BOSTON, Masschusetts – August 21, 2024 – The stage is set for the 7th annual BJ’s Charity Championship presented by Kimberly-Clark, a team event featuring 24 Legends of the LPGA to be held Friday, September 6 at The Ridge Club in Sandwich, Mass.
New Hampshire native and 27-time LPGA Tour champion Jane Blalock, who helped bring the event to The Ridge in 2017, will once again team up with LPGA Tour veteran and major titleholder Patricia Meunier-Lebouc of Dijon, France. The pair combined for a final score of 59 in last year’s tournament to edge 2019 champions Rosie Jones and Michele Redman by one shot and make their first trip to the winner’s circle on the Legends of the LPGA senior women’s circuit.
“Winning the BJ’s Charity Championship with Patricia was absolutely one of the highlights of my golf career,” says Blalock, the LPGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year in 1969. “It was a bonus to do it on my home course with all of my friends watching. If we can perform with our perfect teamwork once again, a repeat is possible.”
The BJ’s Charity Championship features a mix of LPGA & World Golf Hall of Famers and former LPGA Tour stars age 45 and over pairing up and squaring off in a rare opportunity to play in a professional tournament with a partner.
The format for the single-day, 18-hole tournament is a two-person scramble.
“The team format makes the BJ’s Charity Championship a favorite stop for the Legends of the LPGA every year, and the last couple of holes guarantee a thrilling finish,” adds Blalock. A member of The Ridge Club, Blalock remains the only player to have carded an ace in the BJ’s Charity Championship since the event’s inception seven years ago – a shot that earned her a new car courtesy of Falmouth Toyota.
Six LPGA and World Golf Hall of Fame members headline this year’s field, including Pat Bradley, Jan Stephenson, Amy Alcott, Hollis Stacy, Juli Inkster and Laura Davies. Bradley won the event in 2022 with playing partner Jamie Fischer while Stephenson teamed up with Laura Diaz to win it in 2021.
New to the field this year is Angela Stanford of Fort Worth, Texas, a 7-time LPGA Tour winner with one major championship title who also captured consecutive Senior LPGA Championship titles in 2023 and 2024. Stanford, a six-time Solheim Cup competitor for Team USA, will team up with 4-time LPGA Tour champion Wendy Ward of Spokane, Wash.
“I’m looking forward to teeing it up with Angela at the BJ’s Charity Championship in September,” says Ward, who won the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1994 and was an All-American golfer at Arizona State University. “We were teammates in the 2003 Solheim Cup but never played as partners, and we’ve been friends for many years. She’s a great competitor and it will be fun to pair up and see how low we can go,” smiles Ward.
Past LPGA Tour champion Charlotta Sörenstam of Stockholm Sweden, a former Solheim Cup team member for the Europeans, is set to make her first appearance at The Ridge alongside teammate Becky Morgan of Abergavenny, South Wales, a winner on the Ladies European Tour who picked up her first Legends title at The Woodford Legends Invitational with teammate Catriona Matthew earlier this summer.
Proceeds from the BJ’s Charity Championship benefit the BJ’s Charitable Foundation, which is dedicated to taking care of families by providing access to essential needs.
“As hosts of the 7th annual BJ’s Charity Championship at The Ridge Club, BJ’s Wholesale Club welcomes this incredible line-up of LPGA Legends to showcase their talent,” said Bill Werner, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Development, BJ’s Wholesale Club. “Thanks to our sponsors who have generously supported this tournament, BJ’s Charitable Foundation is able to help families who face challenges with food insecurity, education and health and wellness.”
Admission is free. Gates open at 9:00 a.m. While there is no parking open to the public at The Ridge Club, fans can park for free next door at Holly Ridge Golf Course where shuttles will be available to and from the main tournament entrance. Tee times featuring six foursomes run from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Hole 1. Play is expected to finish at approximately 3:30 p.m. A trophy ceremony will immediately follow play on the 18th green.
For more information, please visit LegendsoftheLPGA.com.
Here are the 12 teams playing in the 2024 BJ’s Charity Championship presented by Kimberly-Clark:
–Jane Blalock, Cambridge, MA / Patricia Meunier-Lebouc, Dijon, France
–Pat Bradley, W. Hyannisport, MA / Jamie Fischer, Lake Forest, IL
–Michelle McGann, N. Palm Beach, FL / Suzy Whaley, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
–Elaine Crosby, Jackson, MI / Nancy Scranton, St. Augustine, FL
–Becky Morgan, Abergavenny, So. Wales / Charlotta Sörenstam, Stockholm, Sweden
–Liselotte Neumann, Finspang, Sweden / Alicia Dibos, Lima, Peru
–Trish Johnson, Porthcawl, So. Wales / Laura Davies, Surrey, England
–Amy Alcott, Pacific Palisades, CA / Hollis Stacy, Holmes Beach, FL
–Rosie Jones, Hilton Head, SC / Michele Redman, Plymouth, MN
–Jan Stephenson, Sydney, Australia / Laura Diaz, Ponte Vedra, FL
–Juli Inkster, Los Altos, CA / Pat Hurst, Danville, CA
–Wendy Ward, Spokane, WA / Angela Stanford, Fort Worth, TX
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About BJ’s Wholesale Club
BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BJ) is a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs focused on delivering significant value to its members and serving a shared purpose: “We take care of the families who depend on us.” The company provides a wide assortment of fresh foods, produce, a full-service deli, fresh bakery, household essentials and gas. In addition, BJ’s offers the latest technology, home decor, small appliances, apparel, seasonal items and more to deliver unbeatable value to smart-saving families. Headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts, the company pioneered the warehouse club model in New England in 1984 and operates 244 clubs and 178 BJ’s Gas® locations in 20 states. For more information, please visit us at www.BJs.com or on Facebook or Instagram.
About BJ’s Charitable Foundation
Established in 2004 by BJ’s Wholesale Club, the BJ’s Charitable Foundation provides essentials needs to families in the local communities BJ’s members and team members live and work. Through local and national non-profit partnerships, the Foundation focuses its giving efforts on three main pillars: hunger relief, education and health and wellness. Learn more at https://www.bjs.com/esg
About the Legends of the LPGA
The Legends of the LPGA is the official senior tour of the LPGA providing competitive opportunities for LPGA Tour professionals and eligible amateurs, age 45 and over. The tour was founded in 2000 by twenty-five veteran LPGA Tour professionals with the goal of continuing to showcase the talents of some of the greatest women golfers of all time. Legends of the LPGA members, including 15 LPGA and World Golf Hall of Fame members, have combined for over 750 LPGA Tour victories including eighty-four major championships. Legends of the LPGA has helped raise over $34 million for charity. For more information on the Legends of the LPGA, visit LegendsoftheLPGA.com or follow the Legends on Facebook or Instagram.
