad range of award-winning consumer electronics, information systems, and home appliance products, as well as oversees all of Samsung's North American operations including Samsung Telecommunications America, LP, Samsung Semiconductor Inc., Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc. and Samsung Electronics Mexico, Inc. As a result of its commitment to innovation and unique design, the company was ranked #6 in the Electronics Industry segment in Fortune Magazine's "Most Admired Companies 2008," and named as one of Fast Company's "Fast 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2008." Among popular BusinessWeek rankings, the company ranked #26 in the publication's "Most Innovative Companies of 2008" and #21 in the "100 Best Global Brands" for 2007. Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd. is also a top patent holder, ranking second overall in the U.S. in 2007. Please visit www.samsung.com for more information.
About Half Moon Bay Golf Links
Set against dramatic cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Half Moon Bay Golf Links features 36 holes of championship golf. For over 30 years, avid golfers have been returning to this incomparable setting, enjoying the variety of play offered by our two award winning courses, The Ocean and The Old. The Ocean Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links has been ranked as one of the top new courses that opened according to Golf Digest in 1997, and since 2005 has been ranked as one of the top 50 by Golf for Women. It earned a No. 38 ranking among top Resorts for Golf Digest and a Silver Award Winner for Golf Magazine's top resorts issue.
Half Moon Bay has been home to Costanoan Indians, Spanish explorers, and Canadian rumrunners from the days of Prohibition. Modern-day Half Moon Bay is known for fields of pumpkins and artichokes, but it keeps the spirit alive with the legendary Mavericks and the idyllic natural beauty that makes today's explorers want to stay.
Contact:
Toby Zwikel/Brian Robin/Damian Secore
Brener Zwikel & Associates, Inc., (818) 462-5599, 462-5610, 462-5614
