Ashley Shaw Wins John Shippen Cognizant Cup to Earn Spot in Cognizant Founders Cup
CLIFTON, N.J. - Fifteen-year-old Ashley Shaw of Arizona shot a 1-over par 73 at Upper Montclair Country Club to win the JOHN SHIPPEN Cognizant Cup and earn a spot in the LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup field. She’s the youngest player to advance out of the qualifying stage.
"I just stuck to my principles and had fun,” Shaw reflected. “The biggest things were having fun and enjoying the whole moment.”
For the fourth year in a row, THE JOHN SHIPPEN Cognizant Cup, formerly the THE JOHN SHIPPEN Shoot-out presented by Cognizant was conducted prior to the LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup. The one-day event is an 18-hole stroke play competition for Black female golfers with the winner earning an exemption into the Cognizant Founders Cup, which will be contested May 9-12, marking a continuation of Cognizant’s commitment to supporting equal opportunity and diversity in the game of golf and beyond.
Shaw had her mom on the bag for the qualifier and plans to caddie for her this upcoming week.
“My mom is very helpful,” Shaw added. “She keeps me loose when I'm out there and we had a lot of fun out there. I really wasn't thinking much about qualifying. I was just out there playing - having fun and hitting greens. These are some of the best conditions I've ever played on and just having fun.”
The NJSGA provided members of its Tournament Committee to assist as rules officials for the competition.
John Shippen (1879-1968) was inducted into the Inaugural Class (2018) of the NJSGA Hall of Fame. A 16 year old African American golfer, Shippen, finished tied for sixth in the 1896 U.S. Open. He went on to play in five U.S. Open Championships and by 1931 Shippen became the head professional and groundskeeper at Shady Rest Golf and Country Club in Scotch Plains. Shady Rest was the first exclusively Black golf club in the United States.
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