One of the longest-running and most beloved tournaments on the LPGA Tour schedule gets underway Friday with the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer. This year, 144 players will once again compete over the course of 54 holes at Seaview’s Bay Course for a purse of $1.75 million. This is an event that has seen some of the preeminent players in the women’s game hoist the trophy in Atlantic City, including the likes of Betsy King, Se Ri Pak and Annika Sorenstam. Here are five things to know about the Tour’s third stop of the season in the Garden State.
ICYMI
In a thrilling, final-round showdown at the U.S. Women’s Open, Yuka Saso leapfrogged the trio of 54-hole leaders – Minjee Lee, Andrea Lee and Wichanee Meechai – to win her second U.S. Women’s Open title. Saso came from three strokes back on the final day, overcoming a four-putt, double-bogey on her sixth hole of the round to win at Lancaster Country Club. Saso joins an elite shortlist, becoming only the third known player to make both of her first two wins on the LPGA Tour major titles alongside Se Ri Pak and In Gee Chun. Hinako Shibuno, winner of the 2019 AIG Women’s Open, finished runner-up with Ally Ewing mounting a final-round charge with a closing 66 to sit in a tie for third with Lee.
The Field
Many of the world’s top-ranked players are making the short two-hour drive from Lancaster Country Club to Seaview for the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Hannah Green, a major champion and already a two-time winner this season, makes the trip to Atlantic City for the first time since 2021. She closed out her U.S. Women’s Open with a final-round 66 to climb inside the top 20 at week’s end. Green is joined in the field by fellow major champions Danielle Kang, Brooke Henderson and Jin Young Ko. New Jersey native Marina Alex is slated to tee it up in her home state, where she picked up a tie for 12th last season. Atthaya Thitikul also returns to New Jersey after finishing in a tie for sixth in 2023. Germany’s Sandra Gal will make just her second start of the season and only third start since 2021 as she’s been away from professional competition dealing with Lyme disease and recovering from hip surgery.
Buhai Defends
In 2023, Ashleigh Buhai picked up her fourth victory in 10 months with her win at the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Buhai birdied four of her first five holes of the final day en route to a one-stroke victory over Hyo Joo Kim. Buhai’s win marked her first in the United States and second on the LPGA Tour, as her only other title came at the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield in 2022. The defending champion has been struggling with a back injury since her win last season and returns to New Jersey still in search of her first top 10 of the year.
Karrie Webb Returns
Karrie Webb never officially announced her retirement from professional golf, instead leaving the door open for the occasional playing opportunity, like this week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic. The World Golf Hall of Famer made her last start on the LPGA Tour at the 2022 edition of the ShopRite LPGA Classic, which was one of only two starts she made that year. Webb last played a full LPGA Tour season in 2017, and she has kept a limited schedule in recent years, instead spending time traveling the world and working on golf course design. Webb’s most recent victory came at the LPGA Senior Championship in 2022.
History at Seaview
After Donald Ross put his finishing touches on the design, Seaview opened in 1915. The course has had a long history in not just the women’s game but on the men’s side as well with Sam Snead capturing the PGA Championship at the venue in 1942. Since 1986, the ShopRite LPGA Classic has been staged at the club, although the tournament did move away for more than a decade before returning in 1998. The tournament has been contested over 54 holes since its inception but was played over 72 holes in both 1990 and 2020. The tournament has produced some of the biggest winners in women’s golf, many of whom have returned to the field this week, including Brittany Lincicome (2011), Stacy Lewis (2012), Anna Nordqvist (2015, 2016), In-Kyung Kim (2017), Annie Park (2018) and Brooke Henderson (2022).
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