Players can expect a slightly different test than what they would typically find on the LPGA Tour in the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
That’s because the tournament, taking place at Seaview Golf Club in Galloway, New Jersey, features just 54 holes rather than the more common 72 holes, with the action playing out over three days.
One player who has found the format to her liking over the years is Canadian Brooke Henderson. She has taken part in the tournament every year since her debut on it eight years ago. Not only that, but her finishes have been more impressive with each appearance, culminating in victory in 2022 when she beat Lindsey Weaver-Wright in a playoff.
Henderson returns this year hoping to successfully defend her trophy, while Weaver-Wright also makes another appearance in the tournament in an effort to claim her maiden LPGA Tour victory.
They will face difficult competition from a field that includes former World No1 Atthaya Thitikul, who nowadays ranks sixth in the world, as well as two others in the current top 10. Georgia Hall hasn’t won since the 2020 Cambia Portland Classic, but will be hoping to put that run to an end this week, while Hyo-Joo Kim looks for her first victory since the 2022 Lotte Championship.
As well as two-time Major winner Henderson, there are other former winners of the tournament in the field too. Mel Reid claimed victory in 2020 for her sole LPGA Tour win to date, and she will be out to rediscover that form. Elsewhere, Annie Park, who won five years ago, also plays, as does the player who claimed the title the year before her, In Kyung Kim.
Others who will surely fancy their chances include AIG Women’s Open champion Ashleigh Buhai, World No.17 Ayaka Furue and three-time Major winner Anna Nordqvist.
There’s no Rose Zhang in the line-up this week. The 20-year-old lived up to the hype surrounding her by becoming the first player to claim an LPGA Tour title in her professional debut since 1951 in the Mizuho Americas Cup. However, she has opted to sit this week’s tournament out despite accepting LPGA Tour membership for her win.
There is another rising star in the field, though. Chiara Noja has achieved seven top-10 finishes on the LET this season at the age of 17, and she will surely be one to watch as the action unfolds.
Players are competing for a purse of $1.75m, with $262,500 going to the winner.
Below is the full prize-money breakdown and field for the 2023 ShopRite LPGA Classic.
ShopRite LPGA Classic Prize Money
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