ROOKIE MAJOR WINNER YANI TSENG HEADS
TO THE 2008 RICOH WOMEN’S BRITISH OPEN

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY IMG
Yani Tseng, the first Taiwanese winner of an LPGA Major, has confirmed she will be playing in the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Sunningdale Golf Club from 31 July to 3 August, 2008.

The 19 year old LPGA rookie announced her arrival on Tour earlier this year with two second place finishes in her first six starts, before winning the second Major of the year, the McDonald’s LPGA Championship presented by Coca-Cola. Yani was undaunted playing her final round with World Number 1 and Ricoh Women’s British Open defending Champion, Lorena Ochoa, before defeating Maria Hjorth at the fourth of a hole by hole play off with a birdie.

Yani turned professional in 2007, winning on both the Asian and Canadian Tours before joining the LPGA Tour following a successful visit to the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament last autumn. She is the second youngest player to win a Major (Morgan Pressel won the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship aged 18 years 10 months). Lorena Ochoa, who was trying to win her third consecutive Major, finished in a tie for 3rd place, with Annika Sorenstam, who will be hoping to add one more Ricoh Women’s British Open title to her amazing haul before retiring at the end of the year.

Yani, clearly enjoying every minute of her success, enthused, “I can’t wait to come to the UK for the Ricoh Women’s British Open. It will be a very different experience for me now that I am a Major Champion as there will be huge expectations on me to do well, but I think I will handle it just fine. It is really exciting as it will be my first time playing in the Women’s British Open and it will be only my fourth time playing in a Major, but I think I will stand a little taller on the first tee with the confidence last weekend’s win has given me.”

Steeped in history and the only Major to take place outside of the USA, the 2008 Ricoh Women’s British Open is set to be one of the highlights on this year’s golfing calendar, with 144 players from around the world competing for a total prize fund of GBP£1,050,000 (US$2,100,000).

With the race for qualification for the 2008 Championship very much underway and entries closing on 1st July 2008, there are number of players who can relax, having already secured their place in a line-up that is starting to resemble a who’s who of women’s golf.

Former Champions at Sunningdale, Karrie Webb, Se Ri Pak and Karen Stupples, qualify as former winners of the event, as does World Number 2, Annika Sorenstam who won the title in 2003. World Number 4, Paula Creamer, Japan’s Yuri Fudoh - the World Number 22 and Miki Saiki - the World Number 28, have also qualified with top 15 finishes at the 2007 Championship. So too have Scottish stars Catriona Matthew and Mhairi McKay, while the 2007 Amateur Medal Winner, England’s Melissa Reid, who has built on her magnificent performance finishing tied 16th at last year’s Championship, looks set to qualify through the LET money list on which she is currently ranked 7th.

The top five players on the 2008 JLPGA money list as of today, Monday 16th June 2008, have also qualified. They are Sakura Yokomine, Ji-Hee Lee, Eun-A Lim, Bo-Bae Song and Yukari Baba.


The Ricoh Women’s British Open is the most international of all the Majors. Millions tuned into the 2007 Championship in August as it was televised around the world, including on the BBC in the UK, ABC network television in the USA and on TV Asahi in Japan.

Sunningdale Golf Club has a rich heritage of hosting professional and amateur events, including the Women’s British Open on three occasions, 1997, 2001 and 2004, as well as the European Open, the inaugural Seve Trophy and the Walker Cup.

The Ricoh Women’s British Open was founded by the Ladies’ Golf Union in 1976, has been co-sanctioned by the LPGA and LET since 1994 and gained Major status in 2001. The event is managed and implemented in conjunction with IMG, the world’s largest sports marketing company.

For more information, including the latest news and advance ticket offers, please visit http://www.ricohwomensbritishopen.com/ or call our ticket line on +448719459421.