Second-year LPGA Tour player Mina Harigae enters the final round of the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup with a chance to post her career-best LPGA finish and an opportunity to earn valuable dollars to help with Japan relief efforts. Harigae, who was born in California, is competing this week for the Red Cross. The recent tragedies in Japan hit Harigae particularly close to home. Her father Yasunori emigrated from Tokyo in 1976, and her mother Mafumi, who has lived in the United States since she was ten, was born near Osaka. The family owns a Japanese restaurant in Pacific Grove where Yasunori is the sushi chef.
The personable and bubbly Harigae posted rounds of 68-70 in the first two rounds of play. She currently sits in a tie for fifth with LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame member Karrie Webb and four-time LPGA Tour winner Seon Hwa Lee. Harigae earned her LPGA wings by finishing first on the 2009 LPGA Futures Tour money list. As an LPGA Tour rookie in 2010, she posted a career-best tie for eighth at the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola and finished the year 77th on the LPGA money list.
In all, eighteen different LPGA players are competing this week for Japan relief efforts, including Rolex Rankings No. 1 Yani Tseng (U.S. Fund for UNICEF), No. 13 Song Hee Kim (Red Cross) and No. 27 Sun Young Yoo.
RR Donnelley is also donating $100 for every birdie and $500 for every eagle posted on holes 15-18, aka the “Japan Relief Zone” to benefit the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. The total donation through two rounds of play is $24,800. In an effort to raise even more money for Japan, RR Donnelley today announced that they will increase the donation to $500 for every birdie and $1,000 for every eagle made on holes 15-18 in the final round Sunday, further encouraging players to “Finish Strong for Japan.”
The RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup will donate its entire $1 million purse to charity, with $500,000 going to The LPGA Foundation and its LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program and $500,000 going to the top-10 finishers’ designated charities.
Golf Channel will air the final round of the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup Sunday live from 7:00-9:00pm ET.
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