Want to watch some of the best golfers in the world while only being steps away from the players, all while inspiring your daughters to learn the game? The LPGA 2022 Cognizant Founders Cup is once again coming to NJ, and this time it will be at the historic Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, NJ, on May 11-15, 2022. The exciting event features a 144-player field—including defending champion and the World’s #1 Ranked Women’s Golfer Jin Young Ko—and features a $3 million purse (one of the largest of any LPGA Tour event). It’s an inspirational event, as it honors the 13 founding members of the LPGA, who were dedicated to engaging, empowering, and supporting girls and women through golf. Read on for how you can be a part of the action by bringing the entire family for a day of inspiring play and fun. (featured photo credit: LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup)
The players are accessible, and spectators see some of the best golf players on the circuit. Photo Credit: LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup
Inspiring role models at the LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup
Bring out the entire family on May 11th-15th, when LPGA Officials and Cognizant executives will be joined by representatives from LPGA*USGA Girls Golf, a non-profit junior golf program that positively impacts nearly 100,000 girls who are learning and loving the game. Leading the tour is Mollie Marcoux Samaan, the ninth commissioner of the LPGA and the second woman to hold this position. “What makes the Founders Cup unique is it allows you to take a step back to look at the history of the LPGA founded by 13 women that lived their dreams through golf,” she says. “It’s inspiring to see how the LPGA got stronger through perseverance and teamwork.” Marcoux Samaan is especially influenced by Shirley Spork, one of the 13 LPGA founders the tour is celebrating, who recently passed away. “She was dynamic—really the most vibrant and strongest woman I ever met.” On May 14, spectators are asked to wear yellow in honor of Shirley Spork and all her contributions to the tour and women in golf.
Make it a day of world-class golf and family fun
On May 11, the festivities kick off with free general admission (thanks to the New Jersey Golf Foundation) and Pro-Am tee times. Spectators are encouraged to come out and celebrate various days, including Rutgers Day (May 12) and Hometown Heroes Day (May 13), where there will also be a bunch of lessons for all skills at the LPGA Lesson Zone. Young players will be thrilled to participate in Junior Golf Day activities on Saturday, May 14, with a waffle welcome breakfast, a Jr. Golf Day Player Appearance, and a Jr Clinic, where they can hone their swing and get tips from LPGA and PGA pros. On Sunday, May 15, the final day of the tournament, bring your daughters to Girls Golf Day, a day filled with Girls Golf Activities, the LPGA Lesson Zone, culminating with a Trophy Ceremony for the winner of the Cognizant Founders Cup. Every day is filled with phenomenal golf. “Spectators will find incredible golf and an upbeat, energetic environment. It will be fun and inspiring for families to have the opportunity to see the best in the world,” says Marcoux Samaan. You can find more info (including clinic times and where to see players) on this schedule of events.
The next generation of golf
What makes this event unique is how it inspires rising players through the LPGA*USGA Girls Golf initiative, which introduces the game to the next generation and brings the gift of golf to others. The LPGA is at the top of the pyramid of all events ranging from a qualifying tour to an LPGA amateurs program.” We use golf to inspire all ages and skill levels,” Marcoux Samaan says. At the Upper Montclair CC event, she says that spectators will be surprised to see that the players are open and accessible, and they will be right on the rope line to say hello. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to see the very best competing up close.”
About Upper Montclair Country Club
Upper Montclair Country Club is one of only a few country clubs worldwide known to have hosted tournaments for all three professional golf tours, including the LPGA in 1979 & 1980, 1983 & 1984, and 2007-2009. Long considered one of NJ’s premier golf clubs, this legendary A.W. Tillinghast golf course design underwent a major renovation in the 1950s, directed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., transforming Upper Montclair Country Club into its current 27-hole Championship layout.
To purchase individual tickets and weeklong ticket packages for the Cognizant Founders Cup, visit their website. Bring the whole family—all juniors 17 and under receive FREE general admission, and the interactive fan zone offers instructional clinics hosted by LPGA and PGA Professionals. To pre-register for the Junior Clinic, click here. You can also stay updated on all LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup by visiting their website, Instagram, and Facebook.
About the LPGA
The LPGA is the world’s leading professional golf organization for women, with a goal to change the face of golf by making the sport more accessible and inclusive. Created in 1950 by 13 Founders, the Association celebrates a diverse and storied history. The LPGA Tour competes across the globe, reaching television audiences in more than 220 countries. The Symetra Tour, the LPGA’s official qualifying tour, consistently produces a pipeline of talent ready for the world stage. The LPGA also holds a joint-venture collaboration with the Ladies European Tour (LET), increasing playing opportunities for female golfers in Europe. Across the three Tours, the LPGA represents players in more than 60 countries.
Additionally, the LPGA Foundation has empowered and supported girls and women since 1991, most notably through LPGA*USGA Girls Golf, the only national program of its kind, which annually engages with nearly 100,000 girls. The LPGA Amateur Golf Association and LPGA Women’s Network provide virtual and in-person connections to female golfers around the world, while LPGA Professionals are educators, business leaders, and game-changers dedicated to growing the game of golf for everyone. Follow the LPGA on its U.S. television home, Golf Channel, online at www.LPGA.com, and on its mobile apps. Join the social conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
