For the second consecutive week, the LPGA Tour is competing in the Garden State. This week’s stop at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J., for the Mizuho Americas Open is a short, 30-minute drive south of last week’s tournament at Upper Montclair Country Club, which hosted the Cognizant Founders Cup. The trip to Liberty National has players excited as the inaugural edition of the event last year laid the foundation for what is quickly becoming one of the most popular events on the LPGA Tour’s schedule and also one of the most unique. This week, 120 players will compete in the shadows of the Manhattan skyline for a purse of $3 million. Here are the five things you need to know about the second playing of the Mizuho Americas Open.
Rose Zhang Defends
As one streak ends, with Nelly Korda coming up short of a sixth consecutive victory last week, perhaps another could be taking shape. Rose Zhang, the most recent winner on the LPGA Tour at the Cognizant Founders Cup, arrives at Liberty National Golf Club seeking back-to-back victories and a successful title defense at the Mizuho Americas Open. One year ago, Zhang made history with her breakthrough victory by becoming the first player since Beverly Hanson in 1951 to win in her professional debut. A closing round of 74 left Zhang in a playoff with major champion Jennifer Kupcho, who Zhang defeated on the second playoff hole to secure her first LPGA Tour title. With her victory, Zhang earned membership to the LPGA Tour and added four more top-10 finishes in 2023. The 20-year-old, who continues to juggle her studies at Stanford University while also competing on the LPGA Tour, earned her second career win on Sunday by racking up four birdies in her closing five holes to defeat Madelene Sagstrom by two shots.
Field
Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 Nelly Korda headlines the field at the Mizuho Americas Open, where she is making her tournament debut. Following her tie for seventh at the Cognizant Founders Cup, Korda expressed excitement about getting to tee it up at Liberty National Golf Club. She’s joined in the field by Sagstrom, who is coming into the week off back-to-back top 10s on Tour, including that runner-up finish to Zhang at the Cognizant Founders Cup. Gabriela Ruffels, who came third at the Cognizant Founders Cup, will also compete for the first time in the Mizuho Americas Open. Other notables include major champions Lydia Ko, Lexi Thompson, Minjee Lee and the reigning Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Haeran Ryu, who finished one stroke outside the playoff at the Mizuho Americas Open last season. Laetitia Beck and Emma Talley are the recipients of two sponsor invitations to compete this week in New Jersey.
Liberty National Golf Club
For the second consecutive season, Liberty National Golf Club is hosting the best in the women’s game for the Mizuho Americas Open. The course has staged multiple PGA Tour events in addition to the 2017 Presidents Cup. Designed by Bob Cupp and Tom Kite, the course is relatively new, opening nearly two decades ago in 2006, but it has quickly earned notoriety for its sweeping views of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. The course will play to a par 72 at just over 6,600 yards, and players will need to contend with nearly 100 bunkers throughout the course in addition to water that comes into play on 12 of the 18 holes. Following last week’s enormous putting surfaces at Upper Montclair Country Club, players will have to make a major adjustment to the greens at Liberty National, which are the second-smallest the Tour has played this season. Accuracy off the tee will be tested as the average landing area in the fairway is just 25 to 30 yards in width.
Unique Format
What makes the Mizuho Americas Open a one-of-a-kind event is its unique format. For the second year, in partnership with the American Junior Golf Association, 24 junior girls between the ages of 12 and 19 will get a chance to compete inside the ropes alongside LPGA stars. While the Tour members will compete in their typical 72-hole stroke play event, the juniors will square off in a 72-hole Stableford competition. In 2023, Yana Wilson won the junior division at the Mizuho Americas Open, with 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Anna Davis finishing runner-up.
Hosted by Michelle Wie West
Since retiring from professional golf in 2023, Michelle Wie West has continued to be a fixture within the game of golf. For the second season, Wie West plays the role of tournament host at the Mizuho Americas Open, where she’s focused on creating an elite experience for her fellow pros, while also inspiring the next generation of women golfers through the event’s partnership with the AJGA. Wie West’s last event on the LPGA Tour was the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
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