Tag: Midland Country Club

2024 Dow Championship prize money payouts at Midland Country Club

Both Thitikul and Yin have gone over $1 million in earnings this season.

Atthaya Thitikul and Ruoning Yin each collected their third LPGA victories at the Dow Championship, where they teamed up for a one-stroke victory.

Both players earned $366,082 apiece. Yin has now amassed $1,005,963 this season and $4,070,780 in her career. Thitikul has earned $1,110,066 this season and $4,841,827 in her career.

The 21-year-olds, who went by the team name “Jin & Ronic,” turned professional in the same year (2020) and were rookies on the LPGA in 2022.

Check out the full prize money list for the 2024 Dow Championship, which featured a $3 million purse (the money is which each player earned, not a team total):

Pos. Players Score Earnings
1 Atthaya Thitikul, Ruoning Yin -22 $364,572
2 Ally Ewing, Jennifer Kupcho -21 $179,574
T3 Nicole Broch Estrup, Nanna Koerstz Madsen -19 $97,812
T3 Haeji Kang, In Kyung Kim -19 $97,812
T5 Georgia Hall, Charley Hull -18 $60,177
T5 Auston Kim, Grace Kim -18 $60,177
7 Nataliya Guseva, Gigi Stoll -17 $48,599
T8 A Lim Kim, Yealimi Noh -16 $31,568
T8 Lakareber Abe, Georgia Oboh -16 $31,568
T8 Brooke Henderson, Lexi Thompson -16 $31,568
T8 Brittany Lang, Brittany Lincicome -16 $31,568
T8 Nasa Hataoka, Jin Young Ko -16 $31,568
T8 Mao Saigo, Yu Jin Sung -16 $31,568
T8 Jaravee Boonchant, Chanettee Wannasaen -16 $31,568
T8 Ssu-Chia Cheng, Wei-Ling Hsu -16 $31,568
T8 Amanda Doherty, Caroline Inglis -16 $31,568
T17 Celine Boutier, Yuka Saso -15 $19,206
T17 Sofia Garcia, Hira Naveed -15 $19,206
T17 Amelia Lewis, Paula Reto -15 $19,206
T20 Minami Katsu, Hinako Shibuno -14 $14,977
T20 Liqi Zeng, Weiwei Zhang -14 $14,977
T20 Wichanee Meechai, Pavarisa Yoktuan -14 $14,977
T23 So Mi Lee, Haeran Ryu -13 $11,443
T23 Peiyun Chien, Yu-Sang Hou -13 $11,443
T23 Cydney Clanton, Aline Krauter -13 $11,443
T23 Jennifer Chang, Annie Park -13 $11,443
T27 Danielle Kang, Lydia Ko -12 $9,322
T27 Perrine Delacour, Jasmine Suwannapura -12 $9,322
T29 Vanessa Borovilos, Sophie Stevens -10 $7,871
T29 Alexa Pano, Rose Zhang -10 $7,871
T29 Pornanong Phatlum, Arpichaya Yubol -10 $7,871
T32 Ariya Jutanugarn, Moriya Jutanugarn -9 $6,954
T32 Matilda Castren, Kelly Tan -9 $6,954
34 Sandra Gal, Maude-Aimee Leblanc -8 $6,495
35 Frida Kinhult, Linnea Strom -7 $6,190

 

Former No. 1s Atthaya Thitikul and Ruoning Yin team up to win Dow Championship

The partnership came together during a Callaway sponsorship shoot last November.

Atthaya Thitikul and Ruoning Yin, a couple of 21-year-old hotshots who have risen to No. 1 in the past, teamed up for the first time at the 2024 Dow Championship and walked away winners.

The partnership came together during a Callaway sponsorship shoot last November. Thitikul, who had never played in the event before, asked Yin to team up with her.

“She doesn’t have any option,”said Thitikul, who buried the winning birdie putt on the par-3 18th. “I’m just forcing her to play with me.”

Yin, who goes by “Ronni,” and Thitikul, who goes by “Jeeno,” chose the team name “Jin and Ronic” after one of their coaches’ favorite drinks.

It was LPGA victory No. 3 for both players, who closed with a 62 in the best-ball format at Midland Country Club to finish at 22 under for the tournament, edging Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho by a shot. Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis certainly kept a close eye on the American duo as a potential pairing for this year’s Solheim.

“Alternate shot, I think we’re by far a really, really, really good alternate shot team,” said Ewing.

2024 Dow Championship
Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand plays her shot from the 18th tee during the final round of the 2024 Dow Championship at Midland Country Club. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Danish players Nicole Broch Estrup and Nanna Koerstz Estrup took a share of third with South Koreans Haeji Kang and In Kyung Kim at 19 under.

Charley Hull, another first-time Dow participant, teamed up with lifelong friend Georgia Hall to take a share of third with Auston Kim and Grace Kim (no relation).

Brooke Henderson and Lexi Thompson highlighted a logjam of players in a share of eighth that included Nasa Hataoka and Jin Young Ko as well as the all-star mom pairing of Brittany Lincicome and Brittany Lang, two longtime Solheim Cup partners and major winners.

Lincicome and Lang, who are both 38, joked that they were going to change their team name from the “Killer Bees” to “AARP” or “Life Alert” because they now feel so old.

“Tour old,” Lang clarified.

John Shippen Women’s Invitational winner Georgia Oboh and her partner Lakareber Abe, who were both playing on a sponsor exemption, also tied for eighth. Neither player has LPGA status.

Yin, No. 4 in the world, and Thitikul, No. 12, have both battled injuries of late. Thitikul’s thumb injury kept her away from her golf clubs for three months. She returned to the tour at the Chevron Championship in April and said she’s now pain-free.

“The reason that I played five weeks in a row, I just want to get back to, like, feeling competition feelings, the imaginations,” she said. “It’s been a long time that I missed like three months that I don’t touch any clubs, not hitting balls at all. I just want to stick back to how can I see the ball, how the ball is going to react over my shots.”

Yin, meanwhile, injured her wrist in May at the Mizuho Americas Open and still feels a great deal of pain. She will skip the next major, the Amundi Evian Championship, and return to competition at the Paris Olympics.

“I really, really, really wanted to play Evian, but for my body, I think it’s a good decision that I have a break,” said Yin, who said on a scale of 1 to 100, she’s 60 percent toward being healthy.

For Thitikul, this marked her first victory on tour since she won twice in 2022. She admits to putting too much pressure on herself last year to win again.

“Still want to win,” she said, “but it’s less than last year because what I focus is I try to improve myself every day and just trying to be Jeeno out there, like 100 percent Jeeno out there.”

She was no doubt her authentic self in Midland, where players get the chance to smile more and relax with a partner by their side. Yin told her mom on Saturday that this was the fastest week she’s ever had on tour.

“Time flies when you’re …” Yin began.

“When you’re happy,” Thitikul interjected.

“Yeah, when you’re having fun,” Yin continued. “When you’re around good people. Yeah, it’s a good week.”

Team Ally Ewing-Jennifer Kupcho leads the way at the LPGA’s 2024 Dow Championship

Catch up on Saturday’s action here.

Just like they did in round one, the 35 two-woman teams that made it to the weekend played alternate shot at the LPGA’s 2024 Dow Championship at Midland Country Club on Saturday, and Americans Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho lead the way at 15 under.

Team Ewing-Kupcho shot a 3-under 67 Saturday in Midland, Michigan, three shots worse than their alternate-shot 6-under 64 they posted on Thursday (they shot 6 under in the best ball format on Friday).

The American duo made a birdie and eight pars on the front nine before making the turn and pouring in birdies on Nos. 10, 11 and 18 (they made bogey on the par-4 16th).

Team Haeji Kang-In Kyung Kim and Team Atthaya Thitikul-Ruoing Yin are tied for second at 14 under, one back, while Team Amanda Doherty-Caroline Inglis and Team Grace Kim-Auston Kim share fourth at 13 under, two back.

The final round broadcast can be seen on CBS from 1-3 p.m. ET.

Dow Championship team event ideal week for LPGA players to change the course of their season

For Sandra Gal and Maude-Aimee Leblanc, an opening 67 gives the old friends reason to smile.

There’s something about team golf that, for many, brings out the best. Over the course of the past four editions of the Dow Championship, several winning teams have enjoyed a serious springboard.

Cydney Clanton was ranked 269th in the world and playing on the Epson Tour when Jasmine Suwannapura invited her to play the Dow in 2019. By week’s end, Clanton was an LPGA winner and back on the big tour after the pair won by six.

Last year, Elizabeth Szokol teamed up with good friend Cheyenne Knight to earn her first LPGA title at age 29.

For Sandra Gal and Maude-Aimee Leblanc, an opening 67 in the alternate-shot format at Midland Country Club gives the old friends reason to smile. Gal, who is coming back from a years-long battle with Lyme disease and recent hip surgery, reached out to Leblanc after hearing she needed a partner.

A dozen years ago, Gal was Leblanc’s “big sister” on tour, a rookie program the LPGA puts together to help young players adjust. Their team name, “The Shorties,” is tongue-in-cheek given that both players are at least 6 feet tall.

“I think we really complement each other, obviously,” said Gal. “Maude hits it very, very far, and I think I hit some good wedge shots coming in and then we both made a few putts. It just felt like we just trusted each other and really enjoyed being out there.”

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Canada and Sandra Gal of Germany walk the eighth fairway during the first round of the Dow Championship at Midland Country Club on June 27, 2024, in Midland, Michigan. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Gal, 39, who has played a very limited schedule for the past four years, is currently No. 813 in the world while Leblanc is 386th. Gal made her first tour start since 2022 earlier this season at the Blue Bay LPGA, where she tied for 55th. She withdrew from the ShopRite and missed the cut at the Meijer two weeks ago. The German won her only LPGA title in 2011 at the Kia Classic. She played on two Solheim Cup teams in 2011 and 2015.

Leblanc, 35, hasn’t finished better than a share of 47th so far this season and has never won on tour.

LPGA members on the winning team will receive the standard two-year winner’s exemption. CME points and prize money will be official for the purposes of the current-year LPGA Official Money List and Race to the CME Globe Standings. Rolex Player of the Year, Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year and U.S. Solheim Cup points will not be allocated and statistics will not be calculated. Rolex Women’s World Rankings Points also will not be allocated.

Another duo looking for a boost from the week is Team FinAsia – Matilda Castren and Kelly Tan – two players whose friendship blossomed years ago on the Epson Tour. Tan even served as Castren’s maid of honor two years ago. The pair finished second at this event in 2022, which marked Tan’s career-best finish on the LPGA.

“We have such a close friendship,” said Tan, “and we just cherish that we get to team up and play together.”

Tan currently ranks 905th in the Rolex Rankings while Castren, who has missed eight of her last nine cuts, is 369th. Castren won on the LPGA and the Ladies European Tour in 2021 to play her way onto the European Solheim Cup team.

The pair opened with a 2-under 68.

Interestingly, the team with two players ranked in the top 10 – Celine Boutier (6) and Yuka Saso (10) – had an unusually rough finish, carding a bogey and triple-bogey on the last two holes to shoot 74.

The second and final rounds will be played in a four-ball (best ball) format while the third round returns to foursomes (alternate shot).

After 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 33 teams and ties. The purse of $3 million will award a first-place team prize of $732,165 ($366,082 each).

Charley Hull and Georgia Hall, best friends for most of their lives, set to team up at Dow Championship

“We didn’t even consider anyone else.

Charley Hull and Georgia Hall have been best friends since age 11, or thereabouts. This week’s Dow Championship is merely an extension of what they’ve been doing for more their half their lives.

“It was just a no-brainer,” said Hall of them partnering together for the LPGA team event. “We didn’t even consider anyone else.

“I was more like, ‘George, you’re playing with me,’ ” said Hull.

“I was like, ‘all right, Charles,’ ” added Hall.

Georgia Hall of England Women and Charley Hull of England Women pose for a photo prior to Day One of the GolfSixes at The Centurion Club on May 5, 2018 in St Albans, England. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

This marks the first time that Hull has played in the Dow, a popular team event that debuted on the LPGA schedule in 2019.  The tournament, held at Midland Country Club, features 72 teams, including the likes of Lexi Thompson/Brooke Henderson; Lydia Ko/Danielle Kang; Jin Young Ko/Nasa Hataoka; Ruoning Yin/Atthaya Thitikul; and Celine Boutier/Yuka Saso.

Dow Championship: 15 teams to watch

The first and third rounds will be played in foursomes (alternate shot), and the second and final rounds will be played in a four-ball (best ball) format. After 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 33 teams and ties. The purse of $3 million will award a first-place team prize of $732,165 ($366,082 each).

Hall and Hull grew up practicing together in England and now live three minutes apart. Not a day goes by that they don’t speak to each other. They represented England Golf together for years and are stalwarts of the European Solheim Cup team. This week, Hall and Hull both officially made the Olympic Team for Great Britain.

“Just spending time with George, because we love playing golf together,” said Charley of what they’re most looking forward to in Paris. “We share together, we go to the gym together. We eat food together. We get our nails done together. Obviously that week is going to be a bit of a busy week, but it’s just nice to share it with your best friend special in a moment like that.”

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During the Dow press conference, plans were hatched to go shopping in Paris. Hull agreed to watching gymnastics with Hall if she’d go to boxing.

Someone suggested they start a podcast.

“Honestly, you haven’t heard anything yet,” quipped Hall.

With both Englishwomen ranked in the top 40, they’ll be a formidable pair this week in Michigan.

LPGA members on the winning team in Midland will receive the standard two-year winner’s exemption. CME points and prize money will be official for the purposes of the current-year LPGA Official Money List and Race to the CME Globe Standings. Rolex Player of the Year, Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year and U.S. Solheim Cup points will not be allocated and statistics will not be calculated. Rolex Women’s World Rankings Points also will not be allocated.

Hull and Hall have practiced and competed together so much over the years that they know each other’s games inside and out. The pair of 28-year-olds have each won twice on the LPGA, with Hall’s first title coming at the 2018 Ricoh Women’s British Open.

It’s not just each other’s games they’re familiar with, however, it’s personalities, too.

“I know when Charley is upset before she does,” said Hall, “and she’s the same with me. She’ll be like, ‘What’s wrong?’ And I’ll be like, ‘Nothing.’

“There is, and I’ll tell her a few days later. We know each other really well, and I think that’s so important. This type of an event we go out there and just have fun.”

As for the team name – Rose and Thorn – well, that came courtesy of mutual friend, Ryan Evans, who once described Georgia as the lovely English rose and Charley the thorn.

“It was kind of stark,” said Hall, “but there’s lots of thorns around the rose, so you protect me, don’t you?”

Always.

2023 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational prize money payouts at Midland Country Club

The duo earned $326,872.

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There are two winners this week at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, meaning two players are taking home the top prize.

The LPGA’s best took on Midland Country Club in Midland, Michigan, this week in a team competition. With a major championship on the horizon next week in Europe, some players took the week off, but there was plenty of star power in the field looking to fine tune their games before the Amundi Evian Championship.

Cheyenne Knight and Elizabeth Szokol held on to their 54-hole lead to win at 23 under. Matilda Castren and Kelly Tan had a birdie putt on the 72nd hole to force a playoff, but it just missed. Knight and Szokol earned $326,872 for their victory, splitting the first-place prize.

Here’s a look at the prize money payouts for the 2023 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational.

Position Player Score Earnings (per player)
1 Cheyenne Knight, Elizabeth Szokol -23 $326,872
2 Matilda Castren, Kelly Tan -22 $160,017
T3 Celine Boutier, Yuka Saso -20 $77,400
T3 Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Emma Talley -20 $77,400
T3 Celine Borge, Polly Mack -20 $77,400
6 Stacy Lewis, Maria Fassi -19 $49,366
7 Yan Liu, Muni He -17 $43,306
8 Sarah Kemp, Alena Sharp -16 $38,403
T9 Peiyun Chien, Yu-Sang Hou -14 $30,914
T9 Yu Liu, Ruixin Lin -14 $30,914
T9 Paula Reto, Amelia Lewis -14 $30,914
T9 Ana Belac, Bianca Pagdanganan -14 $30,914
T13 Daniela Darquea, Karis Davidson -13 $30,369
T13 Megan Khang, Alison Lee -13 $30,369
T13 Mi Hyang Lee, Jeongeun Lee5 -13 $30,369
T13 Wichanee Meechai, Pavarisa Yoktuan -13 $30,369
T17 Dewi Weber, Alexa Pano -12 $21,925
T17 Hae Ran Ryu, Yaeeun Hong -12 $21,925
T17 Carolina Inglis, Amanda Doherty -12 $21,925
T17 Sarah Schmelzel, Lindsey Weaver-Wright -12 $21,925
T21 Min Lee, Weiwei Zhang -11 $11,822
T21 Jennifer Chang, Karen Chung -11 $11,822
T21 Linnea Strom, Linnea Johansson -11 $11,822
T21 Jasmine Suwannapura, Cydney Clanton -11 $11,822
25 Maddie Szeryk, Lauren Hartlage -10 $9,737
T26 Hannah Green, Su Oh -9 $9,125
T26 Pornanong Phatlum, Dottie Ardina -9 $8,853
T26 Pauline Roussin, Pernilla Lindberg -9 $8,853
T29 Pajaree Anannarukarn, Aditi Ashok -8 $7,218
T29 Yealimi Noh, Soo Bin Joo -8 $7,218
T31 Savannah Grewal, Annabelle Pancake -6 $6,469
T31 Julietta Granada, Sofia Garcia -6 $6,469
33 Christie Kerr, Kristy McPherson -5 $6,060
T34 Christina Kim, Lindy Duncan -4 $5,788
T34 Haeji Kang, Tiffany Chan -4 $5,846
36 Sophia Schubert, Haylee Harford -1 $5,345
37 Jasmine Ly, Kimberly Dinh 1 $5,209

 

Cheyenne Knight, Elizabeth Szokol hold on for victory at 2023 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational

It’s the first LPGA victory for Szokol.

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Matilda Castren smacked her putt, and partner Kelly Tan watched anxiously as it rolled toward the cup.

The ball looked as if it was going in the whole way, but instead, it broke hard right at the hole and missed. Standing off to the side of the 18th green, Cheyenne Knight and Elizabeth Szokol gave a hug to each other before Emma Talley and Maria Fassi rushed the green and sprayed them in champagne.

Knight and Szokol held on to their 54-hole lead, shooting 5-under 65 to hold on at 23 under and win the 2023 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational at Midland Country Club in Midland, Michigan. For Knight, it’s her second LPGA victory while Szokol picked up her first. It was their third start as partners in the tournament.

“It’s amazing to get my first win,” Szokol said. “It’s something I’ve been working for a long time, and it’s so tough to win out here. Everyone is such a great player.

“So to finally do that, and it’s even better with Cheyenne by my side. We’ve been talking about this event all year. And since our good finish last year, we couldn’t wait to get back, and to actually win is pretty amazing.”

Knight and Szokol also became the second American duo to win the event, joining defending champions Jennifer Kupcho and Lizette Salas.

They each won $326,872.

Castren’s putt would’ve forced a playoff, but her and Tan settled for solo second at 22 under. There was a three-way tie for third at 20 under, including Celine Boutier/Yuka Saso, Jodi Ewart Shadoff/Talley and Celine Borge/Polly Mack.

There was a nearly two-hour rain delay with the leaders on the 13th hole, but Knight and Szokol made two birdies down the stretch to hold on.

“It was hard going to the rain delay, two-shot lead coming back, and it evaporated really quickly,” Knight said. “It was just surreal. It was, like, wow, we did it. We’ve been out here all day, but we did it. So it was just, yeah, pure joy.”

Up next is the fourth women’s major championship of the year, the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in France. Brooke Henderson is the defending champion.

Cheyenne Knight, Elizabeth Szokol lead LPGA’s Dow Great Lakes team event

The Dow is the first official team competition in LPGA Tour history.

The duo of Cheyenne Knight and Elizabeth Szokol was tied for 18th after the first round and tied for sixth after the second.

After 54 holes at the LPGA’s Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, the duo holds the outright lead, three clear of the field.

And they did so by posting the tournament’s 18-hole foursomes scoring record.

“We’re really good friends, so I think we’re very comfortable playing together,” Szokol  said. “We know each other really well, and I have so much trust in Cheyenne’s game, and that makes it so much easier for alternate shot.”

On Friday, Knight/Szokol recorded a 62, their day featuring a back-nine 29, nine total birdies and only one bogey at Midland Country Club in Midland, Michigan.

“I think our goal every day is just to have fun. I think before we started on Wednesday, alternate shot you are a little bit nervous, but we just said, let’s just have fun and enjoy it,” Knight said. “We don’t get a format like this or a team event very often, so it’s just super fun.”

Knight and Szokol are at 18 under overall, three ahead of Matilda Castren/Kelly Tan. Celine Borge/Polly Mack are tied for third at 13 under along with Shadoff and Talley.

Knight has one LPGA win, the 2019 Volunteers of America Classic. Szokol is seeking her first victory.

Notable teams that missed the Thursday cut included Brooke Henderson/Lexi Thompson, Ruoning Yin/Xiaowen Yin and Georgia Hall/Ryann O’Toole.

The tournament concludes Saturday, giving those headed to the LPGA’s next major, the Amundi Evian Championship in France, an extra day for travel and preparation.

Sunday finish for Dow in 2024

The Dow started in 2019 and has always featured a Saturday finish. Next year, however, it’ll conclude on a Sunday.

The first official team competition in LPGA Tour history, the Dow is shifting dates to accommodate the 2024 Summer Olympics, which will be in Paris.

Matilda Castren, Kelly Tan pick up where they left off at LPGA’s Dow Great Lakes

A year ago, Matilda Castren and Kelly Tan got off to a lukewarm start, but got progressively hotter through the week.

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The Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational is the second of three team events on the LPGA schedule in 2023.

Thailand won the Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown earlier this year. In September, of course, is the Solheim Cup. Both of those events are based on teams made of players from the same country.

This week, at the Dow at Midland Country Club in Midland, Michigan, the players get to make their own teams and one of the more interesting duos is the pairing of Brooke Henderson and Lexi Thompson, who are teaming up for the first time.

A year ago, the duo of Matilda Castren and Kelly Tan got off to a lukewarm start with a 69 in the opening round, but got progressively hotter through the week, posting rounds of 61 and 62 en route to a second-place finish behind champs Jennifer Kupcho and Lizette Salas.

But this year, Castren and Tan picked up right where they left off, using a 64 to get out to a one-stroke lead over Amelia Lewis and Paula Reto.

Paula Reto of South Africa hits her tee shot on the sixth hole during the first round of the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational at Midland Country Club on July 19, 2023, in Midland, Michigan. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

“I felt like I was way more comfortable today than last year the first round, but I think that helps, and also knowing those good memories,” Tan said, soon after the duo birdied four of the last six holes to storm into the lead.

“And, you know, you go up to the hole, and you kind of are saying, oh, last year I chipped in from here and stuff like that. You have those good memories, so that helps with … actually calms me down and makes me happy and excited all day.

“I felt like we gelled really well today, honestly. She struck the ball so good. I had the chance to make the putt. And, I mean, I think vice versa. We both played pretty good today. There’s no complaints.”

Meanwhile, the Swedish team of Linnea Johansson and Linnea Strom had a wild ride with three bogeys and seven birdies in a colorful card, but the tandem is just two shots off the pace.

If the team can prove victorious, it would make for quite a stretch for Swedish golf as countryman Linn Grant secured her first victory last weekend at the Dana Open. 

“Every time a Swedish player wins on any tour it’s great, and both of us were lucky to be there. It’s not every week you can be there when someone wins. So we decided to stay and be there for Linn, and it was just an incredible performance. It’s always fun to see someone play so well,” Johansson said. “When I left Sunday, we drove here in the car, and I said, like, Hey, we just have to ride on this. We’re all there for each other and support each other. We are trying to do whatever we can to ride on her great performance from last week.”

“Yeah, I agree,” Strom added. “It just gives so much energy and so much fun to be there on the 18 to watch her win. I think we just have a little bit of energy from last week. We got to do that together, you know, especially for her. It was pretty cool. It’s a lot of fun.”

“Gives me chills just talking about it,” Johansson said.

As for that Thompson/Henderson team, they posted a 3-over 73 on Thursday, nine shots off the pace.

Jane Park returning to LPGA action for first time since daughter’s life-changing incident

Players will also wear ribbons throughout the week to show their support for Jane and Grace.

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Jane Park is set to play in her first LPGA event in two years next week when she returns to action at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational in Midland, Michigan, at Midland Country Club.

Park hasn’t played since the 2021 Volunteers of America. While Park was playing, her then-10-month-old daughter Grace experienced a series of undiagnosed seizures and subsequently suffered severe brain damage, now requiring full-time care.

Park’s husband, professional caddie Pete Godfrey, will caddie for Park. Grace also will be in attendance. Park will team up with Paula Creamer.

“It’s my honor and privilege to compete in the 2023 Dow Great Lakes Bay Championship partnered with my great friend Paula Creamer,” Park said in a release. “With the help of family, friends and so many others, I’ll be able to see my LPGA family again inside the ropes one more time. I’m incredibly nervous just like I used to be when I competed full time, but I know my partner will pick up my slack. My husband Pete will be on my bag, so hopefully he will give me some good clubs. The cherry on top is that Grace will be there to say hello to her friends. I can’t wait for everyone to see her again and we are looking forward to making new memories with everyone.”

Last December, Anne van Dam raced a half ironman to raise money for Grace. The week after the incident, LPGA players rallied behind Park and Grace.

Special hats will be available to purchase at the Great Lakes Bay Invitational with proceeds donated to the Epilepsy Foundation and the Golf4Her Foundation. Players will also wear ribbons throughout the week to show their support.

“We are proud to be able to host Jane, Pete and Grace at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational next week,” Dow GLBI Executive Director Carlos Padilla II said in a release. “We hope to be able to showcase the incredible hospitality of the Great Lakes Bay Region to their family, while also helping bring awareness to epilepsy. Fans should plan to come out and support Jane and Paula on the course.”