2008 TOURNAMENT NEWS

KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP ANNOUNCES AMATEUR INVITATIONS FOR 2008

January 16th, 2008 | Seven amateur golfers have received sponsor invitations to play in the 2008 Kraft Nabisco Championship, according to Tournament Director Terry Wilcox. The 37th edition of the first major of the year on the LPGA Tour will be held March 31-April 6 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Topping the list of amateurs invited to compete is Maria Jose Uribe, a freshman at UCLA. As the reigning USGA women's amateur champion, Uribe earned an automatic spot in the 2008 Kraft Nabisco Championship field. She is currently ranked T6 in the Jan. 13 edition of GolfWeek. Originally from Bucaramanga, Colombia, Uribe turns 18 on Feb. 27.

Wilcox also announced that invitations were extended to Mallory Blackwelder, Amanda Blumenherst, Mina Harigae, Kimberly Kim and Alison Walshe. University of Arkansas star Stacy Lewis, who earned low amateur honors at last year's Kraft Nabisco Championship with a tie for fifth place, qualified automatically for the 2008 tournament but has declined.

Mallory Blackwelder, a junior at the University of Kentucky, won the Women's Western Golf Association National Amateur Championship last year. Blackwelder is the daughter of Myra, a former LPGA Tour professional and the new head coach for the women's golf team at the university, as well as Worth, a longtime LPGA caddie who currently caddies for Juli Inkster. The #3 ranked amateur by GolfWeek, Mallory was the runner-up at last year's Women's Trans National and finished seventh at the Harder Hall Women's Invitational earlier this month.

Blumenherst, a junior at Duke University, is a two-time National Player of the Year and led the Blue Devils to their third consecutive NCAA championship last year. The 21-year-old finished runner-up in the 2007 USGA Women's Amateur Championship and is currently ranked #1 among women collegiate players and #2 among amateurs according to GolfWeek. Making her first appearance at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, Blumenherst tied for 50th at last year's U.S. Women's Open.

Mina Harigae, a senior in high school in Monterey, Calif., won the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship last year and is currently ranked #3 in GolfWeek's junior rankings. A quarter finalist in the 2007 USGA Women's Amateur Championship, Harigae also played in last year's U.S. Women's Open where she finished 66th.

Making her second consecutive appearance at the Kraft Nabisco is Kimberly Kim of Hilo, Hawaii. Now 16, Kim won the 2006 USGA Women's Amateur as a 14-year-old (the youngest winner in the history of the event) and placed in the semi-finals at last year's USGA Women's Amateur Championship. Kim is the top-ranked junior golfer according to the most recent GolfWeek rankings.

Wrapping up the list of invitees is University of Arizona senior Alison Walshe. Walshe is the #5 ranked college player in the country and the #8 ranked amateur according to GolfWeek. She won the 2008 Harder Hall Invitation and the 2007 North and South Golf Championship.

Wilcox said that the field will be cut after two rounds to 70 low professional scores and ties and any amateurs within the cut. Last year, three amateurs, including Lewis, made the cut. The other two players were Taylor Leon and Esther Choe.

In addition to some of the top amateur players in the country, the 2008 Kraft Nabisco Championship will feature the best professional golfers in the world. Leading the field will be 19-year-old Morgan Pressel, who broke the LPGA record as the youngest player to win a major at last year's Kraft Nabisco Championship. Joining Pressel is 2007 Rolex Player of the Year Lorena Ochoa, Rookie of the Year Angela Park, Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis, Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb, Se Ri Pak and many more stars of the LPGA.

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