HALF MOON BAY, Calif. -- Helen Alfredsson owns more LPGA experience than the rest of the current Samsung World Championship field. And when she became the fifth qualifier for the Championship, it displayed a testament to not only the dynamic capabilities of today's golfer, but Alfredsson's resilience.

Sweden's Alfredsson earned her spot in the prestigious, 20-player event Oct. 1-5 at the Ocean Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links by leading the Ladies European Tour (LET) Order of Merit as of Monday, Sept. 1.

The 43-year-old Alfredsson is set to make her seventh Samsung World Championship appearance, though it is her first since 1999. After finishing second in the event in 1996 and 1997, Alfredsson hopes 2008 will signal a Samsung World Championship renaissance of sorts as she seeks to join fellow Swedes Annika Sorenstam and Sophie Gustafson as winners of one of the hardest events to qualify for on the LPGA calendar.

In 1996, Alfredsson finished second to her country mate Sorenstam, who captured the second of her unprecedented five Samsung World Championships. The following year, Alfredsson had a front-row seat for the first of Juli Inkster's three Championships, losing to the Hall-of-Famer in a playoff.

Alfredsson, who debuted on the LPGA in 1992 and is in her 20th year as a professional, joins a precocious field currently comprised of 20-year-old RICOH Women's British Open champion Ji-Yai Shin, 19-year-old Yani Tseng (LPGA Championship winner), 20-year-old Inbee Park (U.S. Women's Open champ), along with World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa, the two-time defending Samsung World Championship holder, Rolex Player of the Year, 2007 LPGA money leader and 2007 Vare Trophy winner.

The remaining 15 selections to this year's Samsung World Championship will be determined by Sept. 15 and will be awarded to the year's leading LPGA money winners who have not already qualified, as well as the leading "active" LPGA Hall of Fame member on the current LPGA Official Money List, at the conclusion of the 2008 Bell Micro LPGA Classic, Sept. 14.

Alfredsson owns 11 LET, six LPGA, one LPGA major (1993 Nabisco Dinah Shore) and nine international titles.

She secured the LET's top mark through her victory at the Evian Masters, annually one of the world's highest-paying women's professional golf events. Her winning score of 15-under-par 273 was bolstered by her second-round, 9-under 63. The win accounted for 316,875 of her LET-leading 320,099.74 euros to date.

A seven-time European Solheim Cup player before assuming captain's duties in 2007, Alfredsson has played 19 LPGA events in 2008. She currently ranks No. 6 on the LPGA money list and No. 9 in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings. Alfredsson's history on the LET includes the Order of Merit title in 1998 and five second-place finishes on the Order of Merit.

Known for being 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 becomes the 15th course to host the elite event, which began in 1980 at The Country Club in suburban Cleveland, Ohio.

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. 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.

Past winners of the Championship include some of the finest players in the world: Beth Daniel (1980, '81 and '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), Inkster (1997, '98 and 2000), Dorothy Delasin (2001), Sorenstam (1995, '96, 2002, '04, '05), Sophie Gustafson (2003) and Ochoa (2006, '07).

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. In 1997, Golf Digest ranked the Ocean Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links has been ranked as one of the top new courses for that year, 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