Shoemaker Successfully Defended her Kathy Whitworth Invitational Title in March
Zhang Went Wire-to-Wire to Win the 2022 Volunteers of America Classic Girls Championship in July
Zweig, 15, to Compete in Second Straight Volunteers of America Classic; 2021 Volunteers of America Classic Girls Champion
THE COLONY, Texas – Tournament officials announced today three standout amateur golfers have accepted sponsor exemptions to compete in the 2022 Volunteers of America Classic, Texas’s signature LPGA Tour event taking place Sept. 26-Oct. 2.
- Bailey Shoemaker. High school senior from Dade City, Fla., University of Southern California commit and back-to-back champion at the Kathy Whitworth Invitational Junior Girls Golf Championship.
- Yunxuan (Michelle) Zhang. Incoming freshman at Southern Methodist University hailing from Plano, Texas. Wire-to-wire winner at the 2022 Volunteers of America Classic Girls Championship in July. Three-time Rolex Junior All-American.
- Avery Zweig. High school sophomore from McKinney, Texas. 2021 Volunteers of America Classic Girls Championship winner. Finished T2 in 2022.
All three will join the 132-player field at Golf Clubs at The Tribute and playing at Old American Golf Club. Through partnerships with the Kathy Whitworth Invitational and the Northern Texas PGA Foundation (Volunteers of America Classic Girls Championship), the Volunteers of America Classic aims to grow the game of golf by extending playing opportunities to future stars of the game.
“We are excited to have Bailey, Michelle and Avery join our world-class field at the Volunteers of America Classic as sponsor exemptions,” said Mike King, national president and CEO of Volunteers of America. “All three have bright futures in the game of golf and have had tremendous 2022 seasons in their respective golf careers. We look forward to welcoming them to The Colony and Old American Golf Club in September.”
Shoemaker, from Dade City, Fla., will be making her second consecutive appearance at the Volunteers of America Classic. In March, she successful defended her title at the Kathy Whitworth Invitational AJGA event in Fort Worth via a one-hole playoff to earn her second straight sponsor exemption. Currently ranked seventh in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, she was a participant in the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur and finished T49 at the U.S. Women’s Open in June, tying for third low-amateur at the championship. She also competed in the 2022 ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer as a sponsor exemption in June.
Zhang, a freshman at Southern Methodist University and a member of the SMU women’s golf team, went wire-to-wire to win the Volunteers of America Classic Girls Championship at Old American Golf Club in July to earn a sponsor exemption. She won the championship by nine shots at 11-under par, setting the record for the lowest three-day total in Volunteers of America Classic Girls Championship history. The Plano resident will be making her second LPGA Tour start in 2022, having competed in the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles in June.
Zweig, 15, of McKinney, also will be making her second straight start at the Volunteers of America Classic as a sponsor exemption. The 2021 Volunteers of America Classic Girls champion, Zweig finished T2 in the 2022 event, and also competed in the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, finishing T25. Zweig has won over 200 junior and amateur events, including four World Amateur Golf Ranking events in 2021. In 2018, at age 11, she competed in the U.S. Girls’ Junior, U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball and the U.S. Women’s Amateur. She is the youngest ever to reach match play in the U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, and among the youngest ever to compete in the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Tickets are now on sale for the Volunteers of America Classic, exclusively at www.VOAClassic.com. Ticket packages include exclusive hospitality and general admissions tickets offering a wide degree of entertainment and access. New for 2022 is the Casamigos Club exclusive hospitality viewing patio near the 17th green at Old American Golf Club, where fans will be able to enjoy complimentary snacks and specialty cocktails featuring Casamigos, the Official Tequila of the Volunteers of America Classic. All tickets will be digital and will be emailed after purchase. Tickets can be viewed on either a mobile device or printed out where they will be scanned at the main gate.
2022 Volunteers of America Ticket Options: There are three ticket options for fans interested in attending the Volunteers of America Classic:
- Good-Any-One-Day Grounds:
- $20. General admission daily grounds. Valid any one day, Thursday-Sunday, Sept. 29-Oct. 2.
- Weekly Grounds:
- $45. General admission weekly grounds. Valid all days Thursday-Sunday.
- Casamigos Club:
- New for 2022, Casamigos Club offers VIP access to complimentary, upgraded snacks and specialty cocktails featuring Casamigos Tequila at an exclusive hospitality viewing deck located near the 17th green.
- Daily Casamigos Club: $125. Valid for one day, Thursday-Sunday.
- Weekly Casamigos Club: $400. Valid all four days, Thursday-Sunday.
All military (active, reserve, retired and veterans) and first responders will receive complimentary admission to the 2022 Volunteers of America Classic by showing proper identification at Admissions in exchange for a daily grounds pass. Children 17-and-under will be admitted free with a ticketed adult.
A number of local Texans are expected to join the tournament field for the 2022 edition of the championship. The Volunteers of America Classic has crowned a local Texas resident each of the past three years: Cheyenne Knight (2019), Angela Stanford (2020) and Jin Young Ko (2021).
For more information on the Volunteers of America Classic, visit www.voaclassic.com and follow us on Twitter @VOAClassic and Instagram at @VOAClassic.
About the Volunteers of America Classic
The Volunteers of America Classic is the LPGA Tour’s signature event in the state of Texas. It is held annually at Old American Golf Club, a part of the Golf Clubs at The Tribute in The Colony, Texas, featuring the world’s best golfers competing for a $1.5 million purse. The VOA Classic made its debut in 2013. The event is owned and operated by Outlyr, a global sports marketing and event management agency. In addition to managing professional golf tournaments, Outlyr also operates a number of other sporting and lifestyle events and manages the sponsorship portfolio for several blue-chip clients. Visit www.voaclassic.com for more information.
About Volunteers of America
Volunteers of America is a national nonprofit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping those in need live healthy, safe and productive lives. Since 1896, our ministry of service has supported and empowered those most in need, including veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, at-risk youth, men and women returning from prison, homeless individuals and families, those recovering from addictions and many others. Through hundreds of human service programs, including housing and health care, Volunteers of America helps more than 1.5 million people in over 400 communities. Learn more at www.voa.org.
About Golf Clubs at The Tribute
Each course set on this remote peninsula inside The Tribute community was specifically designed to take you back in time to experience the game of golf in its purest form. Old American Golf Club, designed by PGA TOUR winner Justin Leonard and Golf Course Architect Tripp Davis, pays homage to the “Golden Age” of golf course architecture in America, while Tribute Golf Links, also designed by Tripp Davis, allows you to immerse yourself in a true link-style course paying homage to the most famous holes in Scotland. To learn more about the Club or its courses, visit www.golfclubsatthetribute.com.
About The Colony, Texas
The City by the Lake offers unparalleled entertainment in the heart of North Texas. Known for strikingly beautiful views of Lewisville Lake, The Colony extends 23 miles along its eastern shoreline providing endless outdoor excursions. Inside Grandscape, the city’s sprawling entertainment district, refined dining, live music and the world’s largest and most unique retail experiences away. The Colony offers a tranquil getaway complemented by modern, urban luxuries. To find out more about The Colony, please visit www.visitthecolonytx.com.
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 Epson 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 gamechangers 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.
