DETROIT (May 29, 2025) – The stage is set for THE JOHN SHIPPEN Women’s Invitational presented by Dow, as tournament organizer Intersport today announced an elite 10-player field of top professional and amateur Black female golfers set to compete in the fifth annual event June 3-4 at Plum Hollow Country Club in Southfield, Michigan.
Notable players in the field for the 36-hole tournament include 2021 SHIPPEN women’s winner Anita Uwadia and 16-year-old top junior Ashley Shaw, who will both be aiming to come out on top and earn exemptions to two LPGA Tour events – the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give and the Dow Championship.
“We are honored to award a sponsor exemption to the winner of THE JOHN SHIPPEN Women’s Invitational into the Meijer LPGA Classic again this year,” said Cathy Cooper, Executive Director of the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. “THE JOHN SHIPPEN Women’s Invitational has played such an important role in helping grow and diversify the game of golf since its inception in 2021. We are eager to welcome the winner to our field at Blythefield Country Club in mid-June.”
“Dow is proud to partner once again with this exceptional event in support of an incredible and growing field of talented Black female golfers,” said Carlos Padilla II, Head of Global Sports Partnerships for Dow. “It's a privilege to witness the inspiring stories that unfold at THE JOHN SHIPPEN Women’s Invitational presented by Dow, and we look forward to welcoming the winner and their teammate of choice at the Dow Championship very soon!”
Previous winners of THE JOHN SHIPPEN Women’s Invitational include Georgia Oboh (2024), Paige Crawford (2023) and Sadena Parks (2022) as well as Uwadia and Shasta Averyhardt, who shared the title in 2021 when it was a two-player team event.
Players at this year’s THE JOHN SHIPPEN Women’s Invitational will compete in 36 holes of stroke play, with the winner earning an exemption into the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give at Blythefield Country Club (June 12-15), as well as an exemption into the Dow Championship, the LPGA tournament scheduled for June 26-29 in Midland, Michigan. The SHIPPEN winner will choose a partner to compete alongside them in the Dow, which is a two-player team event.
Intersport, a leading Chicago-based sports marketing and media agency, partnered with Woods & Watts Effect in 2021 to create THE JOHN SHIPPEN -a series of competitions created to provide playing opportunities on the LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR for the nation’s top Black women and men golfers.
“Intersport is proud of all that we and our partners have accomplished with THE JOHN SHIPPEN over the last five years, and the women’s and men’s events continue to provide excellent platforms to elevate the top professional and amateur Black players in golf,” said Brittany Jeanis, Vice President of Intersport Golf. “We are looking forward to seeing which player in this strong women’s field rises to the top and represents THE JOHN SHIPPEN in two LPGA Tour events.”
THE JOHN SHIPPEN was created to identify historical barriers, expand Black representation in golf, and address the lack of Black representation in business and leadership roles within the golf and larger sports industry for people of color. The events are named after John Shippen, Jr., who was both the first American-born golf professional and the country’s first Black golf professional.
“We are looking forward to another exciting and competitive tournament asTHE JOHN SHIPPEN Women’s Invitational presented by Dow tees off next week, said Sommer Woods, tournament lead for THE JOHN SHIPPEN. “Successful events like this aren’t possible without the support of terrific partners like Dow and Meijer, and we’re appreciative of their ongoing partnerships. We are proud of the impact that this event continues to have in its fifth year, as well as of how it honors the legacy of Mr. Shippen.”
Since 2021, 90 of the nation’s best Black women and men golfers have competed in THE JOHN SHIPPEN. THE JOHN SHIPPEN has awarded 19 playing opportunities on the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour, and donated more than $300,000 to local charities, scholarships and fellowships. SHIPPEN alumni continue to see success beyond the National Invitational through player-earned memberships on the PGA TOUR Champions, PGA TOUR Americas and Ladies European Tours.
In 2022, Women’s Invitational champion Sadena Parks paired with 2021 winner Uwadia at the Dow Invitational and finished tied for 36th, becoming the first SHIPPEN champions to make a cut after securing a start in an event based on their results at THE JOHN SHIPPEN.
The 2023 season was another historic one for THE JOHN SHIPPEN, as, for the first time in the event’s history, the Men’s Invitational champion, Chase Johnson, made the cut at the PGA TOUR’s Rocket Classic.
Last year, 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 2024 season was also a notable one for a former SHIPPEN winner, as Tim O’Neal, the 2021 Men’s Invitational champion, secured his first victory in a PGA TOUR Champions event, winning the Dominion Energy Classic. It marked the first victory for a former winner of a SHIPPEN event on one of professional golf’s top tours.
For updated information on THE JOHN SHIPPEN, please visitwww.TheJohnShippen.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram (@TheJohnShippen) and Twitter (@TheJShippen). For information about sponsorship opportunities or how to get involved, please email us atTHEJOHNSHIPPEN@intersportnet.com.
THE JOHN SHIPPEN Women’s Invitational presented by Dow
2025 Player Field
(Players Listed in Alphabetical Order)
Lakareber Abe
AGE: 29
STATUS: Professional
COLLEGE: University of Alabama
RESIDENCE: Woodlands, Texas
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Tied for eighth at the 2024 Dow Championship alongside Georgia Oboh, the best finish in an LPGA Tour or PGA TOUR event for a SHIPPEN winner
- 2022 THE JOHN SHIPPEN Cognizant Cup champion; 2022 LPGA Tour Cognizant Founders Cup competitor
- 2024 and 2025 LPGA EPSON Tour member
- T5 at the 2025 Reliance Matrix Championship presented by Epson
- 2024 Ladies European Tour (LET) member
Christina Carroll
AGE: 23
STATUS: Professional
COLLEGE: University of Delaware
RESIDENCE: Bear, Delaware
HIGHLIGHTS:
- 2023 LPGA Tour Dow Championship competitor
- 2023 All-CAA Second team
- 2023 University of Delaware golf, ranks fifth in program history
- 2023 Golfweek Fall Challenge, tied for fourth place
Bailey Davis
AGE: 22
STATUS: Amateur
COLLEGE: University of Tennessee
RESIDENCE: White Plains, Maryland
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Runner-up at the 2021 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship
- Three-time Maryland girls 4A State High School Champion
- No. 1 Ranked player in Maryland and No. 7 in the 2021 recruiting class
- As a junior at Tennessee, shot the lowest round at an NCAA event in program history, logging an 8-under (64) on her way to a 54-hole score of 8-under (208) to qualify for the NCAA Championship
Kendall Jackson
AGE: 22
STATUS: Amateur
COLLEGE: Howard University
RESIDENCE: Pearland, Texas
HIGHLIGHTS:
- 2024-25 All-Northeast Conference selection
- 2024 ARCIS HBCU Championship Women D1 champion
- 11 top 10 finishes in the last 104 weeks
- Five collegiate wins
- Number 1 HBCU Female Golfer in NCAA as of December 2023
Martha Matyola
AGE: 26
STATUS: Amateur
COLLEGE: N/A
RESIDENCE: Lusaka, Zambia
HIGHLIGHTS:
- 2021 Mazabuka Ladies Open Winner
Staci Pla
AGE: 18
STATUS: Amateur
COLLEGE: N/A
RESIDENCE: West Palm Beach, Florida
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Won the 2024 South Florida PGA Labor Day Classic
- T6 at the 2025 AJGA Mizuno Junior Championship
- Won the 2024 APGA Cisco Junior Series
Ashley Shaw
AGE: 16
STATUS: Amateur
COLLEGE: N/A
RESIDENCE: Litchfield Park, Arizona
HIGHLIGHTS:
- 2024 THE JOHN SHIPPEN Cognizant Cup champion
- 2023 THE JOHN SHIPPEN Women’s Invitational competitor
- Inaugural Curry Cup Champion
- 2022 Arizona Match Play Champion
- Fifth at AJGA’s 2025 K.J. Choi Foundation Texas Junior Championship hosted by Pacificlinks Korea
- Second at AJGA’s 2024 Patrick Reed AJGA Junior Championship
Zoe Slaughter
AGE: 22
STATUS: Professional
COLLEGE: Texas A&M
RESIDENCE: Houston, Texas
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Rolex Junior All-America Honorable Mention as a high school senior
- 2023 Chevron Collegiate champion
- Secured LET Status for 2025 via Q-Series
Allyn Stephens
AGE: 20
STATUS: Amateur
COLLEGE: Tulsa
RESIDENCE: Houston, Texas
HIGHLIGHTS:
- 2024 America Athletic Conference All-Conference selection
- Rated the No. 3 golfer in the Lone Star State and the No. 39 recruit in the 2022 class
- Won the AJGA Shreveport Junior in 2021
Anita Uwadia
AGE: 26
STATUS: Professional
COLLEGE: University of South Carolina
RESIDENCE: Houston, Texas
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Tied for 36th at the 2022 Dow Invitational alongside Sadena Parks paired, becoming the first SHIPPEN champions to make a cut after securing a start in an event based on their results at THE JOHN SHIPPEN.
- 2021 THE JOHN SHIPPEN Women’s Invitational winner
- Two-time LPGA Tour Dow Championship competitor
- 2023-2025 Epson Tour member
- T2 at the EPSON Tour’s 2024 FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship
About Intersport
Intersport is an award-winning agency and leader in the creation of ideas, content and experiences that attract and engage passionate audiences. Its industry-leading team offers expert insights in content marketing, customer engagement, experiential marketing, hospitality, production and sponsorship consulting. The Chicago-based agency also owns and operates events across the professional and collegiate sports landscape, including basketball, football, golf, pickleball and volleyball. In addition to launching and operating the PGA TOUR’s Rocket Classic, Intersport is the proud operator of other world-class, ground-breaking golf properties such as The Jackson T. Stephens Cup, THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational and the World Champions Cup. Intersport has been headquartered in Chicago since its inception in 1985, with additional offices in Boston, Detroit and New York. Learn more at www.intersport.global/ and on social media (LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook).
About Woods & Watts Effect
Woods & Watts Effect is an equity and inclusion consulting firm of transformation engineers, co- founded by Sommer Woods and Michele Lewis Watts, Ph.D. They are a solutions-driven team that adeptly designs programs that assess a company’s strengths and areas for improvement relative to inclusion and social equity. Woods & Watts Effect is innovative in their thinking,their engagement and their execution. Through a bold, non-traditional and engaging approach, they produce viable and actionable solutions for sustainable change. More information is available at WoodsWattsEffect.com.