After a thrilling week of match play in Las Vegas, Nev., the LPGA Tour is packing up and moving across the country for their next exciting adventure. This week, fans will get to see the best in the world compete alongside the future of the game when the LPGA Tour and the AJGA play concurrently at the Mizuho Americas Open. It’s time for every fan to tune in because the state of the game will be on full display this week at Liberty National Golf Club.
A Ground-Breaking Format
The LPGA and AJGA have combined efforts to create a crossover event for the ages, holding two separate events for their players concurrently. The week will start on Thursday with 120 LPGA professionals competing in their usual 72-hole stroke-play format and the juniors playing in a 72-hole Stableford. But after the 36-hole cut to the top-50 and ties, 24 AJGA juniors will join the professionals on the tee. There will be one AJGA player grouped with two LPGA players for the final days of competition based on scores. It’s an extremely rare opportunity to see the rising talent on the amateur circuit shine alongside today’s stars.
A Historic Host
This week’s event will be hosted by a very familiar face: Michelle Wie West. The Honolulu, Hawaii native spent 13 full seasons on the LPGA Tour and won five times, including the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open which propelled her to the 2014 Rolex ANNIKA Major Award. Her last win came in 2018 at the HSBC Women’s World Championship. Wie West announced that she would be stepping away from full-time competition last season but has not walked away from the game. Forever a pioneer of women’s golf, Wie West is looking to make this week a one-of-a-kind experience for her former coworkers. Everyone competing will receive complimentary accommodation which, though common in many other professional sports, is an entirely new perk for the athletes on the LPGA Tour.
New Digs
Even without the free hotel stay, the Mizuho Americas Open would be an unprecedented event on the LPGA due to its host venue, Liberty National. Located in Jersey City, N.J., the course’s horizon is decorated with the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan skyline. The 6,656-yard track has been a regular pit stop on the PGA Tour, hosting the 2017 Presidents Cup and multiple Northern Trusts as a part of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The course opened in 2006 and was designed by Bob Cupp and 1992 U.S. Open champion Tom Kite. Despite such a storied professional history, this is the first time Liberty National will host the LPGA Tour.
Field of Champs
Though it’s a brand-new event at a brand-new course, the Mizuho Americas Open has attracted a competitive field, studded with superstars. Of the eight winners in 2023, seven will be making the trip to Liberty National – including last week’s match-play champion Pajaree Anannarukarn. After working her way through seven grueling rounds of golf to hoist the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play trophy, the 23-year-old from Thailand will still make the cross-country trip for this week’s event. Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 Jin Young Ko and Chevron champion Lilia Vu, the only players with multiple wins so far this season, will also be in attendance.
Another Inaugural Event
The Mizuho Americas Open is the second of four new events slated to debut in 2023. The first was the highly successful JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro, which saw Hannah Green take home her first win since 2019 in a three-way playoff. The Maybank Championship will follow the Mizuho Americas Open in October and the Grant Thornton Invitational – an event co-sanctioned by both the LPGA and PGA Tours which will feature 16 players from each organization – will wrap up the season in December. All the new events offer well over $2 million each in total purses and the Mizuho Americas Open has $2.75 million up for grabs this weekend – one of the largest non-major championship purses on the 2023 slate.
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