Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give Leads Off the Women’s Pro Summer Season
By Tom Lang
Simply put, the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give is one of the best LPGA Tour events all year long – and Michiganders can be proud to call it their own.
The world’s best players attend most years. They include 2017 and 2019 Meijer champion Brooke Henderson, former champ Lexi Thompson (2015), and defending champ and recent World No. 1, Nelly Korda. It’s not uncommon for the majority of the world’s top 10 to play each year, as well as multiple major winners and the hot new talent coming on Tour each season.
Part of that is the fact the tournament played at Blythefield Country Club each year consistently has one of the highest purses on the entire LPGA Tour. This year it is set at $2.5 million, a significantly higher purse than 17 other events on the LPGA schedule. With a number like that it’s easy to see why the best players ascend on Michigan.
Another draw for fans is that the Meijer team knows how to throw a great event – in fact in 2018 the LPGA Tour awarded the Grand Rapids tournament as ‘Best Fan Experience’ for the entire season, and the tournament has also won numerous other awards over the years that focus on the fan experience, food and family fun.
“The Meijer (tournament) is amazing,” two-time winner Brooke Henderson once told me. “The energy that comes from the crowds, and all the different events that are happening around the golf just makes everything a little bit more exciting. And I know the fans really appreciate it too. For me, I love playing with big crowds, especially when I am playing well, and I can key off their energy.”
Food, Fun and Food:
After the tournament was fully canceled in 2020 due to Covid-19, followed by a scaled back event in 2021 with limited hospitality options, the Meijer LPGA Classic is back in full swing for 2022 on the large scale we’ve come to love, starting with new ticket and food options that will offer any fan that wants it, the ‘Hospitality Tent’ experience.
“While we’re excited to bring the tournament back at the large scale that our community remembers from previous years, we’ve refreshed it with new elements that will further set our LPGA experience apart,” said Cathy Cooper, Executive Director of the Meijer LPGA Classic. “With the introduction of our new premium diverse restaurant food and beverage hospitality experience, J. Brewer’s, and the expansion of our Grand Taste viewing areas and concessions, this year’s event will offer more than ever before, all in support of the same great cause – feeding our neighbors in need.”
The first step is a new area that will replace what past fans knew as the Grand Taste, which distributed samples of food and local brewery drinks. Now a new pavilion called the J. Brewer’s Hospitality Pavilion is in the mix.
J. Brewer’s is named in honor of the financier who purchased the land where Blythefield Country Club now stands. Plans call for a one-of-a-kind hospitality experience on the LPGA Tour, located off the 4th fairway where the Grand Taste food pavilions were previously positioned. J. Brewer’s will be a more than 20,0000-square-foot pavilion that offers superior all-you-can-eat food, along with beverage pairings, curated and prepared by Meijer vendors and select local and minority-owned restaurants.
Daily tickets for access to the J. Brewer’s pavilion cost $75 apiece. Those tickets are day specific and are available Friday through Sunday. Daily tickets for children, ages 12 and under, cost $10 apiece.
J. Brewer’s tickets will offer attendees access to:
A terrace for live, front-row views of the on-course action
Television viewing of both the U.S. Open and Meijer LPGA Classic
A vibrant, fun atmosphere with prime seating areas
All-you-can-eat access to carefully crafted food items, featuring Meijer and local vendors
The Grand Taste commitment to local flavors will still be available in 2022, but in a very different format allowing the general public a chance to taste food and beverages from local restaurants, breweries and Meijer vendors. The option will be at four concession areas located at the 18th tee, 18th green, 10th tee and 16th fairway.
“To better support our local restaurant partners amidst ongoing staffing shortages, we decided to transition their offerings into our concession tents,” Cooper said. “This is especially exciting because it means everyone gets to experience the fun of Grand Taste’s local offerings at an affordable price without needing a special ticket.”
Simply Give Supports Food Insecurity in the Community:
Speaking of food, feeding people has been the main focus of the tournament since Day One. Proceeds from the tournament each year since launching in 2014 have gone to the retailer’s hunger relief program called Simply Give.
The program restocks the shelves of food pantries across the Midwest by providing them with gift cards to use for fresh meats, fruits and vegetables. The 2021 tournament raised $1.1 million for local food pantries through Simply Give. In total, the seven tournaments to date have generated more than $7.4 million for the Meijer Simply Give program.
Last year the tournament introduced an additional $25,000 donation to a hunger relief organization of the winner’s choice. That initiative returns this year as well, after champion Nelly Korda selected Kids' Food Basket in Grand Rapids.
"I just felt like I wanted it to stay in Grand Rapids," said Korda, following her 2021 Father's Day win. "I also love kids. I have always wanted to do something for underprivileged kids, and that's the first thing that popped into my head. Feels like a good decision and it means so much to give back."
The unique above and beyond donation did not go unnoticed by Bridget Clark Whitney, Founding CEO of Kids' Food Basket.
"We are so inspired by and grateful for this incredible gift from Nelly Korda," she said last year. "Through this gift Nelly continues to showcase how to be a role model for kids in local communities and demonstrates that we can all use our talents to work toward a greater good."
Tickets on sale now at www.meijerlpgaclassic.com/tickets.
Family Fun:
The tournament is now able to bring back many fan-favorite activities from years past, including the Discovery Land and Family Care Area. A new feature to be introduced is the Family Village, with outdoor games, seating and live music on Saturday night.
Discovery Land returns to its prime location off the 18th fairway, offering young golf fans and their families with an air-conditioned kids’ destination featuring character visits, crafts, activities and snacks. There will also be an air-conditioned tent for diaper changing and feeding mothers.
The new Family Village will offer healthy food and beverage options, outdoor games, live tournament coverage on digital boards, and seating areas where fans can view tee shots coming off the 18th tee. In addition, spectators are invited to stick around after play on Saturday for a free concert in the Family Village by local band Great Scott. It is free and will start near the conclusion of golf on Saturday evening.
As in previous years, kids, ages 17 and under, will receive free general admission with a ticketed adult. For more information on the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, visit meijerLPGAclassic.com.
