NEWS RELEASE
For Release: Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Contact:
Jay Allen, Tournament Chairman
(479) 271-7007 or jaycom@sbcglobal.net
David Shoemaker, Director of Sales
(479) 657-6410 or david.shoemaker@octagon.com
Kristin Fowler, Marketing & Communications Coordinator
(919) 531-3123 or kristin.fowler@octagon.com
ROGERS, ARK. – Defending champion Jiyai Shin, the No. 1-ranked golfer in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, will return to the P&G NW Arkansas Championship presented by Walmart in September with hopes of winning her second title. Tickets are now on sale for the tournament held at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, September 10 – 12.
Shin carded a bogey-free final-round 64 and held off Angela Stanford and Sun Young Yoo in a suddendeath playoff to win the 2009 Championship. Her final round included five birdies on the back nine and seven total. She finished the tournament at 9-under 204. The win was part of tremendous season in which Shin posted three victories and 12 top-10 finishes to become the LPGA’s 2009 Louis Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year winner. Shin became the first South Korean to lead the LPGA Tour Official Money List in 2009 with over $1.8 million earned.
In April, at a ceremony held during the Masters in Augusta, Ga., Shin was honored as Female Player of the Year by the Golf Writers Association of America. The following month, Shin became the top-ranked player in the world according to the Rolex Rankings following the retirement of Lorena Ochoa.
Shin held the No. 1 spot for seven weeks before emergency appendectomy surgery forced her out of two tournaments. She reclaimed the No. 1 ranking on July 26 following a victory at the Evian Masters Presented by Societe Generale in Evian-les-Bains, France. Shin carded a one-stroke victory over three players who tied for second, including 2010 P&G NW Arkansas Championship sponsor exemption Alexis Thompson. The second-place finish gave Thompson, a 15-year old who turned pro in June, her
best finish as a professional.
Shin’s victory at the Evian Masters was her first of the season. She previously finished third or tied for third in four tournaments – the HSBC Women’s Champions, the KIA CLASSIC Presented by J Golf, the Sybase Match Play Championship and the LPGA Championship Presented by Wegmans. Shin has posted eight top-10 finishes in 10 starts this season.
Tickets to the tournament are on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.nwachampionship.com or by calling (479) 715-6100. Daily tickets are $25 for championship play, Friday – Sunday. Week-long grounds badges can be purchased for $50. Admission is free to the public Monday – Thursday. Children 17-years old and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult.
Fans also can support local charities by purchasing an LPGA weekly ticket through one of eight participating organizations. These charities are selling $50 weekly tickets and keeping 100 percent of the proceeds.
To learn more about the tournament’s charitable ticket program and for other tournament information, visit www.NWAChampionship.com or follow the event at www.facebook.com/NWAChampionship and www.twitter.com/NWAChampionship.
About Procter & Gamble
Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pantene®, Olay®, Cover Girl®, Venus®, Pampers®, Tide®, Always®, Herbal Essences®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Actonel®, Duracell®, Head & Shoulders®, Gillette®, PUR®, and Braun®. The P&G community consists of 138,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., (NYSE: WMT) serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 8,400 retail units under 55 different banners in 15 countries. With fiscal year 2010 sales of $405 billion, Walmart employs more than 2 million associates worldwide. A leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity, Walmart ranked first among retailers in Fortune magazine’s 2010 Most Admired Companies survey. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://www.walmartstores.com/. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com/ and http://www.samsclub.com/.
About Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is a private, family-owned company founded in 1911 and employing more than 65,000 associates at over 370 sites, including 135 factories, in 68 countries worldwide. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, U.S.A., Mars, Incorporated is one of the world’s largest food companies, generating global sales of more than $28 billion annually and operating in six business segments: Chocolate, Petcare, Wrigley Gum and Confections, Food, Drinks, and Symbioscience. These segments produce some of the world’s leading brands: Chocolate – M&M’S(r), SNICKERS(r), DOVE(r), GALAXY(r), MARS(r), MILKY WAY(r) and TWIX(r); Petcare – PEDIGREE(r), WHISKAS(r), SHEBA(r), CESAR(r), NUTRO(r), GREENIES(r), and ROYAL CANIN(r); Wrigley – ORBIT(r), EXTRA(r), STARBURST(r), DOUBLEMINT(r) and SKITTLES(r); Food – UNCLE BEN’S(r), DOLMIO(r), EBLY(r), MASTERFOODS(r) and SEEDS OF CHANGE(r); Drinks – KLIX(r) and FLAVIA(r); Symbioscience – WISDOM PANEL(tm), SERAMIS(r), CIRKUHEALTH(tm) and COCOAPRO(r).
About the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association)
The LPGA is the world’s leading professional golf organization for women. Founded in 1950, the association celebrates a diverse and storied membership with more than 1,700 members representing 29 different countries. With a Vision to inspire, empower, educate and entertain by showcasing the very best of women’s golf, LPGA Tour Professionals compete across the globe, while dedicated LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals (T&CP) directly impact the game through teaching, coaching and management. The Duramed FUTURES Tour serves as the official developmental tour of the LPGA, consistently producing a pipeline of talent ready for the world stage. The LPGA is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida. Follow the LPGA on its television home, Golf Channel, and on the web via: www.LPGA.com, www.facebook.com/lpga.official, www.twitter.com/lpga, and www.youtube.com/lpgavideo.
About Octagon Golf & Outdoors
Octagon Golf & Outdoors is a division of Octagon, the world’s largest sports and entertainment representation and marketing agency. Octagon Golf & Outdoors focuses on premium event/property management, developing key player relationships and providing strategic corporate solutions. The division currently manages two Champions Tour events, three LPGA Tour events, one Nationwide Tour event and the Toyota Texas Bass Classic. For more information visit www.octagongolf.com.
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