Sydnee Michaels, a rising junior at UCLA, defeated Kendra Little of the University of Oregon on the first playoff hole to win the fifth annual Safeway Classic Amateur Open.

Michaels won a sponsor’s exemption in the LPGA’s Safeway Classic Presented by Pepsi August 22-24 at Columbia Edgewater Country Club. Michaels and Little finished at 2-under par 69 through regulation play to tie for first among the field of 18 players. Michaels made par on the first playoff hole to beat Little by 3 strokes. Michaels now has the opportunity to play with the best on the LPGA tour in the 54-hole event, which features a purse of $1.7 million for professionals.

Michaels also won the 2006 Safeway Classic Amateur Open and the 2007 Safeway International Amateur Open in Phoenix to earn sponsor’s exemptions in the Safeway Classic and Safeway International for those years.

As second and third-place finishers, Little and Julianna Uhrik of Oregon State will compete in the Tuesday, August 19 LPGA Qualifier for the Safeway Classic against professional players who are not otherwise eligible for the Safeway Classic based on their current tour rankings. The two low scores from that event will also earn spots in the tournament proper Aug. 24-26. Uhrik bested Ayaka Kaneko on the second hole of a playoff for third place.

“What a great day of golf by all the participants,” said Tom Maletis, President of Tournament Golf Foundation, the Safeway Classic owners and operators. “This event provides amateurs with a great opportunity earn their way into a premier LPGA tournament to compete against the best players in the world. We are thrilled to have Sydnee be a part of this year’s event. With three Safeway Amateur Open victories, I think I know where her family shops.”

This year’s Safeway Classic will be the 37th edition. The tournament has raised over $12 million for local children’s charities in Oregon through the Safeway Foundation since 1972, and gave $1.1 million last year from tournament proceeds.

For more information on the Safeway Classic and Tournament Golf Foundation, visit their website at www.safewayclassic.com.

Safeway Classic Amateur Open
Langdon Farms Golf Club
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Final Results
Par 72

1 Michaels, Sydnee 69
2 Little, Kendra 69
3 Uhrik, Julianna 70
4 Kaneko, Ayaka 70
5 Sweeney, Jaclyn 71
6 Karle, Taylore 73
7 Parks, Sadena 73
8 Nakashima, Kelly 75
9 Telles, Seshia-Lei 75
10 Kim, Rebecca 76
11 Markle, Kareen 77
12 Simanton, Amy Beth 77
13 Sellers, Beth 78
14 Sills, Avery 79
15 Ontiveros, Jordan 80
16 Aho, Lindsay 82
17 Sze, Angel 83
18 Tan, Kristin 83