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| Defending Champion Katherine Hull |
The LPGA returns to Prattville, Alabama, this week for the fifth playing of the Navistar LPGA Classic. An elite field of 144 players will compete for a total purse of $1,300,000 and a first place prize of $195,000 on the Robert Trent Jones Trail’s Capitol Hill Senator Course.
The star studded field features 13 of the top 15 players in the Rolex Rankings including Rolex Rankings No. 1 Yani Tseng, No. 2 Suzann Pettersen, No. 3 Cristie Kerr, No. 4 Na Yeon Choi, No. 8 Paula Creamer, No. 9 Brittany Lincicome, No. 10 I.K. Kim, No. 11 Stacy Lewis, No. 12 Michelle Wie, No. 13 Karrie Webb and No. 14 Inbee Park. Tseng, who looks to capture her sixth LPGA tournament and ninth tournament victory world-wide this year, is coming off a win at last week’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Presented by P&G.
Headlining this week’s field are former champions including defending champion Katherine Hull, Maria Hjorth, LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame members Juli Inkster and Se Ri Pak. Last year, Hull earned a one-stroke victory over Brittany Lincicome to claim her second career LPGA title. This year, Hull has earned four top-21 finishes including a season-best tie for sixth at the Avnet LPGA Classic. Gearing up for next week’s Solheim Cup, all 12 U.S. Solheim Cup team members and six of the 12 European Solheim Cup team members are in the field.
Making their return to the LPGA this week are sponsor invites Charlotte Mayorkas and 16-year old professional Lexi Thompson. Thompson finished tied for 16th in the event last year. She held a share of the 36-hole lead at the 2009 event as a 14-year old amateur to finish in an eventual tie for 27th. Thompson, who recently won Stage I of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament by 10 shots, looks to improve on her LPGA season-best T-19 at the Avnet LPGA Classic. Her LPGA career-best is tie for 2nd at the 2010 Evian Masters.
Full Article: LPGA.com News & Entertainment
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