Rachel Kuehn’s victory at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge came with a bonus for the Wake Forest junior: a sponsor exemption into the LPGA’s JTBC Championship at Palos Verdes.
The Northrop Grumman celebrated its 26th anniversary at Palos Verdes Golf Club in California with Oregon winning the team title by seven shots over Wake Forest. Kuehn’s 10-under 203 total broke the tournament record of 7 under set by Lorena Ochoa in 2002. This victory marks Kuehn’s second of the season and fourth of her career.
“This week has been incredible,” said Kuehn in a release, “and I feel fortunate to have won on such an amazing course. To receive a sponsor’s exemption into the LPGA tournament here in a couple weeks is a dream come true.”
Your 2022 Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge Champion 🏆#GoDeacs 🎩⛳️ pic.twitter.com/LtVEyHUotQ
— Wake Women's Golf (@WakeWGolf) March 15, 2022
Kuehn will join a 144-player field April 28-May 1, televised live on Golf Channel. World No. 2 Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko (3), Minjee Lee (4), Danielle Kang (5), Inbee Park (6), Sei Young Kim (7) and Nasa Hataoka (8) headline the early commitments.
“Palos Verdes Golf Club is thrilled by the opportunity to incorporate our 2022 Northrop Grumman Challenge Collegiate champion into the field at the JTBC Championship at Palos Verdes,” said David Klein, Club President of Palos Verdes Golf Club. “The organic integration between the two events makes perfect sense and also highlights our club’s support of golf at the highest level.”
This year marks the first time in tour history that the LPGA schedule will feature back-to-back weeks in the Los Angeles area. The JTBC LA Open will take place at Wilshire Country Club the week prior, April 20-24.
To make it easy to follow, fans will be able to purchase an “LA LPGA Dual Ticket,” a weekly grounds pass for both events.
