Nigerian golfer earns exemptions to compete in the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give June 13-16 at Blythefield Country Club in Grand Rapids and the Dow Championship June 27-30 in Midland
GRAND RAPIDS and MIDLAND, MICHIGAN – Georgia Oboh, a 23-year-old professional golfer from Manchester, England, has earned exemptions to compete in two LPGA tournaments – the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give and the Dow Championship – after winning THE JOHN SHIPPEN Women’s Invitational at Blythefield Country Club in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Oboh will tee it up alongside the world’s best female golfers at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give starting Thursday, June 13, after shooting 69-70—139 on the same course Tuesday and Wednesday to earn a three-stroke victory at the SHIPPEN event. Oboh and her chosen partner will also compete in the Dow Championship starting Thursday, June 27, in Midland, Michigan.
THE JOHN SHIPPEN Women’s Invitational is a series of competitions created to provide playing opportunities on the LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR for the nation’s top Black amateur and professional women and men golfers. The series includes THE JOHN SHIPPEN Cognizant Cup, THE JOHN SHIPPEN Women’s Invitational and THE JOHN SHIPPEN Men’s Invitational. The events are named after John Shippen, Jr., who was both the first American-born golf professional and the country’s first Black golf professional.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to compete in the LPGA and get one step closer to becoming a full member,” Oboh said. “We don’t have almost any black professional female golfers on the top stage. It is really important to showcase ourselves here at an LPGA host venue. THE JOHN SHIPPEN has gotten bigger and bigger every year. Now with the addition of prize money, it’s just a great opportunity as a tournament along with its exemptions.”
For the first time since its 2021 debut, THE JOHN SHIPPEN Women’s Invitational features prize purses for all three of its 2024 events. A $60,000 total purse will be distributed across three events: THE JOHN SHIPPEN Cognizant Cup, THE JOHN SHIPPEN Women’s Invitational and THE JOHN SHIPPEN Men’s Invitational.
Oboh played steady golf throughout her second round, going bogey-free until the final hole. She birdied the first, fourth and 17th holes, giving her just enough cushion over her competitors. Texas natives Lakareber Abe (142) and Anita Uwadia (144) placed second and tied for third respectively, while former THE JOHN SHIPPEN Cognizant Cup champion Ashley Shaw (144) shared the second runner position with Uwadia.
Intersport, a leading Chicago-based sports marketing and media agency, partnered with Woods & Watts Effect in 2021 to create THE JOHN SHIPPEN – a series of competitions created to provide playing opportunities on the LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR for the nation’s top Black women and men golfers. THE JOHN SHIPPEN Sports Business Summit will also be held for the fourth year to create awareness about employment opportunities within the business of sports.
THE JOHN SHIPPEN was created to identify historical barriers, expand Black representation in golf, and address the lack of Black representation in business and leadership roles within the golf and larger sports industry for people of color.
Since 2021, 90 of the nation’s best Black men and women golfers have competed in THE JOHN SHIPPEN. THE JOHN SHIPPEN has awarded 16 playing opportunities on the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour, and donated $340,000 to local charities, scholarships and fellowships. SHIPPEN alumni continue to see success beyond the National Invitational through player-earned memberships on the PGA TOUR Champions, PGA TOUR Americas and Ladies European Tours.
Next up is the 36-hole JOHN SHIPPEN Men’s Invitational on June 22-23 at Detroit Golf Club.
For updated information on THE JOHN SHIPPEN, please visit www.TheJohnShippen.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram (@TheJohnShippen) and Twitter (@TheJShippen). For information about sponsorship opportunities or how to get involved, please email us at THEJOHNSHIPPEN@intersportnet.com.
About Intersport
Since 1985, Intersport has been an award-winning innovator and leader in creating sports, lifestyle, culinary, and entertainment-based marketing platforms. With expertise in Sponsorship Consulting, Experiential Marketing, Hospitality, Customer Engagement, Content Marketing, Productions, and Sports Properties, this Chicago-based Marketing & Media Solutions Company helps its clients create ideas, content, and experiences that attract and engage passionate audiences. To learn more about Intersport, visit www.intersport.global, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
About Woods & Watts Effect
Woods & Watts Effect is an equity and inclusion consulting firm of transformation engineers, co-founded by Sommer Woods and Michele Lewis Watts, Ph.D. They are a solutions-driven team that adeptly designs programs that assess a company’s strengths and areas for improvement relative to inclusion and social equity. Woods & Watts Effect provides innovative thinking, engagement, and execution. They produce viable, actionable solutions for sustainable change through a bold, non-traditional, and engaging approach. More information is available at WoodsWattsEffect.com.
About Meijer
Meijer is a privately owned, family-operated retailer that serves customers at more than 500 supercenters, grocery stores, neighborhood markets, and express locations throughout the Midwest. As the pioneer of the one-stop shopping concept, more than 70,000 Meijer team members work hard to deliver a friendly, seamless in-store and online shopping experience featuring an assortment of fresh foods, high-quality apparel, household essentials, and health and wellness products and services. Meijer is consistently recognized as a Great Place to Work and annually donates at least 6 percent of its profit to strengthen its communities. Additional information on the company can be found by visiting newsroom.meijer.com.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) is one of the world’s leading materials science companies, serving customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer applications. Our global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation, leading business positions and commitment to sustainability enable us to achieve profitable growth and help deliver a sustainable future. We operate manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employ approximately 35,900 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $45 billion in 2023. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. Learn more about us and our ambition to be the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world by visiting www.dow.com.
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