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**truebluefan** · 05-26-2008, 03:23 AM

Springfield, IL $1,700,000

**truebluefan** · 07-19-2008, 07:56 AM

The field at this week's State Farm LPGA Classic may be most notable for who it's missing.

When play starts Thursday, there will be no Lorena Ochoa, Annika Sorenstam or Paula Creamer. In fact, only two of the tour's top 10 money winners will be in Springfield.

That could open the field for one of the golfers behind the big-money winners - eight of the top 25 money winners will play this week, including No. 6 Yani Tseng - or, perhaps, for Michelle Wie.

The 18-year-old long-hitter, for year's considered one of the next great players in women's golf, has never won a tournament, and is playing a handful this summer between sessions at Stanford University.

Wie, though, says she doesn't pay any attention to who's at a tournament and who isn't.

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**truebluefan** · 07-19-2008, 07:57 AM

Christina Kim shot a nine-under 63 to take a one-stroke lead at the LPGA's State Farm Classic. Kim's round included seven birdies, an eagle and no bogeys.

The field was stacked with low scores, including a 67 from Michelle Wie that was her best of the year. Wie, playing on a sponsor's exemption, and most of the lowest-scoring golfers teed off early in the morning, before temperatures neared 32.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton finished tied for 17th after shooting a 68. Cindy Pasechnik of Calgary carded a 70 and was tied for 45th. A.J. Eathorne of Penticton, B.C., and Lorie Kane of Charlottetown were at even par, among a group tied for 81st place.

**truebluefan** · 07-19-2008, 07:58 AM

Matching the blistering heat in Springfield, Ill., third-year LPGA Tour veteran Sun Young Yoo (28-36=64, -8) fired an equally scorching 8-under-par 28 on the back nine of the Panther Creek Country Club to tie the LPGA Tour record for lowest nine-hole score in relation to par. Yoo becomes the eighth player to accomplish the feat, which was last achieved by Sarah Lee at the Corona Championship in 2007 and first set by Mary Beth Zimmerman at the 1984 event in Springfield. She also becomes the 13th player on Tour to have ever carded a raw score of 28 through nine holes, which is just one stroke shy of the record 27 held by Jimin Kang and In-Kyung Kim.

Beginning her day on the back nine of Panther Creek CC, Yoo carded four-straight birdies on her first four holes. She added additional subpars on holes 15 and 18, but her shot of the day came on the par-5, 476-yard 16th hole where she sunk a 25-foot eagle putt. Yoo, who qualified for the Tour with her fifth-place finish on the 2005 Futures Tour season-ending money list, went on to card a career-low 8-under 64 in the opening round and is one stroke behind 18-hole leader Christina Kim.

**truebluefan** · 07-19-2008, 08:00 AM

Kristy McPherson (32-33=65, -7) looks to continue her solid play this week in Springfield, Ill., after shooting a 7-under-par in the opening round of the LPGA State Farm Classic. The second-year Tour player has now posted a round in the 60s in five of her last eight rounds played, dating back to the first-round of the P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship Presented by John Q. Hammons when she shot a career-low 64 (-8). McPherson is undoubtedly on the best streak of her professional career on Tour, having carded two-consecutive top-10 finishes at the Arkansas event (T4) and last week's Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger (T7). The University of South Carolina and Duramed FUTURES Tour graduate has now carded 19 of her last 48 rounds under par, and 12 of her last 48 in the 60s.

**truebluefan** · 07-19-2008, 08:00 AM

Defending LPGA State Farm Classic champion Sherri Steinhauer and past winners Pat Hurst (2005), Kate Golden (2001), Michelle McGann (1996) and Nancy Lopez (1980 and 1992) make up the quintet of past champions in the 33rd edition of the annual summer tournament in Springfield, Ill. McGann (35-33=68, -4) heads into Friday's second round leading the veteran champions at 4-under, and is followed by Hurst at 3-under (33-36=69) and Golden at 1-under (35-36=71). Steinhauer and Lopez sit at 3- and 4-over, respectively.

**truebluefan** · 07-19-2008, 08:01 AM

Seventy-four players will advance to the weekend at the LPGA State Farm Classic, as 3-under-par 141 marked this year's cut line. The line ties the all-time LPGA Tour record of 3-under, which has twice been set at the State Farm event in Springfield, Ill. This year's contest at Panther Creek Country Club becomes the fifth event in Tour history to feature a cut of 3-under. Prior events that are tied for the record include: 1997 and 1998 State Farm Rail Classics, 2003 Welch's/Fry's Championship and the 2005 Wendy's Championship for Children.

This year's contest marks the 33rd edition of the Springfield tournament which began in 1976. In the inaugural year, champion Sandra Palmer took a $15,000 share of the $100,000 purse, whereas this year's winner will claim a payday of $255,000 since the tournament increased its purse from $1.3 million in 2007 to $1.7 this year.

Tomorrow's tee times will begin at 7:15 a.m. off of the first and 10th tees in threesomes. The leaders will tee off of on the first hole at 9:15 a.m.

**truebluefan** · 07-19-2008, 08:02 AM

Third-year LPGA Tour member Katie Futcher's 8-under-par 64 (70-64=134) marked not just a career-low round, but it was also the best of the day at the LPGA State Farm Classic. Futcher (70-64=134, -10) doubled her birdie production from Thursday's first round with eight on Friday en route to a bogey-free round. Entering the weekend tied for seventh place, the Texas native is on pace to record her first top-10 finish of the 2008 LPGA Tour season.

**truebluefan** · 07-20-2008, 08:16 PM

South Korea's Ji-Young Oh parred the first playoff hole to beat Yani Tseng and win the 1.7 million dollar LPGA State Farm Classic on Sunday.

It was the first US LPGA Tour win for Oh, who shot a three-under 69 in the final round to get into the one-hole playoff with Taiwan's Tseng.

She rolled in six birdies on the day, including four on the back nine.

Tseng, winner of the LPGA Championship last month, had a chance to win the tournament in regulation but stumbled on the final hole with a bogey.

Her approach on the 270-yard No. 18 hit the grandstand. She then missed a six-foot putt for the win sending the tournament into a playoff.

Oh was signing autographs on the sidelines when she learned they would be headed to a playoff as both finished at 18-under-par 270.

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