GALLOWAY, N.J., May 6, 2025 – World No. 1 Nelly Korda, No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul and defending champion Linnea Strom headline an elite field of early commitments for the 2025 ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, taking place June 6-8 at Seaview, A Dolce Hotel in Galloway, N.J.
Tournament officials also announced today that five-time junior All-American Gianna Clemente and Ohio State University junior Kary Hollenbaugh have accepted sponsor exemptions to be part of the 144-player field competing on the historic Bay Course at Seaview.
At the 2025 Therese Hession Regional Challenge collegiate championship in February at Palos Verdes Golf Club in California, a sponsor exemption for the ShopRite LPGA Classic was on the line for the individual champion. Hollenbaugh tied the scoring record at 10-under par, capturing the individual title. Hollenbaugh will make her LPGA Tour tournament debut at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
“We are excited to continue the LPGA Tour’s momentum in June with the return of the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer and a world-class field that will serve as Atlantic City’s kickoff sporting event of the summer,” said Jeremy Friedman, ShopRite LPGA Classic media director. “We look forward to welcoming back to Seaview the world’s top-ranked players, including Nelly Korda and Jeeno Thitikul, the game’s future stars as well as our South Jersey sports fanbase in what has become a Shore Tradition.”
Korda, a 15-time LPGA Tour winner and the top-ranked player in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, won seven times in 2024, capturing the 2024 Rolex Player of the Year honors. Korda has recorded four top-20 finishes in six starts in 2025, headlined by a runner-up finish at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and T7 at the Founders Cup.
Thitikul, currently ranked No. 2 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, is a four-time LPGA Tour winner and former World No. 1. She won two events in 2024, including the Dow Championship (teamed with Ruoning Yin) and the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.
Strom recorded one of the largest comebacks in LPGA Tour history at the 2024 ShopRite LPGA Classic, shooting an 11-under par 60 – the lowest final round score by a winner in LPGA Tour history and matching the second-lowest raw core overall. The victory was her first LPGA Tour win and third professional victory overall.
Clemente, 17, a five-time junior All-American and the 2024 AJGA Girls Player of the Year, will make her second consecutive start at the ShopRite LPGA Classic as a sponsor exemption. The Estero, Fla. resident finished T16 at this year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur and finished as the low amateur at the 2025 Chevron Championship, being the only amateur to make the cut. She is currently ranked No. 2 in the AJGA Rankings and 23rd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Hollenbaugh, a junior at Ohio State University, a 2024 Honorable Mention All-American and 2025 All-Big Ten First Team member, competed in the 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, making the cut and finishing T22. Hollenbaugh has recorded four wins during the 2024-25 collegiate season, helping the Buckeyes advance to the NCAA Women’s Regional Championships. She currently ranks 20th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
For more than three decades, the ShopRite LPGA Classic has been a launchpad for several of the game’s preeminent players to kickstart their LPGA Tour careers, including Paula Creamer, Brooke Henderson and Lexi Thompson. The tournament features many of the game’s greatest players as past champions, including Juli Inkster, Betsy King, Dottie Pepper, Seri Pak, Annika Sorenstam, Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Karrie Webb, Henderson and Thompson.
Tournament officials will be announcing in the coming weeks special ancillary events taking place throughout the week at the ShopRite LPGA Classic and additional field commitments. Players have until Wednesday, May 28 to commit to the ShopRite LPGA Classic. For a complete list of tournament entries,