June 13-16
Blythefield Country Club, Grand Rapids, Michigan
$2,000,000
Round 2, Round 3, Round 4

Sleep is key for Jenny Shin during delay

How did first-round co-leader Jenny Shin deal with seven hours of rain delay? The same way much of the field did. Sleep.

“I got the delay notice on the way here, so I drove straight back to the hotel and went back to sleep,” said Shin, who is making her fourth Meijer LPGA Classic start. “Time went by pretty quickly after I slept in. It was just downtime, so I guess I did some reading.”

Shin started on No. 10, carded a bogey-free back nine (her first nine), with three birdies on No. 13-15 and a birdie on 18. She made bogey on No. 3 but finished strong with another string of birdies on Nos. 6-8 en route to her 66.

“The course conditions changed about three, four times today and that made it quite tough,” said Shin, who went out in 32 and came back in 34. “The gusty winds really were difficult, especially on the third hole. The tee shot was straight left-to-right wind and I'm a fade player, so I was kind of struggling a little bit there. But other than that, I stuck with it and had a good round. I'm not looking forward to another seven-hour delay, but I think knowing that I can wake up pretty late tomorrow will give me a head start.”

Katherine Perry enjoying refreshed success

A career-best tie for ninth at the 2019 Pure Silk Championship was truly year-changing for third-year LPGA Tour player Katherine Perry. After starting the year at No. 368 on the Priority List, that strong showing in Virginia vaulted her to No. 140 after the reshuffle. Now halfway through the rain-delayed first round of the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, Perry finds herself tied for the lead, a position she didn't dream she would see in 2019.

“Just been working really hard on the swing with my coach and just having the opportunity to be out here,” said Perry when asked what brought about the change in her game. “I thought I was going to spend the year on Symetra and now I'm out here with this opportunity to play and just looking forward to taking advantage of it.”

Perry struggled in her first two seasons on the LPGA Tour, missing the cut in 10 consecutive events at the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018. But her rejuvenated swing has paid dividends the last month, as she finished T26 at the ShopRite LPGA Classic and is now in prime position yet again in Grand Rapids.

Two aces made in Round 1

Mariajo Uribe was 1-under through her first five holes on Thursday before making a hole-in-one on No. 15 with a 7-iron in the first round of the 2019 Meijer LPGA Classic. Brooke Henderson also made a hole-in-one after she was 2-under through her first five holes. As soon as Henderson made the shot, play was suspended due to darkness. She is currently T4 at 4-under with 12 holes to play.

“It's kind of like a joke with my caddie, like we've had so many and never win anything. Finally, this time at least they donate some money under my name and then we get an Acer laptop,” said Uribe, who is currently in solo third after shooting a 5-under 67. “I'm so excited because every time I got [an ace], I never won the car or anything before. Not much crowd out there, but it was good. It was a nice way to start my round because it was on my front nine.” 

With two aces, CME Group will donate $40,000 towards St. Jude's Research Hospital. There have been 11 hole-in-ones made prior to the week and a total to $260,000 has been donated thus far in 2019. A total donation of $260,000 can help provide two St. Jude patients the radiotherapy treatment they need for a brain tumor. Families at St. Jude never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food — because all they should worry about is helping their child live.

Quick Hits

The first round was delayed for seven hours prior to the start of play on Thursday; the first groups teed off at 2:15 p.m. and the last groups scheduled at 9:14 p.m. 

Round one was played with preferred lies

Play was suspended at 9:22 p.m. due to darkness and is set to resume at 7:30 a.m. on Friday for 72 players

Round 2 is scheduled to start at approximately 10:45 a.m.

The 2019 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give is the fourth event of the 2019 LPGA season to experience a weather delay (ISPS Handa Vic Open, first round, fog; Honda LPGA Thailand, fourth round, lightning; U.S. Women's Open, second round, lightning)

Mariajo Uribe (Colombia) and Brooke Henderson (Canada) made hole-in-ones on No. 15 from 156 yards, Uribe with her 7-iron and Henderson with her 6-iron