HALF MOON BAY, Calif. -- The Ocean Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links is the setting for this year's $1 million Samsung World Championship, Oct. 1-5, as well as some of the most picturesque sunsets, given its location among the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. If Annika Sorenstam were to walk off the 18th green upon the Championship's conclusion with the winning scorecard, she may remember the sun providing an extra twinkle before dipping beneath the sea.

Sorenstam, the World No. 2 and Swedish superstar who is stepping away from golf at the end of 2008, is the winningest player in the 27-year history of the Samsung World Championship. She has five Samsung World Championship titles in 12 consecutive appearances from 1995-2006, winning the first two Championships she played in as well as in 2002, 2004 and 2005. The event's all-time money leader at $1,234,058, she also finished runner-up in the event in 1998, 2000 and 2006.

A champion of 72 LPGA Tour events, including 10 majors, as well as 18 international tournaments, Sorenstam plans on turning her 13th and final Samsung World Championship appearance into that figurative ride into the Ocean Course sunset. The Samsung World Championship is next on Sorenstam's final playing schedule, with seven events to follow in 2008, and only one of those in the continental United States.

Her standing as the No. 2 player on the LPGA Official Money List this year demonstrates that Sorenstam's form is ripe to capture her sixth Samsung World Championship and that she is leaving the game at the end of the year on her own terms -- having successfully recovered from an injury-plagued 2007 -- and near the top of her game.

"Throughout my career, I have always regarded the Samsung World Championship as one of my favorite tournaments. This event has given me a lot of special memories, including five victories that I will always cherish," Sorenstam said. "This will be my last Samsung, but I don't expect to get caught up in the sentiment because I will be there to compete. Of course, I will try to enjoy the week, but I'll have plenty of time to look back and get nostalgic after this year. I will be focused on trying to win the tournament."

Sorenstam's three LPGA victories in 2008 are second only to two-time defending Samsung World Champion Lorena Ochoa's six. Sorenstam, 37, is one of two Swedes in this year's Championship field, joining Helen Alfredsson. Sorenstam's legacy in women's golf will be lasting, the rise of the LPGA during her career influential beyond description.

The 1994 Rolex Rookie of the Year, eight-time (LPGA) Rolex Player of the Year and LPGA Official Money List champion, and six-time Vare Trophy winner qualified for the LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame during her first decade on Tour. She is one of six LPGA players to achieve the LPGA Career Grand Slam (2001, 2002 and 2005 Kraft Nabisco Championship, 2003, 2004 and 2005 McDonald's LPGA Championship, 1995, 1996 and 2006 U.S. Women's Open and 2003 Women's British Open) and is the LPGA's all-time money leader ($22,426,216).

Sorenstam has won on four different courses in the Samsung World Championship and holds the tournament's lowest score, 22-under-par 266 score in 2002, among her many tournament records.

"Winning any event five times is an outstanding feat," Samsung World Championship director Torrey Gane said. "But, winning an event that is among the most difficult to qualify for and an event that features the best-of-the-best every year is on another plane. That's an impressive legacy for any player, let alone a player who is considered one of the greatest players in the history of golf. If you look at the Championship record book, you'll see her name over and over again. That's a testament not only to her greatness as a player, but what she has meant to this event over the years."

Sorenstam broke through with her first Samsung World Championship in 1995, defeating Laura Davies in a one-hole, sudden-death playoff – the second playoff in Championship history. Though Davies reached the 472-yard, par-5 18th hole in two shots, Sorenstam chipped in for birdie from off the green. A stunned Davies then three-putted, giving Sorenstam the title

A year later, in 1996, Sorenstam became the third player to win back-to-back Samsung World Championships by tying the then-tournament record of 14-under-par 274 (set by Amy Alcott and Patty Sheehan in 1985 and Beth Daniel in 1994) to beat Alfredsson by a stroke. Sorenstam joined Beth Daniel and Juli Inkster as the only three-time winners of the Samsung World Championship in 2002 as she capped her tournament record score with a final-round 7-under 65. The victory was Sorenstam's ninth of the season and 40th LPGA win.

In 2004, Sorenstam made it five consecutive years with at least six LPGA wins. She rallied to defeat Grace Park by three strokes after a final-round 5-under 67 resulted in a 18-under 270 finish. In 2005, Sorenstam successfully defended her last Samsung World Championship title and tied Mickey Wright for most wins in one event by matching her 2004 score. Fueled by an opening-round 8-under 64, she clinched a Championship-record, eight-shot win for her eighth win of the season.

Golf Channel will broadcast the Samsung World Championship live from 3:30-5:30 p.m. PST/6:30-8:30 p.m. EST on Oct. 2-3. NBC's live coverage is 9:30-11:30 a.m. PST/12:30-2:30 p.m. EST on Oct. 4 and 1-3 p.m. PST/4-6 p.m. EST on Oct. 5. 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 Championship winners include: 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) and Sophie Gustafson (2003).

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 final two rounds on 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. 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