Sports
Seon Hwa Lee wins crown at P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship, makes birdie on final hole to win by one stroke
By media release
Jul 6, 2008
ROGERS, AR – South Korean star Seon Hwa Lee made birdie on the final hole of the P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship presented by John Q. Hammons to win by one stroke over Jane Park and Meena Lee. She became the Tournament’s first official winner after the inaugural event was rain-shortened to 18 holes.
Lee, 22, posted a 15-under-par 201 (64-69-68) on the 6,238 yard par-72 layout at Pinnacle Country Club. She trailed Meena Lee by one stroke heading to the 18th and final hole, but found herself tied after M. Lee bogeyed the par-3 17th. S.H. Lee proceeded to stick her approach shot on the 545 yard par-5 to three feet and she calmly made the birdie. She anxiously waited as M. Lee finished her round in the group behind her. M. Lee narrowly missed a downhill birdie attempt which gave S.H. Lee her fourth career Tour victory.
Lee was very excited to come away with the crown on a grueling day on the course. “I feel great. This is my second win this year. And it was a really tough day. The weather was really hard, and everything was really hard. But I really felt good about my game. And every single shot was what I wanted today, and I feel really great. I feel really good now.”
Heavy rains and lightning in Arkansas caused first and second round play to be delayed on Friday and Saturday. The delays caused 70 players to have to finish their second rounds on Sunday morning, including Lee, who had two holes remaining in her second round.
Lee became the fourth player to win multiple events on Tour in 2008. She previously won the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika on June 1. Lee earned $255,000 and the champion’s trophy for her efforts. With the win, the 2006 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year crossed $3 million in career earnings on the LPGA Tour.
Lee praised the Northwest Arkansas community for their support, saying, “The crowd was really, really good.”
Jane Park shot a 10-under 62 on the final round to tie the 18-hole Tournament-record with Angela Park, who did it on Saturday.
For more information on the P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship, please visit www.PGBeautyChampionship.com.
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About John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, LLC - Springfield, Mo.-based John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, LLC is the nation's leading independent builder, developer, owner and manager of upscale, full-service hotels, resorts and suites, including: Embassy Suites Hotels, Renaissance, Marriott, Radisson, Residence Inn, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Holiday Inn and Courtyard by Marriott brands. With 62 hotels strategically located near demand generators, such as state capitals, universities, airports, corporate headquarters or office parks in secondary and tertiary markets, John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts' properties are dominant in their markets. Over the course of his impressive career in the hotel business, Mr. Hammons has developed 164 hotels. For more information, visit www.jqh.com.
About the Ladies Professional Golf Association - As the longest-running women’s professional sports organization in the world, the LPGA features a membership comprised of world-class LPGA Tour professionals and dedicated Teaching and Club Professionals (T&CP). Today’s LPGA Tour features the most talented global sampling of professional athletes competing in 36 events on six continents with total prize money of more than $62 million. In addition to its dynamic Tour members, nearly 1,200 certified T&CP members serve the golf industry in teaching, coaching and management positions, and oversee programs aimed at increasing the involvement of women, girls and youth in golf. The not-for-profit LPGA’s Vision is to inspire, empower, educate and entertain by showcasing the best golf professionals in the world. Its Mission is to be a leader in the world of sports, to promote economic empowerment for all members, and to serve as role models on and off the course. The LPGA is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Fla. For more information on the LPGA, log on to www.LPGA.com.
About Octagon’s Golf Division - Octagon’s Golf Division manages two Champions Tour events, The ACE Group Classic and SAS Championship presented by Forbes; three LPGA Tour events, Sybase Classic presented by ShopRite, P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship presented by John Q. Hammons, and SemGroup Championship presented by John Q. Hammons; and one Nationwide Tour event, Rex Hospital Open. Octagon’s Golf Division also represents many of golf’s top professionals, including: Chris Smith, Grace Park, Christina Kim, Meg Mallon, and Beth Daniel. Additionally, Octagon represents marketing rights to Gary Koch, and brothers, Bobby and Lanny Wadkins.
About Octagon - Octagon is the world’s largest sports and entertainment representation and marketing agency with global expertise in consulting, athletes & personalities, event management, property representation, marketing solutions, licensing and merchandising and talent procurement. As part of The Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG), one of the world’s leading organizations of advertising agencies and marketing services, Octagon employs more than 1,000 people in 60 offices around the world. For more information visit: www.octagon.com.