The LPGA Tour will be coming to Essex County this fall. The best women golfers in the world will be coming to the Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell this October for the 2021 LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup.
“We're just super excited to be in town. The golf course is going to be challenging but it will be very fair for our players,” says tournament director Scott Wood. “I think everyone in the community is going to see a lot of good golf come October.”
The tournament organizers held a ticket sale kickoff event at the club, and presented New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy with the first one.
“This is more than about the players, it’s about the experience and being engulfed in this sport and showing everyone that there's something for everyone, so from hospitality to onsite clinics and demonstrations,” says Tracy Hupko with tournament sales & marketing.
The 2021 Cognizant Founders Cup boasts a $3 million purse - the largest of any LPGA Tour event outside the majors and the tour championship.
“It’s awesome to have a nationally-ranked event and to have it right there in the state of New Jersey and also just continue to create more awareness to women in professional sports,” says Cognizant Technology Solutions chief people officer Becky Schmitt.
The prestigious tournament pays tribute to the 13 members that founded the LPGA in 1950. Organizers say that it is a great way to honor the past and inspire the future.
“With our LPGA*USGA golf program, we want to empower. We want to give the next generation of golfers those tools and the life schools that golf teaches you,” says Wood.
And for those girls in the LPGA*USGA program, the chance to see world-class female athletes in New Jersey is a thrill.
“When I was little, I knew I wanted to be exactly like them because however far they hit the ball, I wanted to do that, and just being here and feeling the experience is all about growing the game,” says Isabella Scanapicco of Tinton Falls.
The Cognizant Founders Cup will be at Mountain Ridge Country Club Oct. 4-19. Tickets are on sale now.