University of Tennessee Graduate Makes History with JOHN SHIPPEN Victory, Earns Two LPGA Tour Exemptions

University of Tennessee product and White Plains, Maryland native earns exemptions to compete in the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give June 12-15 at Blythefield Country Club in Grand Rapids and the Dow Championship June 26-29 in Midland (Photo by Golf Wire)

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	Univ of Tennessee graduate makes history with JOHN SHIPPEN Victory, earns two LPGA Tour exemptions Dustin Schoenherr - Sports Tell Us Detroit News DETROIT - Bailey Davis accomplished something no amateur had done before at THE JOHN SHIPPEN Women's Invitational, and now the 22-year-old from White Plains, Maryland, will get her chance to compete against the world's best golfers. Davis became the first amateur winner in the tournament's five-year history after capturing THE JOHN SHIPPEN Women's Invitational presented by Dow at Plum Hollow Country Club this week. Her victory earned her exemptions into two prestigious LPGA Tour events: the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give (June 12) and the Dow Championship (June 26). The University of Tennessee product shot rounds of 68-76 for a four-stroke victory over former SHIPPEN champion Anita Uwadia. Davis built her winning margin with a stellar opening round Tuesday, where she birdied four of five holes from the sixth through 10th and played bogey-free golf over her final 13 holes. "I feel good. I'm excited," Davis said after her victory. "I was nervous throughout the day but I'm really excited now. The greens were really tough because they were very fast. It was really important to stay below the hole today." Despite struggling with her game Wednesday, Davis had given herself enough cushion from her opening round to secure the historic win. THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Invitational was created to address the lack of Black representation in professional golf and provide playing opportunities for the nation's top Black amateur and professional golfers. The tournament is named after John Shippen Jr., who was both America's first professional golfer and the country's first Black golf professional. For Davis, the tournament's mission resonates deeply. "I think it's really important because you don't really see anybody out there that looks like us," she said. "So with girls, they don't really want to get into the sport because it's intimidating when you don't see anyone who looks like them." Davis will team with Allyn Stephens for the Dow Championship, a team event held in Midland, Michigan. Her exemption to the Meijer LPGA Classic will see her compete alongside the world's elite female golfers starting Thursday. Davis has been building toward this breakthrough for years. She won the 2020 Maryland State Girls Amateur and claimed three Maryland 4A high school championships. In 2021, she became just the second Black golfer to reach a U.S. Girls' Junior final, where she fell to current LPGA Tour star Rose Zhang at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She has already competed at the highest level, playing in the 2022 U.S. Women's Open. Davis also has previous experience with the Dow Championship, competing in 2023 when she was chosen as a partner by that year's SHIPPEN low amateur, Christina Carroll. Since its inception in 2021, THE JOHN SHIPPEN has provided opportunities for 90 of the nation's best Black men and women golfers. The tournament has awarded 16-19 playing opportunities on the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour while donating more than $300,000 to local charities, scholarships and fellowships. Recent SHIPPEN alumni have found success beyond the National Invitational. In 2024, Tim O'Neal, the 2021 Men's Invitational champion, won his first PGA Tour Champions event at the Dominion Energy Classic – marking the first victory for a former SHIPPEN winner on one of professional golf's top tours. Last year's Women's Invitational champion, Georgia Oboh, teamed with Lakareber Abe to finish tied for eighth at the Dow Championship, the best finish in an LPGA Tour or PGA Tour event for a SHIPPEN winner. The tournament series continues with the 36-hole JOHN SHIPPEN Men's Invitational on June 21-22 at Detroit Golf Club. Created through a partnership between Chicago-based Intersport and Woods & Watts Effect, THE JOHN SHIPPEN aims to identify historical barriers, expand Black representation in golf, and address the lack of diversity in business and leadership roles within the golf industry.