BELLEAIR, Florida, November 1, 2021 – Tournament officials announced today that Maria Fassi and Stephanie Wiese Receive sponsorship waivers for attending the Pelican Women’s Championship 2021 presented by Konica Minolta and Raymond James, which will take place November 8-14 at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida.
“We are very excited to have Maria and Stephanie at the Pelican Women’s Championship,” said Marci Doyle, General Manager of the Pelican Women’s Championship. “Maria had a strong second half of the season and Stephanie is hoping to repeat her game at the 2020 Pelican Women’s Championship. They are outstanding players who also have a tremendous passion for growing the game. “
Unless otherwise eligible, Fassi and Meadow will receive the final two sponsorship waivers for the Pelican Women’s Championship, the final full field regular season for the LPGA Tour 2021 season. They will join the previously announced sponsor waiver entrant Fate Lawson, the 2021 North Florida PGA Women’s Section Champion and Assistant Golf Professional at Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club in Ocala, Florida.
Also announced today, former world number 1 (currently number 7) and multiple major champion Lydia Ko is committed to the Pelican Women’s Championship. Ko has nine top 10 finishes in 18 events in 2021, including a win in the LOTTE championship and three runners-up. Most recently she finished T3 in the BMW Ladies Championship.
With Ko’s entry into the field, eight of the world’s top 10 are now taking part in the Pelican Women’s Championship, the last full-field event of the 2021 LPGA Tour season 1), Nelly Korda (# 2), Sister Jessica, Sei Young Kim, 2020 Champion, major champions Brooke Henderson and Lexi Thompson, and fan favorites / Tampa Bay Area residents Brittany Lincicome and Brittany Altomare. For a full list of tournament entries, click HERE.
The 23-year-old Fassi saw a revival of her game in the second half of the 2021 season, underscored by her best result as a professional this week at the Dubai Moonlight Classic on the Ladies European Tour, finishing second at 14 under par. Since finishing 12th at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational in July, Fassi has achieved three top 25 placements on the LPGA Tour, including a fifth place at the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer. Outside the golf course, Fassi recently launched the Maria Fassi Foundation and Fassi’s Friends, a series of inclusive and adaptable clinics that bring disabled and full-bodied children together to learn the game of golf. Fassi was a four-time All-American at the University of Arkansas and a two-time winner of the Annika Award, which recognizes the most outstanding female college golfer.
Meadow, 29, had her best career record on the LPGA Tour with a T3 finish at the 2020 Pelican Women’s Championship. Northern Ireland’s Meadow is a two-time Olympian along with Fassi, finishing 7th in the women’s golf competition at the 2021 Summer Olympics in August. The two-time Symetra Tour winner and winner of the Heather Farr Perseverance Award 2015 for her resilience after the death of her father made a breakthrough in 10 of 19 events in 2021, which is highlighted by a 6th place at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational. Meadow was the University of Alabama’s first four-time All-American team, leaving Alabama as a career record holder in almost every category, including nine wins – three times more than anyone else in school history.
Unless otherwise qualified for the field, Fassi and Meadow Lawson will join as a sponsorship waiver for the Pelican Women’s Championship.
Lawson, the reigning Champion of the North Florida PGA Women’s Section, a native of Ocala and current Assistant Golf Professional at Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club, won the North Florida PGA Women’s Section Championship in September with a 2-under par finish and a seven-stroke win at Streamsong’s Blue course. Lawson turned pro in April after a stellar college career at Ferris State University, where she graduated in 2020. She made her LPGA debut at the Pure Silk Championship in May after passing the tournament’s Monday qualification. Lawson is an ambassador for Mackenzie’s Moment, a nonprofit that brings hope and opportunity to women and children in need through health, education, and welfare initiatives in the city of Ocala.
The Pelican Women’s Championship 2021 made its debut in 2020 with no spectators and welcomes fans to the Pelican Golf Club for the first time, with a field of 108 players playing 72 holes for a portion of the $ 1.75 million prize battle. Sei Young Kim won the first Pelican Women’s Championship of 2020 with three strokes at 14 under par, her 12th win on the LPGA Tour.
Tickets for the Pelican Women’s Championship 2021 are exclusively available online at www.PelicanLPGA.com. Various ticket packages are available, including exclusive hospitality and general admission tickets that offer a wide range of entertainment and access. In honor of Veterans Day on November 11th, members of the military (active, reserve, retirees and veterans) will have free access to the tournament grounds all week. Children under 18 years of age have free entry when accompanied by a paying adult.
For more information on the Pelican Women’s Championship 2021 presented by Konica Minolta and Raymond James, follow the tournament’s social media links, including @PelicanLPGA on twitter, @PelicanLPGA on Instagram and Pelican Women’s Championship on Facebook.