Eight players will earn spots into 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., July 22, 2021 – The LPGA Professionals, educators and business leaders dedicated to growing the game of golf for everyone, head to Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va. for the 33rd edition of the LPGA Professionals National Championship presented by Voice Caddie, to be held July 25-27, 2021.

The River Course at Kingsmill, designed by Pete Dye, has been home to over 35 LPGA and PGA Tour events, including the LPGA Tour’s Pure Silk Championship presented by Visit Williamsburg. The LPGA Professionals National Championship is returning to this historic venue for the first time since 2009, when Jean Bartholomew fired a final-round 62 to capture the title.

The LPGA Professionals National Championship was originally organized in 1983 to provide additional playing opportunities for LPGA Professionals. The 54-hole, stroke-play competition has since grown to become the world’s ultimate test for women golf professionals. The tournament features three divisions: Championship (6,224 yards), Challenge (5,963) and Senior (50+, 5,726 yards). The field will be cut to the top 70 and ties after 36 holes.

“The LPGA is once again excited to return to Kingsmill Resort, a longtime favorite, with our LPGA Professionals,” said Nancy Henderson, Chief Teaching Officer for the LPGA. “Kingsmill will provide the perfect test for our incredible field of talented LPGA Professionals. We are excited to see who will emerge victorious on this challenging venue in the Championship, Challenge and Senior divisions. For the Championship division, we are proud that our LPGA Professionals members have the opportunity alongside female members of the PGA of America to contend for a chance to compete in the 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.”

The top-eight finishers in the Championship division will earn exemptions into the 2022 KPMG PGA Women’s Championship, to be held June 21-26 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. The top-eight finishers in the Senior division as well as any competitors over age 45 who finish in the top 10 in the Championship division will qualify for the 2022 Senior LPGA Championship presented by Old National Bank. The top-five finishers in the Championship division and top-three finishers in the Senior division at least 50 years of age will qualify for the 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship.

Stephanie Connelly Eiswerth, the 2018 and 2019 LPGA Professionals national champion, will look to capture her third-consecutive title against a Championship division of veteran tournament players. Eiswerth successfully defended her title in 2019, shooting a final-round 71 with 11 straight pars and two birdies to secure the victory.

“I’m looking forward to the LPGA Professionals National Championship at Kingsmill Resort this week,” said Connelly Eiswerth. “The River Course is a great test of golf and we are very fortunate to have the opportunity to play a championship golf course. As a junior golfer, I played the Kingsmill Resort courses in some Mid-Atlantic PGA events and am really excited to visit again.

“This is going to be a very exciting week as I look to defend my title at the LPGA Professionals National Championship after missing out last year. We are also competing for the opportunity to play in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Congressional next year. This is extra special as I really want to come back and play a major close to where I grew up in Baltimore, Md., as I still have a lot of friends and family in the area. It’s going to be a fun week with my husband here again caddying and I am excited to compete.”

The field includes numerous former LPGA Professionals champions, including four-time winner Jean Bartholomew and 2016 champion Lisa Grimes. Reigning Challenge division champion Charlaine Hirst will go for her fourth-straight championship title. Six Virginia residents are among the field, including Kelsie Carralero, Cathy Kim, and Sarah Overman in the Championship division. Alicia Dibos, Director of Instruction at Winged Foot Golf Course, will also return to defend her title in the Senior division.

The tournament field represents 24 states, with Florida’s 24 competitors the most of a single state. Other notable players include Sandra Changkija (Fla.), Dual LPGA and PGA Master Professional Dr. Alison Curdt (Calif.) and Joanna Coe (Md.), the PGA Director of Instruction at Baltimore Country Club.

Along with competitive play, the championship will host Demo Days on Friday and Saturday, July 23-24, where professionals, amateurs and fans are welcome to discover and try new golf equipment and products supplied by tournament sponsors and partners. Voice Caddie, the leading rangefinder company based in the Republic of Korea and the new presenting sponsor of the LPGA Professionals National Championship, will also be on-site to welcome participants and showcase their state-of-the-art laser rangefinders.

Kingsmill Resort Set to Host 2021 LPGA Professionals National Championship Presented by Voice Caddie

Related Articles