March 10, 2003
SamsungWorld Championship Opens Tournament Office; Tickets To Go On Sale Soon
Annika Sorenstam is defending champion of event featuring leading LPGA stars to be held Oct. 6-12 at The Woodlands
The Woodlands, Texas - The Samsung World Championship, an LPGA Tour event featuring 20 of the top women players in the world led by defending champion Annika Sorenstam, opens its tournament office today at 1830 South Millbend Drive, Suite B, The Woodlands, TX 77380.
The Tournament Players Course (TPC™) at The Woodlands Resort is the new site for 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 played Oct. 6–12, 2003 and broadcast on national sports cable and network television.
For sponsorship, volunteer or general information about the Samsung World Championship, call the championship office, locally at 281-419-4141 or toll free at 1-888-345-LPGA (5742). Tickets will go on sale to the general public in a few weeks. 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. SAMSUNG WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OPENS TOURNAMENT OFFICE 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 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).
About Samsung Samsung believes in the ability of sports to unite and uplift the human spirit. As an active corporate sponsor, Samsung has passionately supported amateur and professional sporting events, programs, teams, and athletes in Korea and throughout the world. The company extended its commitment to sports by becoming a worldwide Olympic partner in Nagano (1998), Sydney (2000) and the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games.
Samsung is a world leader in electronics, finance, trade and services. Headquartered in Korea, Samsung operates more than 307 overseas operations in 60 different countries. The company employs approximately 170,000 people worldwide, with 2001 estimated combined sales of US $94 billion. For more information, please visit http://www.samsung.com. About The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center
Nestled in pristine woods 27 miles north of Houston and just 20 minutes from George Bush Intercontinental Airport, The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center is an award-winning, multi-faceted resort that features 490 deluxe rooms and suites, unique restaurants and lounges, plus more than 60,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including 32 dedicated meeting rooms. Recreational activities are highlighted by the new Forest Oasis Waterscape(tm), two additional pools, a full service spa and fitness center as well as six golf courses. For further information, contact The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center: 2301 North Millbend Drive, The Woodlands, TX 77380; Telephone: 800-433-2624; Fax: 281-364-6299; Web site: www.woodlandsresort.com.
About The Woodlands The Woodlands is a 27,000-acre forested community where people live, work, play, and learn as families and companies. Located 27 miles north of downtown Houston on I-45, it encompasses seven residential villages with an eighth now in development, three commercial centers, a resort and conference center, a luxury hotel and convention center, hospitals and health care facilities, and exceptional shopping, dining, entertainment, and recreational amenities. More than 70,000 people live in The Woodlands, and 30,000 people work in the community. The Woodlands is a project of The Woodlands Operating Company, L.P., a Crescent Real Estate Equities and Morgan Stanley limited partnership. For more information, visit www.thewoodlands.com, or call 1-888-504-5050.
