Cristie Kerr holds the Bruce Callis Trophy Monday June 14, 2010 after winning the 35th State Farm Classic at Panther Creek Country Club.

A journey to Springfield is usually well worth it for Cristie Kerr, who’s rarely absent from the top tier of the LPGA State Farm Classic leaderboard.

And Kerr, currently No. 3 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, is one of the last players who’d want to see Springfield’s tournament become a thing of the past. With June 9-12 marking the city’s last LPGA event with State Farm on the label, Kerr is ready to talk to any potential new sponsors willing to listen.

“It’s something that (tour players) try and do all the time,” Kerr said during a conference call on Tuesday. “It’s not just when one sponsor is leaving; we try to deal with current partners, too. What can we do better for you as a sponsor?

“In (Springfield’s) case, with State Farm already making their announcement, we’ll do whatever the tour needs us to do. We’re vested in this tour. It’s our livelihood, and we’re eager to help.”

Long-running, full-field domestic LPGA events such as Springfield’s have become the exception rather than the norm. Companies have become much more judicious with their advertising dollars.

But Kerr said the Classic’s traditions are its biggest selling points.

“I’m not the person doing sales or marketing,” Kerr said. “But I’d tell (potential sponsors) that the Springfield community embraces the tournament and raises a lot of money for charity through the event.

“It’s something that little-girl golfers in the community look forward to, and it’s great for corporate marketing and entertaining. From a brand standpoint, it helps elevate your brand by hosting a tournament like this one.”

Record of success

Why wouldn’t Kerr want to keep teeing it up in central Illinois? In her 11 combined appearances at The Rail Golf Course and Panther Creek Country Club, she has:

• won twice, including last year’s rain-delayed victory at Panther Creek;

• finished second twice;

• finished in the top 10 seven times,

• and missed the top 20 and missed the cut just one time each.

It’s added up to $809,580 in winnings — a nice deposit toward Kerr’s $12.2 million career earnings entering the 2011 season.

Despite suffering from a cold and contending with weather that forced several stops and restarts in tournament play last year, Kerr continued her run of success here.

Top Ranked LPGA Champion Cristie Kerr will receive the prestigious Muhammad Ali Award for Sport Achievement at the star-studded Celebrity Fight Night charity gala March 19th at the Marriot Desert Ridge in Scottsdale, Arizona. 

In 2010, Kerr became the first American to reach #1 in the Official Rolex World Golf Rankings when she won the LPGA Championship by a record 12 shots. The Miami, FL native and part time Scottsdale resident has 14 wins on the LPGA tour including two Major Championships and is 5th all time in career LPGA earnings. This will be the first time a female athlete has been presented with this award in the 16 year history of this premier charity's annual event. 

"Celebrity Fight Night is fortunate to be honoring Cristie Kerr with the
Muhammad Ali Celebrity Fight Night Sports Achievement Award in 2011.
Cristie not only exemplifies what being a true champion is on the
course, but she consistently portrays what Muhammad Ali stands for in
his fight against Parkinson's disease with her extraordinary heart off
the course” remarked Celebrity Fight Night founder Jimmy Walker.

Kerr has used her success on the course as a platform to create awareness and funding for breast cancer research through her foundation, Birdies for Breast Cancer. In 2010, the foundation partnered with Jersey City Medical Center to create the regions most comprehensive center specializing in women’s health issues. The Cristie Kerr Women’s Health Center offers breast cancer screening and treatment programs and is the first center of its kind to treat uninsured women.

“I’m deeply honored to be recognized by Muhammed Ali and the Celebrity Fight Night event not just for my golf achievements, but also for our work off the course to fight breast cancer. I have always admired what Muhammed Ali has stood for as an athlete and a humanitarian and the work Jimmy Walker does with the event and raising money and awareness to fight Parkinsons Disease is an inspiration to me in my efforts”, Kerr commented on the honor.

In addition to golf and her philanthropic efforts off the course, Kerr expanded her entrepreneurial skills by partnering with the award winning Pride Mountain Vineyards to create Curvature Wines. The highly rated wines are featured n some of Americas top golf clubhouses and restaurants, and 100% of proceeds go to breast cancer research.

The other recipients of the Muhammad Ali Celebrity Fight Night awards this year are: Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry, Founder and CEO of GoDaddy Bob Parsons and former NBA and NFL owner Red McCombs.

Celebrity Fight Night is being emceed by Grammy Award-winning artist Reba McEntire. Multi-platinum recording artist, Matchbox Twenty will be headlining the event including performances by Grammy Award-winning vocalist Kelly Clarkson. 

Other notable celebrities taking the stage include comedians Billy Crystal and Sinbad, Legendary country singer, Lee Greenwood, the Top 12 American Idol 2011 finalists as well as Bret Michaels. Kevin Costner and his band, Modern West will provide after-party entertainment.

Celebrity Fight Night has raised nearly $65 million for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center and other charities. The event is Saturday, March 19th at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Ariz.

For more information, visit CelebrityFightNight.org.

“Kerr is an extraordinary example of someone unwavering in her commitment to excellence, not only professionally but personally,” said Greg Kwiat, Chief Financial Officer. “Like Kerr, personal passions inform professional aspirations at Kwiat. As a centuryold, family-owned business, Kwiat’s industry growth has always mirrored the personal ambitions of each new generation—it’s been an organic partnership from the start.”

The Birdies for Breast Cancer Collection is inspired by Kwiat’s Signature Platinum Star Collection, and includes a pair of delicate, diamond-drop earrings as well as a pendant of the same design. Invoking the charitable connection, both pieces are set in 18-carat pink gold and accented with a pink sapphire. Kerr will wear both pieces on tour throughout 2010. “I am delighted to have Kwiat join us in our mission to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer,” said Cristie Kerr. “The earrings and the pendant they created are truly stunning. Our hope is that these subtle pieces will serve as a reminder of those we have lost to the disease, and represent our hope for the future.”

Following Wendy’s Challenge, the collection will debut to the public in January 2010 with a launch event at Kwiat’s Madison Avenue flagship boutique, supported by a robust online campaign on both Kwiat.com and Kerr’s personal Web site. From there it will be made available at Kwiat Las Vegas, as well as all other Kwiat retailers nationwide. 10% of all proceeds will go directly to benefit Birdies for Breast Cancer.

Season’s Greetings!

I’d like to take this time to thank you for your support over the past year. It was an exciting 12 months that went by way too quickly. I’m looking forward to lots of good things in 2010: like playing my best golf ever and writing here more often.

I’m also looking forward to my wonderful new partnership with renowned jewelery designer Kwiat. For over a hundred years Kwiat has been producing diamond jewelry that’s dramatically contemporary, brilliantly classic and timeless.

As part of our exclusive partnership, they’ve designed a limited-edition collection to support my foundation, “Birdies for Breast Cancer”.

The new Birdies for Breast Cancer Collection is inspired by Kwiat’s Signature Platinum Star Collection, and includes a pair of delicate, diamond-drop earrings as well as a pendant of the same design. I just love that both pieces are set in 18-carat pink gold and accented with a pink sapphire to represent The Birdies for Breast Cancer cause.

The collection will debut in January 2010 with a launch event at Kwiat’s Madison Avenue flagship boutique and from there it will be made available at Kwiat Las Vegas, as well as all other Kwiat retailers nationwide.

The Kwiat family shares my commitment to breast cancer research and awareness so 10% of all proceeds will go directly to benefit Birdies for Breast Cancer. You can learn about the company’s history and get to know the entire collection. You can also see how celebrities and stars wear the distinctive designs on red carpets and runways.

I’m proud to be partnering with Kwiat and thank them for their dedication the breast cancer cause.

Our partnership officially launches this Saturday with the start of the Wendy’s Challenge in Las Vegas at the Rio Secco Golf Club. The event will be aired this Saturday & Sunday 4 – 6pm EST on the ABC network. Make sure to tune in and root for the action.

Scratch Golf is a family run company out of Portland, OR.

They produce fine custom-made, hand-ground wedges. My lob wedge and my gap wedge each come from Scratch. They’re exceptionally well made and really help me out on the golf course.

Now Scratch is also helping my foundation, Birdies for Breast Cancer, with this generous program:

Scratch Golf’s $100 Chip-in

Scratch Golf Clubs will donate $100 to Birdies for Breast Cancer for each chip-in I make during the course of the 2009 season.

Thank you Scratch Golf, for your winning wedges…and your exceptional generosity.

It happens every day at Liberty National Golf Course.

The Statue of Liberty is less than 1,000 yards off the eighteenth green with the Manhattan Skyline rising in the backdrop. Quite an experience.

They’re exceptionally well made.

The fit is consistently comfortable.

They offer a great selection of styles.

What more can you ask for from your Jeans?

How about hand finishing that makes each pair a one-of-a-kind piece? That’s what Hudson Jeans have that you just don’t find elsewhere. My jeans…are really my jeans.

And when I’m not on the golf course, chances are great I’ll be wearing my jeans.

Their style is classic, with a wonderful respect for tradition, but at the same time, it’s modern, innovative and forward thinking. I’m fortunate to have such a stellar sponsor.

They happen to have a really cute logo too, as almost everyone knows. The tiny crocodile, who always seems to wear a half smile, is one of the most recognized logos in the world. And now the little guy is being celebrated with a series of limited-edition Lacoste sneakers that reference the animal’s place in mythology and urban legend around the world.

OK, when I’m not wearing golf shoes, or Jimmy Choos, I’m probably wearing sneakers. Urban street shoes. So I know something about kicks, and these are awesome. The style pictured above is Egypt-inspired, with a green shade inspired by the belly of the Nile crocodile and a canvas upper with laser-etched pyramid designs that resemble the croc’s skin. Sounds ravishingly reptilian to me.

To find out more check the crocodile’s new website …and his YouTube channel. That’s right, not only is this lizard lovable he’s also quite tech-savvy.

Eleven years ago, Kerr turned pro after she graduated from high school and got an advanced education in the school of hard knocks on the tour. She didn’t win until her sixth season, and by then she was a hardened veteran.

Although overshadowed in recent years by younger players Paula Creamer, Michelle Wie, Morgan Pressel and others, Kerr, 29, has been on of the best players on tour, with eight wins from 2004 to 2006.

But she had to wait until her 251st event to win her first major in her 42nd attampt. Holding off world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa and 18- year-old Angela Park on Sunday, Kerr shot 5-under-par 279 to win the 62nd U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club by two shots.

With rounds of 71-72-66-70 on the hilly, sloping par-71, 6,664- yard course, Kerr bested 56 players in the field who were 22 or younger and relied on experience and wisdom gathered in her years chasing her dream.

“I was definitely fighting my swing this week,” said Kerr, who grabbed the 54-hold lead with the week’s best round, a 66 in the third round spread over two days because of rain delays. “I was trying to fix it all the way through the 18th.

“Whatever it took, I was going to win this tournament. Hitting it bad, hitting it crooked. You’ve got to be able to win in all different kinds of ways. You can’t always win when you’re playing perfectly.

“So I was able to muddle this one out.”

She did so with a blistering putter. With a Ping Craz-E putter she bought in South Korea this year, she needled just 24 putts in the third round and 29 in the final round and had the third-best avaerage for putts per hole (1.57) this weekend.

“I did hit a lot of greens this week, but putting absolutely saved me,” said Kerr, who was the low amateur in 1996 and finished fourth in 2001 when the Open was played.