THE COLONY, Texas – Tournament officials announced recently that three standout amateur golfers have accepted sponsor exemptions to compete in the 2022 Volunteers of America Classic, Texas’s signature LPGA Tour event taking place Sept. 26-Oct. 2.
- Bailey Shoemaker. High school senior from Dade City, Fla., University of Southern California commit and back-to-back champion at the Kathy Whitworth Invitational Junior Girls Golf Championship.
- Yunxuan (Michelle) Zhang. Incoming freshman at Southern Methodist University hailing from Plano, Texas. Wire-to-wire winner at the 2022 Volunteers of America Classic Girls Championship in July. Three-time Rolex Junior All-American.
- Avery Zweig. High school sophomore from McKinney, Texas. 2021 Volunteers of America Classic Girls Championship winner. Finished T2 in 2022.
All three will join the 132-player field at Golf Clubs at The Tribute and at Old American Golf Club. Through partnerships with the Kathy Whitworth Invitational and the Northern Texas PGA Foundation (Volunteers of America Classic Girls Championship), the Volunteers of America Classic aims to grow the game of golf by extending playing opportunities to future stars of the game.
“We are excited to have Bailey, Michelle and Avery join our world-class field at the Volunteers of America Classic as sponsor exemptions,” said Mike King, national president and CEO of Volunteers of America. “All three have bright futures in the game of golf and have had tremendous 2022 seasons in their respective golf careers. We look forward to welcoming them to The Colony and Old American Golf Club in September.”
Shoemaker, from Dade City, Fla., will be making her second consecutive appearance at the Volunteers of America Classic. In March, she successful defended her title at the Kathy Whitworth Invitational AJGA event in Fort Worth via a one-hole playoff to earn her second straight sponsor exemption. Currently ranked seventh in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, she was a participant in the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur and finished T49 at the U.S. Women’s Open in June, tying for third low-amateur at the championship. She also competed in the 2022 ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer as a sponsor exemption in June.
Zhang, a freshman at Southern Methodist University and a member of the SMU women’s golf team, went wire-to-wire to win the Volunteers of America Classic Girls Championship at Old American Golf Club in July to earn a sponsor exemption. She won the championship by nine shots at 11-under par, setting the record for the lowest three-day total in Volunteers of America Classic Girls Championship history. The Plano resident will be making her second LPGA Tour start in 2022, having competed in the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles in June.
Zweig, 15, of McKinney, also will be making her second straight start at the Volunteers of America Classic as a sponsor exemption. The 2021 Volunteers of America Classic Girls champion, Zweig finished T2 in the 2022 event, and also competed in the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, finishing T25. Zweig has won over 200 junior and amateur events, including four World Amateur Golf Ranking events in 2021. In 2018, at age 11, she competed in the U.S. Girls’ Junior, U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball and the U.S. Women’s Amateur. She is the youngest ever to reach match play in the U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, and among the youngest ever to compete in the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Tickets are now on sale for the Volunteers of America Classic, exclusively at www.VOAClassic.com. Ticket packages include exclusive hospitality and general admissions tickets offering a wide degree of entertainment and access.
New for 2022 is the Casamigos Club exclusive hospitality viewing patio near the 17th green at Old American Golf Club, where fans will be able to enjoy complimentary snacks and specialty cocktails featuring Casamigos, the Official Tequila of the Volunteers of America Classic. All tickets will be digital and will be emailed after purchase.
