April 11, 2003

Ticket Sales Begin for Samsung World Championship

Ticket sales to the general public begin today for The Samsung World Championship, an LPGA Tour event to be played Monday through Sunday, October 6-12 at the Tournament Players Course at The Woodlands. The event, which features 20 of the top women players in the world, is led by defending champion Annika Sorenstam of Sweden and Kraft Nabisco champion Patricia Meunier-Lebouc of France. A special introductory offer is available for tickets purchased by May 25. During this time, with the purchase of one ticket, customers can purchase a second ticket for half-price (tickets must be of the same type or day).

Tickets are available as follows:

MULTI-DAY TICKETS:

Advance Purchase Only

· SEVEN-DAY GROUNDS PASSES ($110.00 value) $55.00

The Seven-Day Grounds Pass allows admission to the Championship grounds for all seven days, Monday, October 6th through Sunday, October 12th.

· GROUNDS FLEX BOOK $160.00

The Grounds Flex Book includes Ten (10) Good-Any-Day Grounds vouchers in one booklet for your convenience at a discounted rate. Each Good-Any-Day Grounds ticket is fully transferable.

DAILY TICKETS:

· PRACTICE ROUND (MONDAY) $10.00 advance; $15.00 (after 8/30/03)

Admission to the Championship grounds on Monday, October 6th.

· PRACTICE ROUND (TUESDAY) $10.00 advance; $15.00 (after 8/30/03)

Admission to the Championship grounds on Tuesday, October 7th.

· PRO-AM ROUND (WEDNESDAY) $12.00 advance; $20.00 (after 8/30/03)

Admission to the Championship grounds on Wednesday, October 8th.

· FIRST ROUND (THURSDAY) $17.00 advance; $25.00 (after 8/30/03)

Admission to the Championship grounds on Thursday, October 9th.

· SECOND ROUND (FRIDAY) $17.00 advance; $25.00 (after 8/30/03)

Admission to the Championship grounds on Friday, October 10th.

· THIRD ROUND (SATURDAY) $22.00 advance; $30.00 (after 8/30/03)

Admission to the Championship grounds on Saturday, October 11th.

· FOURTH ROUND (SUNDAY) $22.00 advance; $30.00(after 8/30/03)

Admission to the Championship grounds on Sunday, October 12th.

Tickets are available at the Championship Office at 1830 South Millbend Drive, Suite B, The Woodlands, TX 77380, or by calling 888-345-5742. Additional local outlets will be announced in the coming weeks. For sponsorship, volunteer or other information about the Samsung World Championship, call the Championship Office, locally at 281-419-4141, or toll free at 1-888-345-LPGA (5742).

The Tournament Players Course (TPC™) at The Woodlands Resort is the new site of the Samsung World Championship. The 72-hole championship, a world-wide event which has been contested on five continents in its rich 22-year history, carries an $800,000 purse and will be broadcast on national sports cable and network television.

The elite-field Championship pays $167,500 to the winner. In 2002, Sorenstam broke the Championship scoring record by shooting a 22-under par 266 at Hiddenbrooke Golf Club in Vallejo, Calif., to defeat Cristie Kerr by six strokes (also a new Championship record).

The talented field will be thoroughly tested at the TPC™ at The Woodlands Resort, a par-72 course that measures 7,018 yards from the back tees. TPC™ at The Woodlands Resort, which had been the home of the PGA TOUR’s Shell Houston Open for the past 17 years, is a picturesque course that places a premium on hitting fairways. The two closing holes on the layout rank among the top-four toughest holes in the state of Texas.

The Samsung World Championship field is composed of the winners of the four LPGA major championships—the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the McDonald’s LPGA Championship, the U.S. Women’s Open, and the Weetabix Women’s British Open—as well as the 2002 Vare Trophy winner (lowest scoring average), the defending champion, and the LPGA Tour’s leading money winner of 2002, as well as the current year.

Additional positions in the field are awarded by a selection committee to the leading international players from the Ladies European Tour (LET), the Japanese Tour (JLPGA) and the Korean Tour (KLPGA). Rounding out the field are other leading money winners from the LPGA Tour’s current year.

Past winners of the Championship include some of the world’s finest players: 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), Juli Inkster (1997, ’98 & 2000), Dorothy Delasin (2001) and Sorenstam (1995, ’96 and 2002).