For the third consecutive year, the Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, New Jersey has played host to the prestigious Cognizant Founders Cup, which sees some of the best female golfers in the world tee off against one another. The event began on Monday, May 6 and will conclude on Sunday, May 12.
Cognizant, which is headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey, has been instrumental in advocating for greater equality in women’s sports, going as far as offering a $3 million purse for the tournament. The $3 million purse is the second highest of any Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour event outside of the majors and CME Group Tour Championship.
History of the Course
The Upper Montclair Country Club’s 100-year-old AW Tillinghast design is sure to provide a challenge for these world-class golfers. The historic venue has hosted tournaments for all three Professional Golf Associations.
The 27-hole course was most recently renovated in 2011 when new drainage systems were put into place and all of the bunkers were reshaped and restored. However, it underwent major course changes in the 1950s, when renowned golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Sr. directed the course’s renovations.
Can Nelly Korda Win Six in a Row?
Currently ranked the world No. 1, Nelly Korda has established herself as the future of women’s golf, looking to make history in this tournament at the age of 25. Korda has currently won five tournaments in a row and if she is able to sit atop the leaderboards by the end of Sunday, she will have become the first person in LPGA history to win six in a row. However, Korda has notoriously struggled with this course, failing to make the cut last year.
“Didn’t really make too many mistakes, and if I did – this golf course is very, very narrow off the tee – I gave myself a good chance at par,” Korda said when discussing her shortcomings in the Cognizant Founders Cup last year. “I played pretty well the first day last year, and then the second was not very good, so I’m hoping for a good day tomorrow. It’s a completely different golf course compared to last year. It was so firm and fast, and then the wind picked up a lot last year when I played. You can definitely be a little bit more aggressive with how the course is this year.”
Korda currently sits in a tie for 5th place, shooting four under par, while Rose Zhang is at the top of the leaderboard, shooting 13 under par. At the moment, Zhang is the odds-on favorite to win the tournament, but with three days left to play, it is still anyone’s game.
The tournament will be streaming on Peacock and the Golf Channel, with CNBC showing coverage on the final day. You can also catch group coverage of the tournament on ESPN+ over select times over the next few days.