BOSTON, Aug. 1, 2019 – Juli Inkster will return for the third year as captain of the U.S. Solheim Cup Team, but before she assumes her captain’s duties in mid-September, she plans to line up beside her vice Solheim Cup captain to compete at this year’s BJ’s Charity Championship.
Inkster will pair with fellow Californian Pat Hurst for the BJ’s Charity Championship, set for Sept. 6, at The Ridge Club in Sandwich, Mass.
“I love playing golf with my partner,” said Inkster, a member of the LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame. “Pat is a gamer and there will be lots of great banter.”
Both alums of San Jose State University, the LPGA Tour veterans and major champions hope to lead the American squad to victory at the Solheim Cup in Scotland, Sept. 13-15.
This year’s BJ’s Charity Championship will feature 14 teams of two players in an 18-hole stroke-play competition. The teams will compete in nine holes of four-ball (better ball of partners) on the front nine holes, followed by nine holes of a scramble format on the back nine. The lowest 18-hole team score will determine the winners.
Another team hoping to make a run at the 2019 title will be Legends Tour veteran Laurie Rinker and Legends Tour rookie and Maria Hjorth McBride, also a veteran LPGA Tour winner.
“I am so excited to be playing in the BJ’s team event,” said McBride, of Sweden, who now lives in Orlando, Fla. “It’s not often you get the chance to play with a partner in golf. Pairing with Laurie will be fun, and we will play hard to get our hands on that trophy.”
Popular New Englanders in the event will be New Hampshire’s Jane Blalock, Pat Bradley of Massachusetts and Connecticut’s Suzy Whaley, current president of the PGA of America.
Admission to the event is free and no ticket is required, but donations are welcome on-site for the BJ’s Charitable Foundation. Free public parking will be available at nearby Holly Ridge Golf Course and includes shuttle service to and from the tournament entrance.
Gates will open at 9 a.m., on the day of the event, with competition beginning at 10 a.m.
Here are the teams competing in this year’s BJ’s Charity Championship:
Juli Inkster* / Pat Hurst
Pat Bradley* / Wendy Ward
Jane Blalock / Patricia Meunier-Lebouc
Jan Stephenson* / Lorie Kane
Betsy King* / Donna Caponi*
Sandra Haynie* / Sandra Palmer
Hollis Stacy* / Gail Graham
Liselotte Neumann / Alicia Dibos
Michelle McGann / Suzy Whaley
Nancy Scranton / Elaine Crosby
Janet Anderson / Allison Finney
Rosie Jones / Michele Redman
Trish Johnson / Brandie Burton
Laurie Rinker / Maria Hjorth McBride
*LPGA/World Golf Hall of Fame