Last week, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) hosted its Cognizant Founders Cup tournament at the Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, NJ. Now, from May 16-19, the LPGA will be staying in the Garden State for the Mizuho Americas Open. The tournament will be played in Jersey City at the Liberty International Golf Club.
The tournament was first played last year at the same venue, where 20-year-old Rose Zhang was crowned the winner in her professional debut on the LPGA Tour.
About the Course
With a great view of the Statue of Liberty and the NYC Skyline, the Liberty National Golf Club (LNGC) provides the tournament with some of the best views a golf course can give you. The LNGC is no stranger to holding major golfing events, having previously hosted several PGA Tour playoff events and the 2017 Presidents Cup.
The 18-hole golf course was constructed by 1992 U.S. Open Champion Tom Kite and renowned golf course architect Bob Cupp. The duo made sure to keep in mind the rich history of the region when designing the course. “There is a pretty deep history in that little part of the world,” Cupp said. “We are talking about one of the heroic coastlines of the American experience.”
Who to Look Out For This Weekend
The big story going into the tournament was Rose Zhang, who won the tournament last year and emerged victorious in the Cognizant Founders Cup just last week. However, a poorly timed illness unfortunately caused her to withdraw from the tournament. However, this does not mean that there aren’t other names to look out for on the course this weekend.
So Mi Lee, who currently sits atop the leaderboards, shooting 7 below par has only participated in two LPGA Tour events in her young career. In April 2024, she finished T13 in the JM Eagle LA Championship and recently in the Cognizant Founders Cup was unable to make the cut. Lee looks to defy the odds and keep her great start going, hoping to capture her first PGA Tour win.
Another name to look out for, as always, is world No. 1 Nelly Korda, who just recently lost her record-tying win streak at the Cognizant Founders Cup. Going into last week, Korda had won five straight LPGA events, tying the organization’s record but fell short in Clifton, putting an unfortunate end to her historic run. Korda, who currently sits T13 shooting 3 below par, will look to get back on track this weekend.
If you are looking to catch the tournament on TV, it will be streaming on both the Golf Channel and Peacock all weekend from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Sponsors & Host Help Promote Women in Sports
Mizuho Americas, a corporate and investment banking company in the Americas, as well as the sponsors for the tournament, made sure that its beliefs aligned with that of the LPGA. Both organizations strive to provide more opportunities in the sport and motivate the next generation of female golfers.
Along with the help of the tournament’s host, Michelle Wie West, who won the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open among many other LPGA Tour events. West chose to become an ambassador and tournament host for the Mizuho Americas Open because of a shared desire to create a better environment for female athletes.