The LPGA’s 13 Founders would have loved Upper Montclair Country Club. The 100-year-old AW Tillinghast design tests the world’s best players in so many ways and will do so again as the Cognizant Founders Cup is contested at the venue for the third year in a row this week.
One of the few classic designs on the schedule, this historic venue has played host to three major professional tours. The first two editions of the Cognizant Founders Cup held at Upper Montclair did not disappoint. In 2022, Minjee Lee got to 19-under and won over a charging Lexi Thompson. Then, about a month later, she won the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club.
In her title defense last year, Lee lost in a playoff to Jin Young Ko. That was Ko’s third Founders Cup win in four years, and even though each of those wins came at different venues, Ko will definitely capture some attention in Clifton, N.J. With the LPGA Tour’s next major championship taking place in nearby Lancaster, Penn., these next two weeks in the Garden State will be critical preparation leading up to one of the most lucrative tournaments on the schedule.
Can Nelly Korda win six in a row? Upper Montclair is one of the few venues she has not yet conquered. Korda did not compete here in 2022 and missed the cut a year ago. But, she’s still the favorite by a large margin and will need to navigate this design better than she has in the past if she wants to make history. Northeast golf is much like what we saw in Los Anegles two weeks ago at Wilshire Country Club. The 144-player field will have to hit the fairways if they want to contend in New Jersey.
Korda, Brooke Henderson and Linn Grant lead the LPGA Tour in strokes gained off the tee this week at Upper Montclair. A complete comparison of driving skill this statistic evaluates length and accuracy, favoring length. Seven fairways at this venue bend left to right, and the other seven tee shots move right to left, meaning this tree-lined test should favor those who can hit fairways. The par 5s are very scorable, providing another advantage for our longest hitters.
Over the next two weeks in New Jersey, and leading into Lancaster for the U.S. Women’s Open, monitor par-4 play very closely. Lee and Ko conquered the par 4s at Upper Montclair Country Club en route to winning the past two years.
The greens at this course average 7,000 square feet in size. That’s large for this region, but the reality is, they play much smaller. Proximity to the hole limits stress on putting, and this is where the best will separate themselves. Putting has been the most valuable skill for contending, evidenced by those who finished in the top 10 in the past couple of years really excelling on the greens. Angel Yin, Madelene Sagstrom and Ko have been fantastic with their putters and lead this field in those metrics, meaning they should have a decided advantage at the Cognizant Founders Cup.
Proximity to the hole helps considerably when playing this venue. Upper Montclair has three nines, and the Tour uses the South Course for the front nine and the West Course for the back nine.
If you have played Upper Montclair, then you know it will test a full complement of clubs in the bag. Ko, Albane Valenzuela and Megan Khang lead the Tour in strokes gained approach, and being able to knock it close on these unique greens is a huge advantage. Not to mention the course boasts 65 bunkers, 44 of which are deep, diabolical and sit greenside.
Scrambling and sand save capability will help a player capture the crown. The cutline average for two years is even par, telling us that players will surely make bogeys. The average winning score is 16-under in the two editions of the tournament to be held at Upper Montclair. To score, a player will need to save par when they miss greens and probably have to do so from the sand. The best at the top of the betting board who can save par with their short game are Korda, Patty Tavantanakit, Atthaya Thitikul and Celine Boutier.
Three weeks ago, we predicted Nelly to win her fifth in a row. Last week, and a little more impressive, Hannah Green was selected as the outright winner. The winner of the Cognizant Founders Cup should come from one of the names mentioned above.
Nasa Hataoka and Madalene Sagstrom seem like good choices to lean toward, but my official picks will be in my LPGA newsletter. Who will you choose? Two back-to-back weeks in New Jersey and then the U.S. Women’s Open. It’s time to get serious and what better event to stand out than the one that honors the LPGA’s Founders.
Keith Stewart is an award-winning PGA Professional. He covers the LPGA and PGA TOUR for Golf Digest, The Sporting News, LPGA, and PGA TOUR. If you are looking to raise your golf acumen and love inside information about the game, check out his weekly newsletter called Read The Line.
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