Advertisement

Will Rose Zhang, Lexi Thompson and the top golfers be in the Meijer LPGA Classic field?

dan d'addona, the holland sentinel
·2 min read
5

BELMONT — Will Rose Zhang, Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson play the Meijer LPGA Classic?

The field is set for the 2023 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give.

Several former champions of the event as well as major champions will be in the field this week at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, including Jennifer Kupcho, who won the event last year.

More: Meijer LPGA Classic Players abuzz with Rose Zhang's historic debut

But how about the sport's biggest names?

Here is a look at the status of the top names in women's golf for this year's tournament, which begins Thursday.

Is Rose Zhang playing in the Meijer LPGA Classic?

The biggest upstart on the LPGA Tour is Rose Zhang. The American golfer burst onto the scene, winning the Mizuho Americas Open in her debut on the LPGA Tour. She was the first golfer to win her tour debut since 1951, creating quite a buzz, especially since it just happened a week ago.

She is a star many saw coming as she won the U.S. Girls Junior championship in 2021 and won the Augusta National Women's Amatuer earlier this year before turning pro. She was an NCAA champion at Stanford and has won at every level of the game on the biggest stages.

Unfortunately, she is not in the field this week at Blythefield for the Meijer LPGA Classic.

Nelly Korda, U.S.

Nelly Korda poses with the Meijer LPGA Classic trophy in 2021.
Nelly Korda poses with the Meijer LPGA Classic trophy in 2021.

Korda won the event in 2021 and has been one of the top U.S. players on the LPGA Tour the past few years. This year, she is not playing in the Meijer LPGA Classic, however.

She had a strong following when she has been at Blythefield, but that crowd will have to follow someone else this week.

Lexi Thompson, U.S.

Lexi Thompson (middle) and Brooke Henderson (left) are two former champions of the Meijer LPGA Tour event.
Lexi Thompson (middle) and Brooke Henderson (left) are two former champions of the Meijer LPGA Tour event.

Thompson, the 2015 Meijer LPGA Classic winner, will be in the field again this week. Over the years at Blythefield, Thompson has been the player with the biggest consistent crowd following. The major champion has won here and seems to be in the hunt every year for the title on Father's Day.

Lydia Ko, New Zealand

Lydia Ko at the 2022 Meijer LPGA event.
Lydia Ko at the 2022 Meijer LPGA event.

A major champion from New Zealand, Ko is another crowd favorite wherever she plays. She has been one of the top LPGA players the past decade and has played well at Blythefield, though has not won here yet.

Former Meijer LPGA Classic winners

Brooke Henderson is the only two-time winner at Blythefield.
Brooke Henderson is the only two-time winner at Blythefield.

Brooke Henderson of Canada is the only player to win the event twice, claiming the titles in 2017 and 2019. She will be in the field once again.

Last year's winner, Jennifer Kupcho of the U.S., is back in the field looking to defend her title.

Korea's So Yeon Ryu, Se Young Kim and Mirim Lee have won the even in the past. Ryu is in the field, but Kim and Lee are not this year.

Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.   

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Will Rose Zhang and Lexi Thompson be in the Meijer LPGA Classic field?