MOBILE, Ala. -- Heather Daly-Donofrio is without question one of the busiest players on Tour. Her responsibilities as LPGA Tour president mean extra meetings, interviews, phone calls, flights and having her ear bent by the LPGA Tour membership and the LPGA Board of Directors a little bit more than the everyday player.
This week, she will be even busier, but the extra duties she will incur will not bother her one bit. Daly-Donofrio is the defending champion of this week’s The Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions presented by Kathy Ireland Worldwide, meaning that she will be the one that everyone is looking to beat.
For Daly-Donofrio, this kind of busy is one she would like to get used to. When the Yale University graduate gets it going, she can roll in birdies with the best of them. She won this event at 19-under-par last year and in her other win-the 2001 First Union Betsy King Classic-she finished at 15-under-par.
The Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions presented by Kathy Ireland Worldwide is one of the most prestigious events on Tour and showcases a field of guaranteed winners. This year, there are 45 competitors-up from 39 last year-who have all won an event on the LPGA Tour since the start of the 2002 season. The one exception is Pat Bradley, who is competing this week via a sponsor’s exemption that may only be used for an LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame member.
Eleven players will be competing at The Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions presented by Kathy Ireland Worldwide for the first time. Marisa Baena, Heather Bowie, Paula Creamer, Jeong Jang, Jimin Kang, Soo-Yun Kang, Birdie Kim, Meena Lee, Jee Young Lee, Nicole Perrot and Stacy Prammanasudh all earned their maiden victories this year and thus a spot in this elite event.
Jee Young Lee won the CJ Nine Bridges Classic Presented by Sports Today two weeks ago as a member of the Korean LPGA, but she is eligible to compete this week in The Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions presented by Kathy Ireland Worldwide. The other 10 are all members of the LPGA and became Rolex First-Time Winners this year at an LPGA event.
Last year, Daly-Donofrio carded a career-low 64 in the third round to help propel her to a four-shot win over Laura Diaz. The $130,000 first-place check was more than half of her $243,743 in season earnings.
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Daly-Donofrio Creamer Headline in Alabama
Published November 8, 2005 05:00 PM
