The Tribune

DEFENDING champion Ilhee Lee, two World Golf Hall-of-Famers and five of the top 10 players in the Rolex World Rankings highlight the list of those who will be playing in the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, scheduled to begin the 2014 women’s professional season January 22-26 at the Ocean Club Golf Course on Paradise Island, Bahamas.

Suzann Pettersen, Stacy Lewis and Lydia Ko, ranked Nos. 2-4 respectively, are in the field, as are nine different winners of last year’s events. One of those winners was Lee, who navigated the weather-altered event in the Bahamas last May to earn her first LPGA victory.

Pettersen won four times in 2013 to lift her record to 14 career victories while Lewis won three times and Ko won the Canadian Women’s Open as a teenage amateur.

Other notables in the field are Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis, Brittany Lang, Brittany Lincicome, Ai Miyazato, Morgan Pressel, Beatriz Recari, Lexi Thompson and Michelle Wie. World Golf Hall-of-Famers Juli Inkster (induction 2000) and Se Ri Pak (induction 2007) are also in the field.

“Nothing could be better than to start the LPGA season in Paradise,” said Michael Whan, LPGA commissioner.

The date change to January gives the event a fresh start and kicks off the 2014 LPGA schedule in the East Coast time zone for the first time in 13 years.

“We are all looking forward to helping to showcase this event, the islands and our sponsors to all the viewers live on the Golf Channel,” said Jeff Raedle, president of Global Golf Management, which will oversee the event again in 2014.

The Golf Channel will provide 10 hours of live coverage of the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, which is in its second season.

Live play will be shown from 11:30 -2:30pm on Thursday and Friday and from 3-5pm on Saturday and Sunday.