Philadelphia Cricket Club LPGA Teaching Professional and LPGA Tour winner Meaghan Francella to Compete as Sponsor Exemption
Tickets on Sale at www.ShopRiteLPGAClassic.com
Sunday’s Final Round to be Broadcast on CBS
GALLOWAY, N.J., May 9, 2022 – World No. 1 Jin Young Ko, major champions Lydia Ko and Inbee Park and defending champion Céline Boutier headline an elite field of early commitments for the 2022 ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, tournament organizers announced today. In addition, LPGA Tour winner and Philadelphia Cricket Club teaching professional Meaghan Francella has accepted a sponsor invitation to compete in the championship, taking place June 6-12 at Seaview, A Dolce Hotel in Galloway, N.J.
The 2022 ShopRite LPGA Classic field also will expand to 144 players in 2022, competing for a share of a $1.75 million purse. In addition to Boutier, returning ShopRite LPGA Classic champions from the past 10 years committed to the event include Mel Reid (2020), Annie Park (2018), In Kyung Kim (2017), two-time winners Anna Nordqvist (2015-16) and Stacy Lewis (2012, 2014), and Brittany Lincicome (2011).
“We are excited to once again host the world’s best players to South Jersey for the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, and we look forward to welcoming Meaghan as a sponsor exemption into our world-class field that serves as the kickoff sporting event for the summer in Atlantic City,” said tournament director Bill Hansen.
Francella made her LPGA debut in 2004 after an All-American collegiate career at the University of North Carolina. She competed on the EPSON Tour and LPGA Tour for over a decade, recording her first LPGA victory at the 2007 MasterCard Classic. In recent years, Francella transitioned to teaching the game the loves and is currently the LPGA teaching professional at Philadelphia Cricket Club. She has never given up on competing at the highest level and is entered in the field for the 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship as a result of her eighth-place finish at the 2021 LPGA Professionals National Championship.
Atlantic City’s largest annual sporting event, the ShopRite LPGA Classic returns to its traditional dates on the LPGA Tour schedule in June and, for the first time in history, will broadcast live on network television. CBS Television Network will carry Sunday’s final round and stream live on Paramount+. GOLF Channel will air the first two rounds and the first hour of Sunday’s final round, with CBS airing the final two hours.
Tickets are now on sale for the ShopRite LPGA Classic, exclusively at www.ShopRiteLPGAClassic.com. Ticket packages for the 2022 ShopRite LPGA Classic include exclusive hospitality and general admissions tickets offering a wide degree of entertainment and access. All 2022 tournament tickets will be digital and will be emailed after purchase. Tickets can be viewed on either a mobile device or be printed out where they will be scanned at the main gate.
There are four ticket options for fans interested in attending the 2022 ShopRite LPGA Classic, which can be purchased in advance online.
· Any One Day Grounds Ticket: $20
· Weekly Grounds: $40
· Hard Rock Suite: $175 (complimentary food and non-alcoholic drinks with cash bar – located on the 17th green)
· Champions Club on 18: $275 (complimentary food and drinks)
For three decades, golf fans from across the northeast have converged upon Atlantic City and the Jersey Shore to watch the top female golfers in the world compete on the famed waterfront course. The tournament not only hosts one of the strongest fields in women’s golf, but it also annually creates more than $19 million in economic activity in the region.
Since 1992, nearly $40 million has been donated to area hospitals, food banks, education and youth programs. At the 2021 ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, dozens of nonprofits received grants and donations totaling more than $1.5 million during a luncheon hosted by Wakefern Food Corp., the logistics, merchandising and distribution arm for ShopRite stores.
The 2021 ShopRite LPGA Classic, which took place in October and welcomed fans back to the championship, was won by Boutier, who recorded the second LPGA Tour title of her career. Boutier matched her career-low score on Sunday’s final-round with a 63 to reach 14-under par, holding off Jin Young Ko, Inbee Park and a charging Brooke Henderson.
