THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Invitational Invites the Nation’s
Top Black Female Golfers to Compete for Three LPGA Tour Exemptions
Blythefield Country Club in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Host Tournament June 6-7
DETROIT – Intersport announced today the players committed to compete in the women’s field of THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Invitational. The 36-hole stroke-play competition for Black female golfers will be held June 6-7 at Blythefield Country Club in Grand Rapids, Michigan, home of the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give.
The tournament is in its second year as a standalone event and returns for the second time to Blythefield Country Club. The champion from the women’s division of THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Invitational will earn exemptions into the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give (June 15–18) and the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational (July 16 –19).
“We’re excited to be back in Grand Rapids at Blythefield Country Club for the women’s competition in THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Invitational,” said Sommer Woods, Co-Founder of Woods and Watts Effect and Tournament Lead for THE JOHN SHIPPEN. “We’re thrilled by the continued growth and expansion of THE JOHN SHIPPENand want to continue to provide Black players with an opportunity to advance their golf careers in ways that previously haven’t existed for them.”
The following players have committed to THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Invitational
Name / Age / Status / College / Current Residence *Denotes Amateur (A)
LAKAREBER ABE (27) – Professional (University of Alabama) – The Woodlands, TX
- 2023 THE JOHN SHIPPEN COGNIZANT CUP competitor
- 2022 THE JOHN SHIPPEN Cognizant Cup champion
- 2022 LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup competitor
- 2023 Epson Tour member
SHASTA AVERYHARDT (37) – Professional (Jackson State University) – Atlanta, GA
- 2021 THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Invitational Champion
- Seven Professional wins
- 2011, 2013 LPGA Tour member
MADISON BARNETT (25) – Professional (University of North Carolina at Charlotte) – Mableton, GA
- 2023 THE JOHN SHIPPEN Cognizant Cup competitor
- Runner-up 2021 Georgia State Golf Association Women’s Match Play
- Top 10 finish Georgia Women’s Amateur
PAIGE CRAWFORD (32) – Professional (Montana State University) – Colorado Springs, CO
- 2023 THE JOHN SHIPPEN Cognizant Cup Champion
- 2023 LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup competitor
- Four professional top-10s
- 2013 Big Sky individual champion
BAILEY DAVIS (21) – Amateur (University of Tennessee) – White Plains, MD
- 2021 THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Invitational competitor
- 2022 US Women’s Open at Pine Needles competitor
MARLEY FRANKLIN (19) – Amateur (Howard University) – Los Angeles, CA
- 2022 L.A City Junior Golf Champion
- Second place in the SAS Invitational
- 2022 Jackson T. Stephens Cup competitor
CAMI MARCH (24) – Professional (Washington State University – Los Angeles, CA
- Captain of Washington State Women’s Golf team
GEORGIA OBOH (22) – Professional – Manchester, England
- 2023 THE JOHN SHIPPEN Cognizant Cup competitor
- 2022 THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Invitational participant
- First Nigerian to Monday qualify and compete in an LPGA event (2022 ShopRite LPGA Classic)
- 2023 Ladies European Tour member (LET)
- 2023 Epson Tour member
JADE SANDERS (25) – Professional (Alabama State University) – Pensacola, FL
- 2022 THE JOHN SHIPPEN Shoot-out Presented by Cognizant participant
- 2022 THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Invitational competitor
- 2022 Jim Thorpe Invitational competitor
ALLYN STEPHENS (19) – Amateur (Texas A&M) – Houston, TX
- 2023 THE JOHN SHIPPEN COGNIZANT CUP competitor
- 2022 THE JOHN SHIPPEN COGNIZANT CUP competitor
- 2022 Texas Women’s Amateur quarterfinalist
- 2022 AJGA Shreveport Open champion
MICAA’ THOMAS (26) – Professional (Savannah College of Art) – Haines-City, FL
- 2022 THE JOHN SHIPPEN Shoot-out Presented by Cognizant participant
- Four National Women’s Golf Association starts
- Five East Coast Women’s All-Pro Tour starts
ANITA UWADIA (25) – Professional (University of South Carolina) – Houston, TX
- 2021 THE JOHN SHIPPEN Women’s Invitational champion
- 2022 THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Invitational competitor
- T-36 2022 LPGA Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational
- 2021 LPGA Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational competitor
As in years past, THE JOHN SHIPPEN women’s winner will choose a partner to compete with in the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, a two-player team event, held at Midland Country Club in Midland, Michigan. The 2022 Women’s Invitational Champion, Sadena Parks, chose 2021 winner Anita Uwadia to play alongside her in the team competition. The pair made the cut and finished tied for 36th, making them the first SHIPPEN champions to make a cut resulting from THE JOHN SHIPPEN.
“We at Intersport are thrilled that our friends at Meijer, in this second year, and Dow, which has been with us since the beginning, have continued their commitment to sponsoring exemptions to the Meijer LPGA Classic and Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational through THE JOHN SHIPPEN Women’s Golf Invitational,” said Jason Langwell, Executive Vice President of Intersport and Executive Director of the Rocket Mortgage Classic and THE JOHN SHIPPEN. “This continued support furthers our efforts to bolster access and opportunities for talented Black female golfers.”
Announced in March 2021 and named after John Shippen, Jr., the first American-born golf professional and the country’s first Black golf professional, THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Invitational was created to identify historicalbarriers, expand Black representation in golf and address the lack of Black representation in business and leadership roles in golf and across professional sports.
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 atTHEJOHNSHIPPEN@intersportnet.com.
ABOUT THE JOHN SHIPPEN
THE JOHN SHIPPEN was created to address the need for more representation in business and leadership roles in golf and across professional sports for people of color. In 2022, THE JOHN SHIPPEN Sports Business Summit paired 350 high school and college students of color with sports industry leaders, including representatives fromCDW, the Detroit Pistons, the Detroit Lions, Trap Golf, and Pensole Lewis College for a day of educationalprogramming centered around the business of sports. Dates and details surrounding THE JOHN SHIPPEN Sports Business Summit in Detroit will be announced soon.
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 andengage 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 programsthat 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.
Adrienne Alexander, 404.734.9297, adrienne@theipyagency.com
Solomon Hughes, 614.315.2446, shughes@intersportnet.com
