Stars lineup for Samsung World Championship

BY iseekgolf.com | LPGA Tour | 2004 Samsung World Championship | General | 05 Oct 2004

Not without rhyme or reason did Laura Davies, she of the 20 LPGA career victories and four major championships, call the Samsung World Championship the fifth major on the LPGA Tour.

“Just to get in it means you’ve had a great year. You’ve won a major or finished high on the money list,” said Davies, who qualified for her 12th Samsung World Championship Oct. 14-17 at Bighorn Golf Club in Palm Desert. “It brings the best of the best together and anytime you beat the very best players, it’s obviously a feather in your cap.”

Davies, whose 12th appearance at the Samsung World Championship will tie her for second in appearances, speaks with the authority of a veteran.

But the career numbers of the elite, 20-player field who qualified for this year’s event at BIGHORN back up Davies’ assertion as to the field’s quality.

Led by Annika Sorenstam’s 53 titles, the 20 players have combined for 205 career LPGA victories and 34 major championships. Sorenstam and Juli Inkster, who have a combined six Samsung World Championship titles, own seven majors apiece.

How strong is the field? Six players: Sorenstam, Inkster (30 LPGA titles), Karrie Webb (30), Se Ri Pak (21), Davies and Meg Mallon (18) own a combined 172 victories and 28 majors.

How deep is the field? The 20 players have won 23 of the 26 events to date on the 2004 LPGA schedule. Led by Sorenstam’s five victories, five players have more than one win in 2004 and every player, except Jeong Jang and amateur teen-aged sensation Michelle Wie, have at least one LPGA victory.

Along with defending champion Gustafson, players qualified for the Championship as winners of the four LPGA major Championships – the Kraft Nabisco Championship (Grace Park), the McDonald’s LPGA Championship (Sorenstam), the U.S. Women’s Open (Mallon) and the Weetabix Women’s British Open (Karen Stupples) — as well as the 2003 Vare Trophy winner (Pak) and the LPGA’s leading money winner from 2003 (Sorenstam).

A selection committee awarded additional positions in the field to the leading money winner on the Ladies European Tour (Davies) and standout amateur Wie. The rest of the field comes from the leading money winners on the LPGA TOUR who didn’t otherwise qualify: Lorena Ochoa (third on the ADT Money List), Cristie Kerr (5), Mi-Hyun Kim (6), Hee-Won Han (8), Jennifer Rosales (10), Karrie Webb (11), Christina Kim (12), Inkster (13), Wendy Doolan (14), Catriona Matthew (15), Jang (16) and Shi Hyun Ahn (17).

The Samsung World Championship, a 72-hole stroke play event, has been contested on five continents in 24 years. The field will compete for a purse of $825,000 with a first prize of $206,250. The first two rounds will air on The Golf Channel, Thurs. Oct. 14, 2 – 4 p.m., and Fri., Oct. 15, noon – 2 p.m., with the final two rounds on NBC, Sat. Oct. 16 and Sun. Oct. 17, 1 – 3 p.m. All times are Pacific Time.

2004 Samsung World Championship Field
1. Annika Sorenstam
2. Meg Mallon
3. Lorena Ochoa
4. Grace Park
5. Cristie Kerr
6. Mi-Hyun Kim
7. Karen Stupples
8. Hee-Won Han
9. Se Ri Pak
10. Jennifer Rosales
11. Karrie Webb
12. Christina Kim
13. Juli Inkster
14. Wendy Doolan
15. Catriona Matthew
16. Jeong Jang
17. Shi Hyun Ahn
18. Sophie Gustafson
19. Laura Davies
20. Michelle Wie (Am)

Source – LPGA