Marina Alex has been given the chance to take the first swing at a women’s major golf championship in her native state of New Jersey.
The 69th KPMG Women’s PGA Championship opens Thursday at storied Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield and Alex is the first name in the first group that tees off on the first hole at 7 am
“I think the PGA of America looks at it as an honor,” the 32-year-old Passaic County native said Wednesday morning.
Alex is the lone New Jersey native among the 156 players competing in the four-day, 72-hole championship. The field includes 19 of the top 20 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, including defending champion In Gee Chun. For ticket information, visit www.kpmgwomenspgachampionship.com.
Alex is 55th in the World Rankings and the most successful female golfer to come out of New Jersey in the 21st centurySt century. The Wayne native and former All-American at Vanderbilt made her pro debut in June of 2012 at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in South Jersey and made the cut. She has career earnings of more than $4.2 million, with LPGA titles in 2018 and 2022.
She has played in 10 Tour events this season and made every cut, although she has yet to crack a top 10 and labels it “a slowish start to the season.” Her best finish came in her last event, the ShopRite LPGA Classic, where she tied for 12thth at 8-under 205 on June 11 at Seaview in Galloway.
“I have been playing some good golf, but struggling to start off better on Day 1,” Alex said. “It was nice to have a good week at ShopRite and it will hopefully carry that momentum into this week.”
Alex and her younger brother, Anthony, were juggernauts at Wayne Hills High School. She won the NJSIAA Girls title as a junior and senior, and her record-setting eight-stroke margin as a senior in 2008 is not likely to be broken. Anthony won Boys group titles his first three years (2010-2012), before the family moved to Florida prior to his senior year. The Alex family played out of North Jersey CC in Wayne.
The 5-foot-4 Alex has forged a successful career by hitting the ball as straight as any player on the LPGA Tour over the past decade. While her average driving distance this season is a modest 250.37 yards, she is ranked No. 3 in driving accuracy at 86.12 percent.
The last time a women’s major was held in the Garden State within an hour’s drive of Wayne, Alex was outstanding. At the 2017 US Women’s Open at Trump National in Bedminster, she tied for 11thth, the best finish by an American. She seeks greater day-to-day consistency.
“I don’t think there’s been a ton of difference in the season other than not putting together four solid days,” she said. “I haven’t changed a lot in my game. Just waiting for the result
This is Alex’s third time this month competing in the Garden State. At the Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National in Jersey City on June 1-4, she tied for 39th at 1-over 289. In her 10 events, she has eight top-40 finishes.
Alex has never played on Baltusrol’s Lower Course, a par-71 that has undergone a recent renovation and will play to a lengthy 6,621 yards.
“I have no competitive experience on the Lower other than preparing this week,” said Alex, who Friday tees off on the 10th hole at 12:22 pm “It’s an extremely difficult test and will require all elements of the game to be sharp.”
The New Jersey native will have the first swing at it.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: New Jersey native Marina Alex leads off at Women’s PGA Championship