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2008 U.S. Women's Open Fact Sheet

The 63rd U.S. Women's Open Championship will be played June 26-29 at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minn. The event was first held in 1946. Here are other facts about the LPGA Tour's third major of the year.

PAR AND YARDAGE - Interlachen Country Club is set up at 6,789 yards and par is 36-37-73. It will be the longest course in U.S. Women's Open history, surpassing the previous record set at the 2005 championship, when Cherry Hills Country Club played to a length of 6,749 yards.

COURSE LAYOUT - The fairways will range in width from approximately 24 to 33 yards. On either side of the fairways, a 6-foot wide swath of intermediate rough running the length of each hole will be set to 1½ inches. Then, there will be an 11-foot band of first cut of primary rough (height to be determined) and a second cut of deepest rough left and right of the landing areas (height to be determined). The greens will be set to run at 11½ feet on the Stimpmeter for the duration of the championship.

COURSE RATING AND SLOPE - Based on the course setup, the Course Rating for Interlachen Country Club is 79.9. Its Slope Rating is 145.

ARCHITECT - William Watson designed Interlachen Country Club, which opened in 1911. The course was completely redesigned by Donald Ross and re-opened in 1921. Revisions were done by Robert Trent Jones in 1963.

WELCOME BACK - The club was an integral part of the Grand Slam as it hosted the 1930 U.S. Open, won by Bob Jones, who also won the U.S. Amateur, British Open and British Amateur that year. Glenna Collett Vare won her sixth and final U.S. Women's Amateur at the club in 1935, in the final defeating Interlachen member Patty Berg, 3 and 2. The 1986 USGA Senior Amateur, won by R.S. (Bo) Williams, and the 1993 Walker Cup Match, won by the USA, were also conducted at Interlachen.

MINNESOTA AND THE USGA - The 2008 U.S. Women's Open will be the 35th USGA championship conducted in Minnesota. Minnesota is one of only two states to have hosted all 13 USGA national championships. California is the other.

LOCAL USGA GRANT ACTIVITIES - The USGA, through its Grants Foundation, supports several programs in the greater Minneapolis/St. Paul area: the Minnesota Minority Junior Golf Association (http://www.mmjga.org/), the Fairway Foundation (http://fairwayfoundation.org), the First Tee of Three Rivers Park District (http://www.thefirstteethreeriversparkdistrict.org/Club/Scripts/Home/home.asp) and The First Tee of St. Paul (http://www.thefirstteestpaul.org/Club/Scripts/Home/home.asp).

Visit http://www.usga.org/aboutus/foundation/foundation.html for more information about the USGA Grants Program.

FORMAT - The championship is conducted at stroke play over 72 holes. There are 156 players in the championship field. After 36 holes, the field is cut to the 60 lowest scorers and anyone tying for 60th place, and anyone within 10 strokes of the leader.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE - Practice rounds will be played Monday, June 23, through Wednesday, June 25. Championship play will be conducted Thursday, June 26, through Sunday, June 29, with 18 holes of stroke play each day. If the championship is tied after four rounds, a three-hole playoff will take place immediately following the conclusion of the fourth round. If the playoff results in a tie, play will immediately continue hole-by-hole until a champion is determined.

WHO CAN ENTER - The Women's Open is open to any professional or amateur female golfers. Amateur golfers must maintain a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 4.4.

ENTRIES - There were 1,236 entries accepted for the 2008 U.S. Women's Open, the fifth consecutive year the number of entries surpassed 1,000. The record of 1,251 entries was set in 2007 for the Women's Open at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C.

LOCAL QUALIFYING - Local qualifying, which was conducted for the first time in 2002, was held at 16 sites from May 9-19.

SECTIONAL QUALIFYING - Sectional qualifying was conducted over 36 holes at seven sites on June 9.

THE CHAMPION RECEIVES - In addition to prize money, the champion will receive a gold medal, custody of the Harton S. Semple Cup for the ensuing year, and an exemption from sectional qualifying for the next 10 U.S. Women's Open Championships.

PURSE - The total purse for the 2007 championship was $3.1 million and the champion received $560,000. It is the largest total purse in women's golf.

WOMEN'S OPEN EARNINGS - Five women have surpassed the $1 million mark in Women's Open earnings, led by three-time champion Annika Sorenstam with $1,906,012. Three two-time winners are on the list: Meg Mallon ($1,277,370), Karrie Webb ($1,254,460) and Juli Inkster ($1,297,168). Cristie Kerr ($1,113,081) became the latest to join the list after her victory at the 2007 championship.

2007 CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP - Cristie Kerr, a 29-year-old Miami, Fla., native held off Lorena Ochoa of Mexico, with a final-round, 1-under-par 70 at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C., to register a two-stroke victory at the 2007 U.S. Women's Open. Kerr played 6-under-par golf over the final 36 holes of a marathon weekend to post a 72-hole score of 279 (five under par).

The 25-year-old Ochoa, who had won three LPGA tournaments in 2007 prior to the Women's Open, posted an even-par 71 to share second place with 18-year-old tour rookie Angela Park of Brazil at 281. Park, who had the 18- and 36-hole leads, shot a 70 for her third sub-par round of the championship.

"Just everything this year has been pointing to this tournament," said Kerr, who had been winless in 2007. "I hadn't played great coming out of the box on the LPGA Tour and as of late, I've just really worked hard on my game. I was going to win this tournament this week."

CHAMPIONS OF THE PAST DECADE:

1998 Se Ri Pak
1999 Juli Inkster
2000 Karrie Webb
2001 Karrie Webb
2002 Juli Inkster
2003 Hilary Lunke
2004 Meg Mallon
2005 Birdie Kim
2006 Annika Sorenstam
2007 Cristie Kerr

TELEVISION COVERAGE - All times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

(Date, Network, Broadcast Hours)

June 25, ESPN2, 5-6 p.m. (Preview Show)
June 26, ESPN, 12-4 p.m.
June 27, ESPN, 3-7 p.m.
June 28, NBC, 3-6 p.m.
June 29, NBC, 3-6 p.m.

If the championship is tied after four rounds, a three-hole playoff will take place immediately following the conclusion of the fourth round.

GROUPINGS AND STARTING TIMES - Groupings and starting times will be distributed to the media on Friday, June 20. They will also be posted on the USGA Internet site at www.usga.org.

PLAYER INTERVIEWS - A complete schedule of pre-championship interviews for media on Tuesday and Wednesday will be published and distributed prior to championship week.

WWW.USGA.ORG - Log on to the USGA Internet site at www.usga.org/championships/ for the latest U.S. Women’s Open information during the championship.

TICKETS - A wide variety of ticket options are available. A one-day grounds pass is $45 for Thursday and Friday and $50 for Saturday and Sunday. A Season Grounds Pass, which includes all practice rounds, is $150. To order tickets, call the Championship Ticket Office at (877) 281-OPEN or order online at http://www.2008uswomensopen.com/tickets.php.

JUNIOR ATTRACTIONS - Boys and girls age 17 and under will receive complimentary admission when accompanied by a ticketed adult. A variety of activities will be held free of charge during the week.

MULTIPLE WINS - Fourteen players have combined to win 35 of the previous 62 Women’s Opens. Two players have won four Women’s Opens: Betsy Rawls (1951, 1953, 1957, 1960) and Mickey Wright (1958, 1959, 1961, 1964). Four players have won three Women’s Opens: Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1948, 1950, 1954), Susie Maxwell Berning (1968, 1972, 1973), Hollis Stacy (1977, 1978, 1984) and Annika Sorenstam (1995, 1996, 2006). Eight players have won two Women’s Opens each. They are Louise Suggs (1949, 1952), Donna Caponi (1969, 1970), JoAnne Carner (1971, 1976), Betsy King (1989, 1990), Patty Sheehan (1992, 1994), Juli Inkster (1999, 2002), Karrie Webb (2000, 2001), and Meg Mallon (1991, 2004).

WOMEN’S OPEN PLAYOFFS - There have been 10 18-hole playoffs in the history of the Women’s Open. The 1998 playoff was the first to go extra holes. Only one player, JoAnne Carner, has been involved in more than one playoff - she won a playoff against Sandra Palmer in 1976 and lost to Laura Davies in 1987. A new playoff format started with the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open. If the championship is tied after four rounds, a three-hole playoff will take place immediately following the conclusion of the fourth round.

USGA CHAMPIONS IN THE FIELD - Twenty-eight USGA champions are in the Women’s Open field. They are:

Silvia Cavalleri - 1997 Women’s Amateur
Laura Davies - 1987 Women’s Open
Julieta Granada - 2004 Girls’ Junior
Mina Harigae - 2007 Women’s Amateur Public Links
Marcy (Newton) Hart - 1995 Girls’ Junior; 2000 Women’s Amateur
Pat Hurst - 1986 Girls’ Junior; 1990 Women’s Amateur
Juli Inkster - 1980-82 Women’s Amateurs; 1999 and 2002 Women’s Opens
Cristie Kerr - 2007 Women’s Open
Birdie Kim - 2005 Women’s Open
In-Kyung Kim - 2005 Girls’ Junior
Kimberly Kim - 2006 Women’s Amateur
Kelli Kuehne - 1994 U.S. Girls’ Junior; 1995 and 1996 U.S. Women’s Amateurs
Candie Kung - 2001 Women’s Amateur Public Links
Hilary Lunke - 2003 Women’s Open
Meg Mallon - 1991, 2004 Women’s Opens
Liselotte Neumann - 1988 Women’s Open
Virada Nirapathpongporn - 2003 Women’s Amateur
Se Ri Pak - 1998 Women’s Open
Inbee Park - 2002 Girls’ Junior
Jane Park - 2004 Women’s Amateur
Kristen Park - 2007 Girls’ Junior
Grace Park - 1998 Women’s Amateur
Morgan Pressel - 2005 Women’s Amateur
Jenny Shin - 2006 Girls’ Junior
Annika Sorenstam - 1995, 1996, 2006 Women’s Opens
Yani Tseng - 2004 Women’s Amateur Public Links
Maria Jose Uribe - 2007 U.S. Women’s Amateur
Karrie Webb - 2000, 2001 Women’s Opens
Michelle Wie - 2003 Women’s Amateur Public Links

FUTURE WOMEN’S OPENS - The 2009 championship will be held at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa., from July 9-12, and the 2010 Women’s Open will be conducted at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club from July 8-11.

EXEMPT PLAYERS - There are 71 players fully exempted into the Women’s Open. The remainder of the players in the field earned their spots via qualifying. The total field is 156 players.

PLAYERS FULLY EXEMPT (71) FOR THE 2008 U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN (as of June 9, 2008)

Shi Hyun Ahn, 7
Sun-Ju Ahn, 10
Kyeong Bae , 6
Minea Blomqvist, 8
*Amanda Blumenherst, 2
Nicole Castrale, 7
Na-Yeon Choi, 8
Paula Creamer, 6, 7, 8, 9
Laura Davies, 7
Laura Diaz, 7, 8
Allison Fouch, 8
Meaghan Francella, 7
Louise Friberg, 8, 9
Julieta Granada, 6, 7
Natalie Gulbis, 7, 9
Sophie Gustafson, 7, 8, 10
Hee-Won Han, 8
Bettina Hauert, 10
Rachel Hetherington, 7
Maria Hjorth, 7, 8
Amy Hung, 6
Pat Hurst, 7
Juli Inkster, 1, 7, 8
Jeong Jang, 4, 6, 7, 8
Mi-Jeong Jeon, 10
Eun-Hee Ji, 10
Jimin Kang, 6
Cristie Kerr, 1, 6, 7, 8
Birdie Kim, 1, 6
Christina Kim, 7, 8
In-Kyung Kim, 7
*Kimberly Kim, 2
Mi Hyun Kim, 6, 7
Song-Hee Kim, 8
Young Kim, 7, 8
Candie Kung, 8
Brittany Lang, 7, 8
Jee Young Lee, 6, 7, 8
Sarah Lee, 7
Seon Hwa Lee, 7, 8, 9
Brittany Lincicome, 6, 7
Leta Lindley, 8, 9
Teresa Lu, 8
Hilary Lunke, 1
Meg Mallon, 1
Catriona Matthew, 6, 7
Na On Min, 7
Ai Miyazato , 6, 7
Gwladys Nocera, 10
Lorena Ochoa, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Se Ri Pak, 1, 3, 6, 7, 9
Angela Park, 6, 7
Grace Park, 5
Inbee Park, 6, 7, 8
Jane Park, 8
Suzann Pettersen, 3, 7, 8
Stacy Prammanasudh, 7, 8
Morgan Pressel, 5, 6, 7, 8
Reilley Rankin, 7
Ji-Yai Shin, 6, 10
Annika Sorenstam, 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9
Angela Stanford, 6, 7, 8
Sherri Steinhauer, 4, 7
Karen Stupples, 3, 8
Yani Tseng, 3, 8
Momoko Ueda, 8, 10
*Maria Jose Uribe, 2
Karrie Webb, 1, 5, 7, 8
Lindsey Wright, 7, 8
Sakura Yokomine, 10
Sun Young Yoo, 8

* = amateur

Key to Player Exemptions -

1) Winners of the U.S. Women’s Open for the last 10 years (1998-2007)

2) Winners of the U.S. Women’s Amateur for the last two years (2006-2007) and runner-up for the most recent year (2007)
3) Winners of the LPGA Championship for the last five years (2004-2008)
4) Winners of the Women’s British Open Championship for the last five years (2003-2007)
5) Winners of the Kraft Nabisco Championship for the last five years (2004-2008)
6) From the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open Championship, the 20 lowest scorers and anyone tying for 20th place
7) From the 2007 final official LPGA money list, the top 40 money leaders
8) From the 2008 official LPGA money list, the top 35 money leaders through June 1
9) Winners of LPGA co-sponsored events, whose victories are considered official, from the conclusion of the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open Championship to the initiation of the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open Championship
10) Top three players from the 2007 Japan LPGA Tour, Korea LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour money lists
11) Special exemptions selected by the USGA

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