BELMONT — Will Rose Zhang, Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson play the Meijer LPGA Classic?
The field is set for the 2023 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give.
Several former champions of the event as well as major champions will be in the field this week at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, including Jennifer Kupcho, who won the event last year.
But how about the sport’s biggest names?
Here is a look at the status of the top names in women’s golf for this year’s tournament, which begins Thursday.
Is Rose Zhang playing in the Meijer LPGA Classic?
The biggest upstart on the LPGA Tour is Rose Zhang. The American golfer burst onto the scene, winning the Mizuho Americas Open in her debut on the LPGA Tour. She was the first golfer to win her tour debut since 1951, creating quite a buzz, especially since it just happened a week ago.
She is a star many saw coming as she won the US Girls Junior championship in 2021 and won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur earlier this year before turning pro. She was an NCAA champion at Stanford and has won at every level of the game on the biggest stages.
Unfortunately, she is not in the field this week at Blythefield for the Meijer LPGA Classic.
Nelly Korda, US
Korda won the event in 2021 and has been one of the top US players on the LPGA Tour the past few years. This year, she is not playing in the Meijer LPGA Classic, however.
She had a strong following when she was at Blythefield, but that crowd will have to follow someone else this week.
Lexi Thompson, US
Thompson, the 2015 Meijer LPGA Classic winner, will be in the field again this week. Over the years at Blythefield, Thompson has been the player with the biggest consistent crowd following. The major champion has won here and seems to be in the hunt every year for the title on Father’s Day.
A major champion from New Zealand, Ko is another crowd favorite wherever she plays. She has been one of the top LPGA players in the past decade and has played well at Blythefield, although she has not won here yet.
Former Meijer LPGA Classic winner
Brooke Henderson of Canada is the only player to win the event twice, claiming the titles in 2017 and 2019. She will be in the field once again.
Last year’s winner, Jennifer Kupcho of the US, is back in the field looking to defend her title.
Korea’s So Yeon Ryu, Se Young Kim and Mirim Lee have won the event in the past. Ryu is in the field, but Kim and Lee are not this year.
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’[email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Will Rose Zhang and Lexi Thompson be in the Meijer LPGA Classic field?