MARIA HJORTH

Birthdate: October 15, 1973

Birthplace: Falun, Sweden

Age: 32 Ht: 5’9"

Home: Scottsdale, Ariz.

College: Univ. of Stirling, Scotland

Turned Professional: 1996

Joined LPGA Tour: 1998

LPGA Tour Wins: 2 - 1999 SAFECO Classic, Mizuno Classic.

Player Notes: Professional

2005 Highlights

• Best finish of the season was a tie for third at the John Q. Hammons Hotel Classic, where she carded a season-low 64 in the opening round.

• Was a member of the European Solheim Cup Team.

• Recorded three additional top-10 finishes: a tie for fifth at both the Evian Masters and State Farm Classic; and a tie for 10th at the Wegmans Rochester LPGA.

• Also tied for 15th at the Wendy’s Championship for Children and tied for 20th at the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship hosted by Nancy Lopez.

• Successfully defended her title at the KSPoker.com Ladies English Open on the Robe di Kappa Ladies

European Tour (LET).

2005 Stats (rank)

Rds under par: 25/67 (36) Rds in the 60s: 17/67 (12) Birdies: 227 (34)

Eagles: 6 (10) Greens in reg: 72.2% (5) Driving accuracy: 67.3% (128)

Sand saves: 30% (123) Putts per GIR: 1.81 (27) Driving avg: 260.9 (8)

2004 Highlights

• Best finish was a tie for 17th at the State Farm Classic.

• Carded a season-low 65 during the second round of the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill.

• Won the Ladies English Open on the Robe di Kappa Ladies European Tour (LET).

• Returned to the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament Presented by American Airlines, where she tied for 12th to retain exempt status for the 2005 season.

2004 Stats (Rank)

Rds under par: 13/59 (119) Rds in the 60s: 5/59 (121) Birdies: 157 (104)

Eagles: 9 (12) Greens in reg: 62.6% (97) Driving accuracy: 51.7% (167)

Sand saves: 38.3% (56) Putts per GIR: 1.85 (97) Driving avg: 258.3 (28)

• In 2003, best finish was a tie for fifth at the Kraft Nabisco Championshi

2002 Highlights

• Best finish was a tie for second at the Evian Masters, where she carded a season-low 64 in the final round and crossed the $2 million mark in career earnings.

• Earned a spot on the European Solheim Cup Team.

2002 Stats (rank)

Rds under par: 29/71 (32) Rds in the 60s: 16/71 (36) Birdies: 236 (33)

Eagles: 9 (5) Greens in reg: 68.6% (18) Driving accuracy: 61.7% (152)

Sand saves: 42.4% (31) Putting avg: 30.65 (136) Driving avg: 265.3 (52001 Highlights

• Although she did not win a tournament, more than doubled her career earnings on the strength of nine top-10 finishes.

• During the early summer, finished either second or third in six out of seven tournaments.

• Finished second at the Evian Masters and Jamie Farr Kroger Classic Presented by ALLTEL; tied for second at the Wegmans Rochester International and LPGA Corning Classic, where she tied her career-low score of 63 during the third round.

• Tied for third at the LPGA Champions Classic, where she crossed the $1 million mark in career earnings, and McDonald’s LPGA Championship Presented by AIG, her best finish in a major.

2001 Stats (rank)

Rds under par: 41/94 (36) Rds in the 60s: 26/94 (17) Birdies: 348 (3)

Eagles: 9 (10) Greens in reg: 69.8% (14) Driving accuracy: 65.3% (141)

Sand saves: 36.8% (116) Putting avg: 30.70 (146) Driving avg: 263.60 (2)

Career Highlights

• In 2000, finished second at the Subaru Memorial of Naples after losing to Nancy Scranton on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff; carded her career-low round of 63 during the second round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

• In 1999, recorded two wins, the SAFECO Classic and the Mizuno Classic, where she played with a mix-matched set of clubs because her clubs were lost by an airline; led the Tour in birdies (408), becoming the first LPGA player to record more than 400 birdies in a season; recorded her first LPGA hole-in-one at the AFLAC Champions Presented by Southern Living.

• In 1998, recorded three top-10 finishes, with her best coming at the Friendly’s Classic, where she tied for fifth.

• Member of the Swedish, European and Australian Tours; won the Delsjo Ladies Open, Toyota Ladies Open and Aspeboda Ladies Open on the Swedish Professional Ladies Tour; member of the Players West Tour, where she won the A.V. Rubbish Classic.

Amateur

Hjorth enjoyed a very successful amateur career. She was a member of the Swedish National Team from 1991-96 and was the winner of 23 amateur events. As a junior in 1991, she won on the Swedish Professional Ladies Tour and captured the Swedish Girls Order of Merit title. In 1995, she went on to win the European Ladies Amateur title.

Personal

5’9", blond hair...Credits her parents, coach, Liselotte Neumann and Seve Ballesteros as the individuals most influencing her career...Has two sisters...Hobbies include curling (playing in the highest division in Sweden), aerobics and reading books...Qualified for the Tour on her first attempt.