A trio of Garden State natives are expected to tee-off at the Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National Golf Club this week. Two of the the three, Marina Alex and Megha Ganne, are expected to participate in the LPGA tournament in Jersey City, while Katie Li is expected to participate in the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) invitational that will be running along side the LPGA event.
Marina Alex is the most seasoned of the New Jersey golfers in the field at Liberty National. She is a nine-year veteran of the LPGA Tour and has amassed two tournament wins in her time on tour. Her most recent victory came last year in California when she held off Jin-Young Ko to win the Palos Verdes Championship by one stroke.
Alex's last tour stop in the Garden State was at last year's ShopRite LPGA Classic in Galloway where she tied for sixth. So far this year, Alex has competed in eight tournaments, with her best result being a 17th place finish at last week's Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play Presented by MGM Rewards.
"We've had a lot of home games this year," Alex said of playing in her home state. "Next week is a home game. KPMG (Women's PGA Championship) is a home game. Founders. So it's pretty amazing to be playing more golf in the state of New Jersey."
Alex added, "There is a ton of great golf here, so it's wonderful that we're getting to showcase some LPGA players on a course like Liberty National, which is really wonderful."
A Wayne native, Alex attended Wayne Hills High School where she was a two-time state champion for the Patriots.
Megha Ganne (Photo courtesy LPGA)
Holmdel native Megha Ganne received a sponsor exemption into the Mizuho Americas Open and will also be competing in the LPGA field. Currently a freshman at Stanford, Ganne made her mark in the golf world when, as 17-year-old, she played in the final group on Sunday and finished as the low amateur at 2021 US Women’s Open. She also won AJGA Rolex Player of the Year that year as well.
While Ganne, who lived near the Liberty National for part of her life, will be golfing, legally, at Liberty National as she competes at the Mizuho Americas Open this week, that was not always the case. Ganne shared a story of an evening a couple of days after she competed in the 2021 US Women's Open when she, her sister, and two of her friends, snuck onto the course and took, in her words, "hopefully not too many divots out of the 14th tee box."
Ganne added that while her group was on the course, "We see this cart rushing towards us and we're like, oh, no, this is not good, because we had never seen a cart before. A very angry security guard comes out and says, like you guys do know there are cameras out here, right? You can't be out here." The guard eventually recognized Ganne from her appearance in the US Women's Open a few days prior and Ganne says the two are now friends.
"It's a funny story because now I just love playing here officially inside the ropes where I should be," Ganne concluded.
More recently, Ganne helped Stanford to a first place finish in the stroke play portion of the NCAA women's golf tournament and a semifinal appearance in the match play portion of the same tournament. Her best individual finish during her freshman campaign in cardinal and white was a second place finish at the Carmel Cup in early September.
Katie Li (Photo by Vinnie Lucia - JSN)
Finally, Katie Li, a Basking Ridge native, will be competing in the AJGA invitational that will be running in tandem with the professional tournament at the Mizuho Americas Open. Li is currently ranked eighth in the Rolex AJGA Girls Rankings and is the top junior golfer in New Jersey.
Her best finish so far in 2023 was a tie for second place at the Hilton Grand Vacations ANNIKA Invitational presented by Rolex. Li also has one AJGA tournament win, which came in 2021 at the K.J. Choi Foundation Junior Championship presented by SK Telecom and was a member of the Junior Solheim Cup Team that year. Li is currently finishing her senior year at Ridge High School and has committed to play golf collegiately at Duke.
"I wouldn't say I'm any more, or less, prepared than any other event, but definitely more excited because this is home grass, home ground, and I think I have some school friends coming, so it'll be a lot of fun," Li said of competing in her home state, adding, "I'm super excited."
Both Ganne and Li are familiar with the course at Liberty National as they both competed there in 2021 for the Polo Golf Junior Classic. Li finished in second while Ganne took fourth.
Of her experience playing at Liberty National, Li said, "When I played the AJGA it was match play so it's--now that it's stroke play, or Stableford, it changes the course a little bit. Still, I think I have a good sense of where the nooks and crannies are to be in proper placement for birdies."
The Mizuho Americas Open starts Thursday with the first groups of golfers teeing-off in Jersey City at 7:15 a.m.
How to Follow
Tickets for the Mizuho Americas Open are available at mizuhoamericasopen.com/tickets/ and start at $35 for general admission which provides grounds access for any day Wednesday through Sunday. Veterans, first responders, active military, and Juniors 17 and under receive free general admission tickets.
The Mizuho Americas Open can also be televised on the GOLF Channel on Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Additionally, Sunday's final round will be streamed on the NBC Sports App and Peacock from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Updates for the tournament can also be found by following @MizuhoLPGA on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
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