Mays Landing Native Joanna Coe Shoots 68 to Qualify for the 2025 ShopRite LPGA Classic; Joins USC Alum Gabriella Then, Securing Second Spot in Sudden Death
By Annie Watson
GALLOWAY, N.J. – As the sun set on Seaview’s Bay Course Monday night, Joanna Coe has a different start to her week than she anticipated.
The PGA Director of Instruction at Merion Golf Club just outside of Philadelphia, Coe shot a 3-under par 68 in this year’s Monday Qualifier for the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer. She, along with 20 other golfers, teed off Monday afternoon with hopes of securing the one of the final two spots in this week’s star-studded field.
Coe, a former Division II national champion at Rollins College and native of nearby Mays Landing, will make an appearance in her first LPGA event since the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. There, she qualified for the major by way of the Corebridge Financial PGA Team, which consisted of eight teaching professionals of the PGA of America.
While Coe signed her scorecard three shots ahead of second place, the remaining groups for the qualifier had an even par score in mind, posted by Katherine Perry-Hamski, assistant coach at UNC and part of the first pairing Monday afternoon.
Before Perry-Hamski could settle in for the evening, however, Gabriella Then, who Monday qualified for last year’s ShopRite LPGA Classic, matched a score of even-par 71 to tie for second place. Then and Perry-Hamski took to the 10th tee for a sudden death playoff, where Then defeated the former Tar Heel, claiming the final spot in the field for this week’s tournament.
Then will compete alongside Coe and a field comprised of six previous tournament champions and 20 major champions, including her former USC teammate Allisen Corpuz.
The 2025 ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer will take place at Seaview’s Bay Course, Friday-Sunday, June 6-8.
