Suzann Pettersen of Norway has become the third LPGA Tour player to qualify for the season-ending ADT Championship through the LPGA Playoffs 2007 by winning the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill. After two second-place finishes this year, Pettersen became the fourth Rolex First-Time Winner on the LPGA Tour this season, by defeating Jee Young Lee, of South Korea, on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff.
“It is really cool to be able to play for $1 million. I've never played in the ADT Championship before and I am looking forward to go play at Trump International and compete,” said Pettersen, who started the day four shots behind third-round leader Jee Young Lee.
Pettersen joins LPGA players Morgan Pressel, of Boca Raton, Fla., and Brittany Lincicome, of Seminole, Fla., who have already secured their spots in the 2007 ADT Championship. Pressel earned her spot when she became the youngest player in LPGA Tour history to win a major championship at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, while Lincicome qualified with her victory at the Ginn OPEN.
“As the field for this year's ADT Championship fills out, we can feel the excitement building in the community,” said ADT Championship Tournament Director Duffy House.
The Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill was one of 10 Winner events on the 2007 LPGA Tour schedule with a purse totaling $2.2 million. The LPGA Playoffs 2007, a yearlong competitive structure that splits the official LPGA season into two halves, will culminate at the ADT Championship, Nov. 15-18 at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. Fifteen players from each half qualify for the ADT Championship using a performance-based points system—ADT Points—throughout the year. Two additional wildcards will be determined based on the LPGA Official Money List following The Mitchell Company LPGA Tournament of Champions. Ten spots will be awarded to the champions of Winner events, which are defined as all official LPGA Tour events with a purse of at least $2 million. The remaining spots in each half will be awarded to the ADT Points qualifiers who are not otherwise qualified. Follow all the 2007 LPGA Playoffs action at adtchampionship.com to see who is going to join Pressel, Lincicome and Pettersen at the 2007 ADT Championship.
The 2007 ADT Championship will feature 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 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.
