U.S. and World Team Announced for
2009 Handa Cup
Seven World Golf Hall of Fame Members Part of U.S. Team
Boston, Mass., (Nov. 10, 2009) – The field is set for the fourth-annual Handa Cup to be held December 5th through 7th at the Slammer & Squire golf course at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla. The Legends Tour’s season-ending event, sponsored by Haruhisa Handa, a Japanese philanthropist, artist and businessman, pits U.S.-born LPGA Legends professionals against a team of World Legends professionals in an international match-play competition.
Returning U.S. team captain and World Golf Hall of Fame member Kathy Whitworth is poised to lead 12 players, including Beth Daniel and five more World Golf Hall of Fame members, who will compete for a U.S. “four-peat” at the Handa Cup.
Scotland’s Cathy Panton-Lewis will captain the 2009 World Team, whose competing members include Legends Tour career money leader, Jan Stephenson, and 2009 Solheim Cup Captain Alison Nicholas in her second Handa Cup appearance.
In 2008, competition was nearly deadlocked at the close of first-round team matches with the U.S. securing the overnight lead by just two points. Hall of Fame member Patty Sheehan and seven-time Solheim Cup veteran Rosie Jones posted perfect match records at 3-0-0 for the tournament, boosting the U.S. team to a 14-point lead and helping to clinch the team’s third Handa Cup.
The 2009 Handa Cup will begin Saturday, Dec. 5th at 9 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 6th at 9 a.m., and a pro-am will take place Monday, Dec. 7th. Tickets for Saturday and Sunday are available at the gate for $10. Children under 18 and military personnel are admitted for free. Pro-Am spots are still available and interested parties may contact Megan Gardner at 617-997-6194 to register. For more information, visit www.thelegendstour.com.
U.S. Team: Amy Alcott (WGHOF member), Pat Bradley (WGHOF member), JoAnne Carner (WGHOF member), Elaine Crosby, Beth Daniel (WGHOF member), Sandra Haynie (WGHOF member), Christa Johnson, Rosie Jones, Cindy Rarick, Nancy Scranton, Patty Sheehan (WGHOF member) and Sherri Turner. Captain: Kathy Whitworth (WGHOF member), Assistant Captain: Lori West.
World Team: Dawn Coe-Jones, Alicia Dibos, Gail Graham, Nancy Harvey, Jenny Lidback, Sally Little, Alison Nicholas, Mieko Nomura, Michiko Okada, Anne Marie Palli, Jan Stephenson, Aiko Takasu. Captain, Catherine Panton Lewis.
About The Legends Tour
The Legends Tour, the “Official Legends Tour of the LPGA,” began in 2000 by LPGA professionals with a goal to showcase the talents of some of the greatest women golfers of all time. The Legends Tour has over 100 members, including 10 World Golf Hall of Fame members. Legends Tour players have a combined 625 LPGA Tour victories, including 65 major championships. In its eight seasons, The Legends Tour has awarded more than $8.8 million in prize money and has hosted events in Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Australia and Japan. For additional information on The Legends Tour, visit www.thelegendstour.com.
About Dr. Haruhisa Handa
Dr. Handa is an international businessman involved in the management of more than a dozen companies and organizations and is recognized globally for his promotion of a wide range of activities on arts and cultural exchanges. Dr. Handa serves as Chairman for a number of organizations worldwide, including, but not limited to, the International Foundation for Arts and Culture, Japanese Blind Golf Association, International Sports Promotion Society, International Blind Golf Association and Women’s Senior Golf Association. Known to many as the “Father of Blind Golf” Dr. Handa founded the first blind golf club in Japan and was appointed to the post of Vice President at the Royal National Institute for the Blind, Britain’s oldest and largest charity, in recognition of his long-standing commitment to blind welfare. Dr. Handa established the Sihanouk Hospital in Cambodia, a 24-hour, free emergency hospital and was awarded the Commander of the Royal Order of Sahametrei (Friendship), conferred by King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia, the highest award given and for the first time to a foreign private individual. In addition, he was bestowed Commander of the Royal Order of Monisaraphon by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. Dr. Handa is known to many as the “Modern Renaissance Man.”
About World Golf Hall of Fame
World Golf Hall of Fame, located at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla., honors and celebrates golf’s greatest players and contributors. A World Golf Foundation initiative, the Hall of Fame represents collaboration among 26 national and international golf organizations, including the PGA TOUR, LPGA, USGA, PGA of America, The European Tour and The R&A. The museum houses interactive exhibits and historic and personal artifacts that tell the stories of its members and the game of golf. For more information, visit www.wgv.com.
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As sole founding partner of World Golf Hall of Fame, The First Tee and World Golf Village, Shell Oil Company provides financial support and plays the lead role in charitable initiatives aimed at introducing golf to young people, and through the golf experience promotes scholastic achievement, community service and those values intrinsic to the game of golf: honesty, integrity and sportsmanship
Media Contact:
Megan Gardner, Legends Tour
(617) 997-6194
mgardner@jbcgolf.com
Peyton Taylor, World Golf Village
(904) 940-4059
ptaylor@wghof.org
