Solheim Cup Players Well Represented at P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship
ROGERS, AR - The upcoming P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship presented by John Q. Hammons is batting 11 for 12 in terms of the commitments it has received from U.S. team members participating in this weekend's Solheim Cup Competition. The Solheim Cup, taking place August 21-23 in Chicago, is a biennial team competition pitting top American versus European golfers, similar to the Ryder Cup in men's golf.
U.S. team members who have now committed to play in the third annual LPGA event at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers include Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Morgan Pressel, Michelle Wie and Natalie Gulbis. In addition to the 11 members of the U.S. team, five of the 12 European team members also have committed to play in the Northwest Arkansas event, which will take place September 7 - 13.
"Our 2009 field is outstanding and will feature many of the best players in the world," said Jay Allen, Tournament Chairman. "We're expecting quite a show for Northwest Arkansas."
The U.S. team is comprised of Creamer, Kerr, Pressel, Wie, Gulbis, Nicole Castrale, Christina Kim, Brittany Lang, Brittany Lincicome, Kristy McPherson, and Angela Stanford. Juli Inkster is the lone U.S. member missing from this year's P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship field. Players have until Tuesday, September 1 to register for the Tournament.
On the European side, Helen Alfredsson, Suzann Pettersen, Maria Hjorth, Janice Moodie and Anna Nordqvist are expected to participate in Northwest Arkansas. Several of the other European team members compete solely on the Ladies European Tour.
Creamer, affectionately known as the "Pink Panther" because of her proclivity towards the color, is one of the most popular golfers on the LPGA Tour. Despite being only 23 years old, she is a five-year Tour veteran and has quickly become one of the top players in the world. She is currently ranked fourth in the Rolex Rankings and has eight career victories. Last year was her best season to date, winning four times and finishing the year second on the LPGA Official Money List. She was the top U.S. points-earner in the 2009 Solheim Cup standings.
Kerr, the third-ranked player in the world, is a 12-time LPGA Tour champion. She is the current leading money-winner on the LPGA Tour with over $1.3 million earned in 2009. She nearly won her second career U.S. Women's Open this year when she finished tied for third. Her most recent victory came at this year's Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill. Kerr finished last year 10th on the LPGA Official Money List, her fifth consecutive year finishing in the top-10.
Pressel, 21, is the youngest golfer ever to win a major championship at 18 years, 10 months and 9 days when she won the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship. More recently, she finished runner-up at the 2009 Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, where she lost in a playoff.
Wie, 19, is well known for an extraordinary amateur career. She first competed in a LPGA event at the 2002 LPGA Takefuji Classic when she became the youngest player to be a Monday qualifier for a LPGA event at the age of 12 years, 4 months, 14 days. Now a 2009 LPGA Tour rookie, Wie has five top-10 finishes this year and her stellar play earned her one of two captain's picks for the U.S. team.
Gulbis is recognized for her golfing success, but also known for her keen fashion sense and her appearances on television. On the course, the 26 year-old is a former Evian Masters champion and earned the last automatic berth to the U.S. Solheim Cup Team by finishing 10th in the standings. Off the course, Gulbis has been featured in her own calendar and reality show on Golf Channel, "The Natalie Gulbis Show."
Daily tickets are $15 Tuesday - Thursday of tournament week and $25 for championship play, Friday - Sunday. Week-long grounds badges can be purchased for $50. The tournament will continue to allow 20 area charitable organizations to sell weekly grounds badges while keeping 100 percent of the proceeds. To support your favorite participating charity, visit www.PGBeautyChampionship.com or call (479) 715-6100.
)
)
)
)
