JEREMY FRIEDMAN: We will get going. Brittany, thank you for joining. I'm going to start the recording. Good afternoon, everybody. Good morning for Linnea out west. Thank you all for joining the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer media conference call.
We're previewing the upcoming ShopRite LPGA Classic taking place in a couple of weeks at Seaview in Galloway, New Jersey.
We've got a great panel with us this afternoon. We also have a tremendous field coming up in a couple of weeks. Just a couple of housekeeping items before we get things going. As you guys heard, the recording in progress, so this call is being recorded. We'll be able to send this to you guys following the call.
Also it's being transcribed so we'll be able to send the transcription after the call as well. If there's any questions or any additional info that you need, feel free to reach out to me.
Joining on the call, we have Ryan Dever, our tournament director for the ShopRite LPGA Classic; Grant Boone, Golf Channel's and NBC Sports's longtime play-by-play host for the LPGA Tour; Linnea Strom, our defending champion from 2024, who shot the course record and made a million birdies on her final day last year, so we'll talk about that a little bit; Brittany Lincicome, our 2011 champion for ShopRite; excited that she is going to be joining us in the field; then Gianna Clemente, one of our sponsor exemptions, five-time junior all-American. Many of you all saw Gianna play up at Mizuho a couple weeks ago. She's is one of our sponsor exemptions and one of the newest members of Team ShopRite, which we will get into a little bit more.
On this call, if you guys wouldn't mind staying on mute until we start the Q & A session and then once we start the Q & A session, if you have questions, just do the thumbs up, raise the hand or mention in the chat that you have a question and we'll call on you, unmute yourself and then ask away.
As we kick things off, the tournament field, you guys have seen a couple of releases from us. We've got a great field shaping up headlined by World No. 1 Nelly Korda, world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul. We have got six past champions of ShopRite, including Brittany and Linnea; Stacy Lewis is going to be returning, two-time champion; Annie Park also in the field.
So it's almost kind of somewhat of a home game for her.
Ashleigh Buhai our 2023 champion, and Brooke Henderson who won in 2022.
We've got also a really, really tremendous field. We've got 20 major champions altogether that are in the field. More commitments to come. The field closes May 28th, so you guys will get a final field towards the end of the next week.
I'm going to turn it over to Ryan to talk a little bit about the tournament and our big announcement that we made earlier this week. Ryan Dever, tournament director, take it away, my friend.
RYAN DEVER: Thanks, Jeremy, and appreciate everybody being on the call today. Look forward to seeing you all in a few short weeks on the Bay Course at Seaview. Looking forward to the 2025 iteration of the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer. It'll be the 37th playing of the tournament, 31 years of ShopRite being the longest running title partner on the LPGA Tour.
As always, we're looking forward to continuing raising the bar with charitable donations on behalf of ShopRite in and around the event itself. We talked about a star-studded cast on the golf course, but off the golf course helping deserving charitable organizations in the communities that ShopRite stores serve.
Annually ShopRite donates more than $1.5 million back to charity with a target of the same for 2025 and throughout the lifespan of the tournament that number has eclipsed $40 million and is continuously growing.
Thank you to ShopRite and the contributions to the communities you serve day in and day out and look forward to being a part of that during tournament week.
As Jeremy mentioned, we have an exciting update on Monday. A release went out announcing two facets to a new Player Impact Program, an expansion of ShopRite's partnership with the LPGA, one being Team ShopRite, which Gianna is a member of, five different LPGA athletes are joining Team ShopRite donning the logo throughout the season. They'll also be included in special event programing throughout the on-site at the Bay Course, as well as throughout the year as part of ShopRite's initiatives in markets they serve.
Then in addition to Team ShopRite they are upping the ante by providing complimentary hotel accommodations for all participants in the field during the week of the 2025 ShopRite LPGA Classic, which is great for the athletes to not have to worry about some of the financial expenditures that come along with playing week in and week out on the LPGA Tour and just worry about what's taking place on the golf course and taking home that trophy on Sunday.
Excited about those two new contributions from ShopRite for women's golf and the event as a whole coming in 2025.
I'd also like to thank our friends from Acer on the call today, presenting sponsor of the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Last year we launched our E-cycling program where Acer provided complimentary admission to anybody who would like to donate electronics at our main entrance prior to their arrival on-site. Laptops, tablets, old cell phones were accepted at our main entrance and will be again this year.
And with providing those donated recycled electronics, complimentary admission to the event. We're expanding the program this year and asking my LPGA professionals that would like to join into the cause, as well. Feel free to bring any old or used electronics to be recycled. They can travel with them to the event or we'll take care of the shipping and make sure those products are disposed of properly.
So thanks to Acer for your lasting impact outside of the golf course, and happy to be a part of that come 2025 onsite at the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer.
Jeremy, did I miss anything? Back to you.
JEREMY FRIEDMAN: I think you've got it covered. As Ryan said, we've got a lot of great initiatives and a lot of momentum going into the event, and not only for this coming week but for years to come. For the ShopRite folks on the call and Acer, thank you for your partnerships for the event.
I will now turn it over to Grant Boone, longtime colleague at Golf Channel. He's play-by-play host for the ShopRite LPGA Classic as well as the lead voice for the LPGA Tour.
Grant, as Ryan mentioned, we've got some really good news on Monday with this Player Impact Program and also just the multiyear extension with ShopRite as the title sponsor. Since you're week in, week out on the LPGA Tour, you see a lot of this, ShopRite's commitments, 31st year. That's the longest on the LPGA Tour. Your overall thoughts as the host of LPGA Tour tournament coverage?
GRANT BOONE: Well, hi, everyone. I am looking forward to yet another year continuing the shored tradition there at the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer. I go back, goodness, more than half of the years of this tournament.
2000 was my first ShopRite, long before there was such a thing as a Gianna Clemente. I was there calling the tournament. It's been great every year.
I love the present of the LPGA Tour. There is so much to be excited about with great players coming along like Gianna, great players right now like Linnea Strom, and of course they're all playing on the shoulders of great champs like Brittany Lincicome.
But I also love the history. As a play-by-play guy, I really believe that the LPGA Tour really relishes opportunities like this event. There just aren't many like it. There are only a couple of tournaments on the LPGA Tour that are older than this one, and as Jeremy mentioned, the longest title sponsor. ShopRite, I don't know if you can fully appreciate what you mean to women's golf, what it means to have a sponsor that's been around this long.
I think about what Larry and Ruthie Harrison did -- I should say Ruthie and Larry, knowing Ruthie, putting this tournament together all those years ago and the foundation that they laid, but I think it's really important for you to know, hey, let me tell you something, there aren't many PGA TOUR sponsors that go back as long as ShopRite has been sponsoring the LPGA Tour.
It is meaningful. It provides really important continuity. There is an exciting new things happening on the LPGA Tour, but we need those links to the past, and you look up and down the history of this event and you'll see the greatest names of the second half of the LPGA 75-year history who have hoisted the trophy here at Seaview. So I can't wait to be back.
Why don't we start with our defending champion, Linnea Strom, who made this her first LPGA title last June. Linnea, I wonder if you'd take us back to that weekend because you needed something special on Saturday in the second round just to get a Sunday tee time.
I believe you had to birdie your hole just to make the cut, and then on Sunday, you did what no one had ever done in the 75 years of the LPGA Tour, tied for last place entering, you went out and shot a 60 -- you had a pitch shot for a 59 that was darned close and you wound up winning the tournament after a bit of a wait, but after all you've waited for, I don't think you minded too much. Take us back to that day and what you remember from the weekend?
LINNEA STROM: I mean, it was just an unbelievable week. A dream come true for sure. Like you said, I needed a birdie on my last hole on Saturday to make the cut on the number, and I remember that so well. I remember the bunker shot I had on 18 and the putt that I holed, and I think I was just very happy to make the cut.
As you know, I had my dad there for that week, as well, so I think I told myself on Sunday morning that I was going to go out and enjoy it and try to make as many birdies as possible.
That morning I had just watched Linn Grant win on the DP World Tour, the Scandinavian Mixed in Sweden, so I think that was pretty inspiring, as well, to watch my friend go and win in Sweden, and then that kind of gave me some inspiration to just go out there on Sunday and try and post a good round, and that's pretty much what I did. It was pretty amazing.
GRANT BOONE: It was a big day for Swedish rallies. She came from 11 back to win on that Sunday there of the Scandinavian Mixed. You had them right where you wanted them, tied for 52nd place going into Sunday and you wound up with that first victory.
Brittany, you know what it's like to win at Seaview. You won in 2011 with a bit of last-second heroics yourself with a birdie on the last hole and you beat the likes of Jiyai Shin and Cristie Kerr who were top 5 in the world at the time. And that was your first win, wasn't it, since you had won the Kraft Nabisco out there at Mission Hills, and I wonder what it means to you to think back to that victory at Seaview.
BRITTANY LINCICOME: Oh, my gosh, it was incredible. I remember -- you know me, I love par-5s. I love being aggressive, going for the green in two, which I did, thinking, okay, I just hit it a bunker. No big deal. I get up there and it's like in middle of a bush in the bunker. I'm like, what? That's not how that was supposed to play out, and I hit the most amazing shot to maybe eight feet or so, and then made this downhill swinging putt.
I never look at the leaderboard, so I didn't know where I was. I think Cristie Kerr still had to finish 18, so we had to kind of wait a bit to see what was going to happen. But just to get another win -- it had been a long time, but that golf course sets up great for my game.
I love going to Seaview. I love that area. We used to stay in those conned owes by the driving range which were so easy, especially nowadays with a family, but now we get to be in the hotel, so we just can't thank ShopRite and Acer enough for giving us the free hotel rooms and keeping this tradition going and this event because a lot of us players really do love going back there, and it will be a treat to go back again this year.
GRANT BOONE: Gianna, first of all, congratulations on being a member of Team ShopRite. I know that's exciting for you. You're coming back to Seaview where you played last year and I remember following you after we went off the air on Saturday as you were grinding to make the cut, which you did, and finished 47th place last year, which was awfully impressive against an elite field.
As you think about competing again this year now as a member of Team ShopRite, what does that bring to mind to you?
GIANNA CLEMENTE: Yeah, just feel super grateful and really honored to be back. I actually played in a U.S. Kids event, I think I was seven, at Seaview, so it was just full circle for me and my entire family. So we're just really excited to come back and super grateful for the opportunity that ShopRite has given me.
GRANT BOONE: Brittany, that was way back when she was seven in 2014.
BRITTANY LINCICOME: That doesn't make me feel old at all.
GRANT BOONE: A long time ago. It's going to be so exciting to have all of you in the field. I'm sure, Jeremy -- I know we've got a lot of folks in the queue, so I've got some other questions, but why don't we get to theirs first and let's see how it goes.
JEREMY FRIEDMAN: Everybody, if you have a question, raise your hand or mention it in the chat and we will call on you and unmute you and ask away. Don't be shy, folks. Let me know of questions from the group.
Q. Ryan, if you could go through the process that led to the decision to make this incredible hotel deal?
RYAN DEVER: Yeah, great question. I think that providing the complimentary hotel accommodations throughout the event week is a way to add an added benefit to the entirety of the tournament field, not just one select group of players, not just who gets to take home the trophy on Sunday, but it's something that all 144 participants can reap the benefit of, and again, where they cannot have to worry about the financial expenditures of tracking down a hotel room, finding a hotel room and paying for one, but just be able to roll out of bed to the driving range and the golf course in the morning.
I think it was an impact that stretched beyond and really was something that the whole field could take advantage of, which they are, which is great.
GRANT BOONE: The announcers love it, too, by the way, walking right out of the hotel room on to the practice putting green.
Q. Linnea, how has your mindset changed from being on the LPGA Tour now that you've won a tournament? How does that change your professional mindset and your approach to what you do?
LINNEA STROM: I mean, I don't think it's changed too much of my mindset. It's still pretty similar to what it was before. I still have more bigger goals that I want to reach with my career. But I think it was just a great feeling to win, obviously, because that's what we all want to do. But I think it's proving to myself after a couple of years of struggle, it was just nice to prove to myself that I belong out here, and as long as I love what I'm doing, I'm going to continue to play on the LPGA Tour.
So I think it's just changed my mindset a little bit more how I appreciate so much to be out here. I appreciate the LPGA. Tournaments like ShopRite where they just keep improving women's golf in general. That's something that I'm very grateful for. I'm just very excited to help the LPGA and help women and help grow the game of golf.
Q. Why do you think Sweden has been so successful in developing so many world-class players? Your golf season is relatively short compared to other parts of the world, so why has there been so much success?
LINNEA STROM: I think growing up we had a great support system with the Swedish golf team back home. You will see most of us players on LPGA, we have played in the national team probably since we were 12, 13 years old, and I think it's just amazing what they do for juniors back home, just getting girls interested in the game of golf.
It makes it so much easier for us, and it doesn't put a lot of pressure on our parents, our families to make sure that we can go and play tournaments. The federation do a great job of supporting us from a young age, and I think that has a huge impact on why we have so many players on Tour like we do.
Q. Grant and Ryan, being a South Jersey native myself and bringing the sport of golf to South Jersey, a quote-unquote, non-traditional area that you see in the mainframe of golf, what do you think makes it so special to continue bringing the ShopRite down to Galloway and down to the South Jersey area and getting so many people in the northeast and particularly obviously South Jersey kind of in the mainframe of the LPGA Tour and getting golf in front of a South Jersey fan base?
RYAN DEVER: As a South Jersey native myself, this event is near and dear to my heart, from halfway in between Philadelphia and Atlantic City, so it's right in that sweet spot growing up, and early in my career to watch -- just like a lot of professionals at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
I think to answer the question, a lot of great golf in New Jersey, right? From north to south, you name it, and it's the perfect time of the year. I think you can agree that Memorial Day weekend hits and the summer season is in full force, whether it's folks that are local to the area 365 days a year or also the folks that head down to the shore for the weekend, from Philadelphia and New York and other parts of the northeast.
Not only perfect time for the weather to turn, but to showcase these great golf courses, obviously Seaview being a great facility for us for many years, I think it's the perfect launch point to the summer season on the Jersey Shore but also in the summer golf calendar for the folks in New Jersey and the northeast.
The combination of that to be, as grant mentioned before, the continuity of ShopRite and Acer and the LPGA in South Jersey has always left a lasting stop on the golf calendar throughout the year.
I think we've seen some recent events pop up here and there in the Philadelphia market, the New York, New Jersey Metro, but to always have this as a staple sticks true to the mission of ShopRite and Acer and the LPGA Tour, and we're proud to be a part of it.
GRANT BOONE: Just from my perspective, a couple of things. To build on what Ryan said, it is an amazing part of the country for great golf. I mean, one of the competitors, Meaghan Francella, actually she's an instructor at Philly Cricket Club, which is not far away. You've got Pine Valley right there; Atlantic City Country Club is a great venue.
But to me one of the things that's so important is that this is a bit of a throwback event. When you look at the history of the LPGA Tour, so many of the tournaments back then were -- they were 54-hole events, and it wasn't because -- for any other reason other than they wanted to have an extra day of pro-ams, and here you've got the biggest pro-am in the world every year at ShopRite, and you could have no better partner than the three on our call here today. They represent really what it means to engage in an LPGA event. I've never seen anybody who was a part of an LPGA event up close who didn't think I'd like to do that again, I'd like to see more.
I think the pro-am is a big part of it. My partner in the booth for this year's ShopRite LPGA Classic is going to be Mel Reid, who won it in 2020. Of all things that year it was a four-round event, and part of it was the week before in Portland they had to shorten it because of smoke. Some of you may remember that.
But she won a rare four -- and there was maybe one other in the early days. But it's a 54-hole event, and it's coming off of -- and maybe, Brittany, you could speak to this as a major champion yourself -- a lot of players will be coming off the U.S. Women's Open, and it's such a grind when you're there for four days in a USGA championship. You get the extra day. You get the pro-am. You're kind of easing into the week.
And then doesn't it kind of feel like you're coming -- I know you're a Florida girl, but it's also in a way like you're coming home a bit, isn't it, you see a lot of the same faces.
BRITTANY LINCICOME: Oh, absolutely, you've nailed it. The week before is such a grind, mentally, physically, emotionally, everything, it's just exhausting, so then to come to Seaview, to come play the ShopRite event, it's just like, okay, calm down, relax a little bit now that we're staying on property you can walk out your door to the driving range, walk across the street to the 1st and 10th tee. It's just super easy.
And then sidenote back in the day, the casino was obviously a big attraction for people. But now having two small children with the Boardwalk like 30 minutes away, we go there almost every night, probably spend $100 a night buying tickets for the girls to ride rides, and now it's become like a family thing.
It offers so much, and with the history, I think it's just an event that everyone loves to play.
Unfortunately sometimes it falls weird in the schedule where you have to take a week off here and there, but every time girls come and play the event, they're like, wow, this is a great event, we love playing this event, and it's great to see so many top players playing this year.
GRANT BOONE: That's probably $100 better spent than at the casino. Not that I would know.
Q. This question is for Grant and Linnea and Brittany, I asked you this question a few weeks ago when we spoke on the phone regarding a story I was doing on the Chevron Championship, so no need to have to answer it twice but feel free to chime in if you'd like. Right now the LPGA and women's golf as a whole is in a little bit of a transitional period with an incoming commissioner set to be named. I was just perhaps wondering your thoughts on maybe something you would like to see changed or something you'd like to see implemented under new leadership.
LINNEA STROM: Great question. I mean, I think ever since I was a rookie in 2019, I've already seen a big change, and I think that's great, and I think that's what all of us want.
But I think in general, we can continue to keep growing the game of golf. I think we have some amazing players on Tour, not just as golfers but as people, as well. So I would love to see something a little bit more like on the PGA TOUR where -- just need to show the players more, televise and just in general just keep growing the game for every girl out there.
GRANT BOONE: I couldn't agree more with that, and I know Ryan does a great job with this, and most of the tournament directors are really hyper focused on this. But the more fans that you get on the golf course watching the LPGA Tour, the better.
When you look at what the PGA TOUR has done over the years in terms of getting crowds out -- I was just thinking about in Texas where I live, this week they're going to be playing at Colonial, which is a very small approximate ballpark, and yet they cram a lot of people in there.
The Byron Nelson is played there just north of Dallas, and their fields -- now, they had Scottie this year, but their fields aren't always elite, but there's a tradition of getting fans there. People are used to going.
I think this is why ShopRite's commitment to this event is so important. You've got to have continuity. There's a reason why people go to the Nelson in Dallas every year. It's because they've always gone. Then they keep bringing their kids, and then the next thing you know it just swells and swells.
On-site, I think when you've -- one of the reasons, for example, why the Premier League has grown in popularity in America, when you flip it on, to Linnea's point, you can find it more easily on television than you used to see it in the States.
When you flip it on and you see 30, 40, 50,000 or more people going crazy, you think, I don't even know what they're doing, but if that many people care that much about it, maybe I'll stay for a few extra minutes and watch it.
The caliber of golf -- I think Brittany could speak to this. The caliber of golf on the LPGA Tour right now is better than it's ever been. If you win an event on the LPGA Tour right now, you've done something that is incredibly difficult. What Linnea did last year, it wasn't just that she shot 60, it's that she won an event, beat the likes of Megan Khang who's a Solheim Cup star, Ayaka Furue who became a major champion. They were all nipping at her heels and she beat one LPGA winner after another.
It's harder than ever to win. The fields just get deeper and deeper. It was hard enough when Brittany was coming along and Seri Pak a past champion of this event had brought so many from Korea over to the LPGA Tour which has made the Tour so much better in every way having those players here and now China and Thailand have dominant No. 1 players in the world.
Every country in the world is sending great players. We have Nataliya Guseva from Russia who's now on the LPGA Tour. They come from all over. It's harder and harder to win, and when you see it up close you're taken by it. But we've got to get more and more people to the golf course on that day. That's what Ryan and others are doing a great job of trying to improve every year.
When you see it up close, you're hooked.
RYAN DEVER: Going back to the earlier question about just the longevity of it in South Jersey, you mentioned getting out to the golf course, and I think I want to shout out just some of our great partners alongside the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
There's a lot of ways -- it's very accessible to get to the Bay Course in a couple of weeks, and that's brought to you in part by a lot of different corporate partners, not just ShopRite and Acer. But there's complimentary admission for children under 18 with a ticketed adult. If you have a ShopRite Price Plus card loyalty card, you get two complementary tickets. If you bring an electronic to be recycled on behalf of Acer, complimentary admission. ServPro and Braven Health are providing complimentary admission to veterans and first responders, active duty military, not only to the tournament itself, but also a hospitality venue, complimentary food and beverage, an air conditioned seat for them.
So there's a lot of ways we're getting folks introduced to the game or recurring fans that have been coming to the Bay Course for year in and year out, and I think those opportunities and that accessibility to watch these great stars of the game and not just here in June but throughout the year and again next time we're back for the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer. It's one of our goals each and every year, and can't thank these partners enough for making the game that much more accessible to see the stars.
GRANT BOONE: If I could ask Gianna one question. I'm thinking about the winners of this event going back to 1986 when it started, Juli Inkster, Betsy King, Nancy Lopez, the first three winners and then Annika and Seri and Karrie and Brittany Lincicome and Linnea here is on this call. Brittany looked up to the Julis, the Meg Mallons, the Beth Daniels, and I wonder when you see someone like Brittany Lincicome and others, what does it make you think about maybe one day following in their footsteps?
GIANNA CLEMENTE: Yeah, I mean, I think it's kind of crazy to think about. I've played in, I think, the ShopRite will be my 10th or 11th LPGA event, and honestly, it doesn't feel like that long ago that I was out watching LPGA events with my dad.
We would just walk around our local events and I would make him take me every single day, Thursday through Sunday.
So yeah, just really full circle, and I'm just really grateful for all the opportunities that I've been given and hopefully will be able to play many more in the future.
JEREMY FRIEDMAN: I think on that, too, and Brittany, this is a direct follow-up to Grant's question to Gianna, you've seen this at this tournament where this tournament has almost been the kickstarter for a lot of players, Lexi Thompson's first event was here, Brooke Henderson's first event was here, and Gianna had her sponsor exemption here at this event last year.
What is it about this event from your eyes, being a past winner and playing this event, where this tournament is almost like a starting point for a lot of players' careers, too?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: Yeah, I think it's just the golf course. It's not super long, so it kind of accommodates everybody, but you have to be able to hit it straight and you have to be a good putter that week. I think it's just a fun, fun layout of a golf course. Again, not being too long, and it kind of fits everyone's game. So especially somebody young coming out, it's not big and overwhelming and scary. It's very, like, small and just -- it just feels inviting.
I think you just feel a little bit more comfortable. It feels like around the golf at home with your buddies, and maybe you have some family or friends watching you to make you feel a little bit more comfortable and at ease, and I think that sets up for a great recipe for a young player to come out and get their first win or to maybe get a top 10 even.
I think Gianna is going to do fantastic, and this could be her year to get that. It's just a fun golf course to go play.
JEREMY FRIEDMAN: Linnea, quick follow and then I'll turn it over. You won your first event here last year, so almost on that same notion from you, you shot lights out on the final round last year, but what is it about this course and this tournament that kind of is the kickstarter for a lot of players?
LINNEA STROM: I think kind of agreeing with what Brittany said, it's such a nice and comfortable area, and I've always stayed on-site, whether it be in the villas on the driving range or the hotel. This year we'll obviously be at the hotel, which is amazing. But I think it's just making the players feel very comfortable with the whole area. Everything is so close. You can drive to the beach if you want to do something.
I think it's just a very fun golf course to play. It's fun in a way where you have to hit good shots, you have to hit good putts, but it's very makeable. I love courses like that. I think it's very fun to play. Then you can kind of have the wind in the afternoon, which can make it a bit challenging, too.
But I think it's the whole area. I'm just very comfortable there. The fans have always been amazing, not just last year when I won but the previous years, as well. I've always enjoyed coming to Atlantic City and playing the ShopRite Classic.
I think it's just a very fun event. It's always been on top of my list, and I think now after having the win there last year, it's always going to be my favorite and probably one of my best ever memories. It's a great tournament for sure.
Q. I just have two quick questions. First of all, maybe for Ryan, I think the thing that makes ShopRite so special to Atlantic City and to South Jersey is this tournament has survived. We've had a lot of sporting events come to the Atlantic City area, and they've only survived three or four years and then they kind of disappear and ShopRite has been here for so long. What do you see as the sort of future of this event going forward? It is kind of a throwback event with the 54 holes and the two-day pro-am. What do see as the future going forward, and where does it exactly fit in in the LPGA Tour 2025 basically?
RYAN DEVER: Yeah, great question. It's been great to be that bit if continuity in the Atlantic City area for the past many years. I think working with the folks at the Atlantic City Sports Commission, in a new relationship, kind of shines light on a lot of the bright spots.
Our great hotel partner in the hard rock hotel and casino in Atlantic City has been a shining star for hosting our pro-am participants. Amateurs, our pro-am party and kind of celebrating all the things Atlantic City has to offer. I think for the growth of the event, the sky's the limit, and I think we're just getting started, 2025 obviously being able to announce some of these great new initiatives, I think the momentum is just going to continue.
Even beyond the growth that I mentioned earlier on the call, I think on-site you'll see some enhancements for the general fan, too. We've added a couple new activation areas. We're focusing on some free swag and taste some of the offerings that are sold in ShopRite stores. This year we have a new general public venue on the 18th green; instead of the traditional grandstands, we're going to have a more laid-back party deck with umbrella tables and a bar.
Just making the event, while honoring the tradition of what we've been able to do for the past 31, 37 years, kind of evolving and growing with it, not only for the players, our partners, but the general fan, too, that comes out, and is going to have a blast on the Bay Course that weekend.
We're excited to do that here this year, and like I said, I think the sky's the limit. We'll just keep rolling going forward.
Q. For Brittany, there are very few LPGA events outside of majors today that Nancy Lopez played in or Kathy Whitworth played in, that a lot of the greats of the game have played in. What does it mean to sort of keep ShopRite alive? These are actual tournaments that some Hall-of-Famers played in and Hall-of-Famers won; just sort of keep that overall tradition of the LPGA going? A guy could come to ShopRite or a fan can come to ShopRite this year and say I was here 30 years ago and I saw Kathy Whitworth play here or Nancy Lopez play here. How important is that to keep that alive?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: It's very important, and like you said, I don't even know if there is any events where you could say those names have played. But it's just truly incredible. It just shows the commitment of ShopRite and now Acer. Keeping this tradition alive and keeping this event going and knowing what it means to us as LPGA players is truly incredible.
Obviously they can go a bunch of different directions and spend their money different ways, but for them to believe in us and want us back year after year, it's truly incredible, and as somebody that's been on Tour for 20 years, I can't personally thank them enough. I've loved this event, I've loved playing in this event, and just to have the history of it is just something that at the LPGA we love having history involved with us, and I'm just really speechless how cool it is to have this event 37 years but 31 of the years with ShopRite, it's just unheard of.
GRANT BOONE: I appreciate everybody who jumped on. This is a great event, as Brittany said. It's a roll call of the greats of the LPGA Tour, the second half of the LPGA's 75 years, and we're going to have another great champion. It could be one of these three; you never know.
JEREMY FRIEDMAN: That's right, very true. Thank you for that. We will wrap things up. I know Grant has a production meeting to get to with Golf Channel. I don't want to get yelled at for keeping grant too long. Everybody, thank you for joining the call. Brittany, Gianna, Linnea, thank you for joining. Grant, thank you for joining. We'll see you in a couple of weeks. Ryan, thank you, as always.
This call, as I mentioned, is being recorded, so we will send the recording. We'll also accepted the transcript this afternoon. If you have not applied for credentials yet, LPGAmediacredentials.com. That's the website. Everybody, thank you. We'll see you in a couple of weeks at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports