Ladies European Tour Winner and Teen Sensation Chiara Noja and Rising University of Florida Senior Maisie Filler to Compete as Sponsor Exemptions
Noja to Make LPGA Tour Debut, Following in the Footsteps of Paula Creamer, Brooke Henderson and Lexi Thompson
Tickets on Sale at www.ShopRiteLPGAClassic.com
GALLOWAY, N.J.– Entries are now closed for the 2023 ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, with the tournament boasting an elite international field that features several of the world’s top-ranked players, Major Champions, multiple past champions and players who are making their LPGA debuts. The ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer takes place Friday-Sunday, June 9-11 at Seaview, A Dolce Hotel in Galloway, N.J.
Tournament officials announced today that Ladies European Tour winner and 17-year-old teen sensation Chiara Noja and rising University of Florida senior Maisie Filler will join LPGA Tour winner and Philadelphia Cricket Club LPGA Teaching Professional Meaghan Francella as sponsor exemptions in the 144-player field.
Noja, 17, from Berlin, Germany, made headlines around the world by winning her first Ladies European Tour (LET) title in November, 2022 at age 16 at The Aramco Team Series – Jeddah in a two-hole playoff over Charley Hull. She currently is in fifth position in the 2023 Race to Costa Del Sol rankings on the LET – a season-long competition to crown the LET’s number one player – having finished runner-up last week at the Belgian Ladies Open at 9-under par. She has seven top-15 finishes in 2023 on the LET, including a runner-up and a third-place finish.
She will be making her LPGA Tour debut, joining the likes of Paula Creamer, Brooke Henderson and Lexi Thompson, all who made their professional debuts on the LPGA Tour as sponsor exemptions at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
Filler wrapped up her junior year on the Florida Gators women’s golf team, recording six top-10 finishes and one win during her 2022-23 campaign. She also competed in the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. A two-time All-SEC Second Team selection, Filler will make her second consecutive appearance at the ShopRite LPGA Classic. She made the cut in her debut in 2022 as a sponsor exemption, finishing T54.
Francella, who will compete in the event for a second consecutive year, made her LPGA debut in 2004 after an All-American collegiate career at the University of North Carolina. She competed on the EPSON Tour and LPGA Tour for over a decade, recording her first LPGA victory at the 2007 MasterCard Classic. In recent years, Francella transitioned to teaching the game the loves and is currently the LPGA teaching professional at Philadelphia Cricket Club. She and her mother were featured in 2022 in the LPGA’s award-winning Drive On series.
They will join an elite 144-player field that is headlined by World No. 1 Jin Young Ko, who has recorded two victories and five top-10 finishes overall in seven events in 2023. Joining Ko in headlining the field include several of the world’s top-ranked players, including Atthaya Thitikul (6), defending champion Brooke Henderson (8), major champion Georgia Hall (9) and Hyo Joo Kim (10); past champions Mel Reid (2020), Annie Park (2018), In Kyung Kim (2017), two-time winners Anna Nordqvist (2015-16) and Stacy Lewis (2012, 2014), and Angela Stanford (2003). New Jersey natives Marina Alex (Wayne, N.J.) and Karen Chung (Budd Lake, N.J.) also will return to South Jersey to compete in the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
The final two spots will be determined Monday via the Monday Qualifier at the Bay Course at Seaview. For a complete list of tournament entries, click HERE.
Atlantic City’s largest sporting event, the ShopRite LPGA Classic is one of the LPGA Tour’s longest running events. For three decades, golf fans from across the northeast have converged upon Atlantic City and the Jersey Shore to watch the top female golfers in the world compete on the famed waterfront course. The tournament not only hosts one of the strongest fields in women’s golf, but it also annually creates more than $19 million in economic activity in the region.
Since 1992, more than $40 million has been donated to area hospitals, food banks, education and youth programs. At the 2022 ShopRite LPGA Classic, dozens of nonprofits received grants and donations totaling more than $1.5 million during a luncheon hosted by Wakefern Food Corp., the largest U.S. retailer-owned cooperative and the logistics, merchandising and distribution arm for ShopRite stores.
Tickets on Sale: Tickets are on sale for the ShopRite LPGA Classic exclusively at www.ShopRiteLPGAClassic.com. Ticket packages include exclusive hospitality and general admission tickets offering a wide degree of entertainment and access. All 2023 tournament tickets will be completely 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.
All military (active, retired, reserve and veteran), service personnel (police, fire, EMS) and front-line workers (doctors and nurses) and accompanying family will receive complimentary admission to the three days of competition at the 2023 ShopRite LPGA Classic (June 9-11), courtesy of SERVPRO. All service personnel also will receive access into the Patriots’ Pavilion presented by Kleenex and SERVPRO. All military and service personnel must show proper identification at the main gate as well as at the Patriots Pavilion to gain entry.
ShopRite will once again offer Price Plus Club card holders two (2) free daily grounds tickets with a valid Price Plus Club card. Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and its subsidiary, Braven Health, also will offer all card holders two (2) complimentary free daily grounds tickets, valid during competition rounds.
There are four ticket options for fans interested in attending the 2023 ShopRite LPGA Classic (**Ticket prices do not include taxes and fees**):
- Daily Grounds:
o General admission daily grounds, valid for one round Friday-Sunday, June 9-11 (tournament rounds).
- $20
- Weekly Grounds:
o General admission daily grounds, valid Friday-Sunday, June 9-11 (tournament rounds)
- $40
- Hard Rock Suite – 17thGreen:
o Luxury greenside suite offering exclusive views of the 17th green. Includes upgraded food and beverages and cash bar. Each purchase valid for one round of competition rounds, Friday-Sunday.
- $175
- Champions Club – 18thGreen Hospitality:
o Luxury greenside suites overlooking the 18th green. Includes upgraded food and beverages and open bar for alcoholic beverages. Each purchase valid for one round of competition rounds, Friday-Sunday.
- $275
The ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer continues its tradition of supporting several charitable organizations, with 100 percent of advance ticket sales going to a number of participating partners.
For more information on the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, visit www.ShopRiteLPGAClassic.com, and on social media @ShopRiteLPGA on Twitter, @ShopRiteLPGA on Instagram and ShopRite LPGA Classic on Facebook.
About Seaview Hotel and Golf Club
Set on 670 acres of Galloway, N.J., coast and woodlands, Seaview is home to two world-class golf courses and a 296-room hotel. The Bay Course opened in 1914 and was designed by Hugh Wilson and Donald Ross. The 6,300-yard layout is less a test of length, and more a test of imagination, accuracy and short game. The Bay Course presents a Scottish-links feel, dramatic seaside views, deep pot bunkers and small undulating greens. It is the current host of the ShopRite LPGA Classic, as well as nine holes of the 1942 PGA Championship.
The Pines Course opened in 1929 and was designed by William Flynn and Howard Toomey. Unlike the Bay Course, the Pines winds its way through New Jersey woodlands, presenting elevation changes and bountiful doglegs. The course measures 6,800 yards, and it features large bunkers and expansive, sloping greens. The 16th hole was the site of Sam Snead’s miraculous 60-foot chip-in to win the 1942 PGA Championship – his first major.
For more information on Seaview Hotel and Golf Club, visit www.seaviewgolf.com. Troon Golf, the resort and daily-fee division of Troon, manages the golf operations at Seaview Hotel and Golf Club.
About the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer
The ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer is one of the largest and most prestigious events on the LPGA Tour. It is held annually in Atlantic City on the Bay Course at Seaview, A Dolce Hotel, and features the world’s best female professional golfers competing over three rounds for a share of the $1.75 million purse. The ShopRite LPGA Classic is owned and operated by Outlyr, a global sports marketing and event management agency. For more information on the ShopRite LPGA Classic, visit www.ShopRiteLPGAClassic.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.
Media Contact:
Jeremy Friedman
ShopRite LPGA Classic Public Relations
Outlyr
407-721-9752
jfriedman@outlyr.com
