Princeton University Athletics
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Back in N.J., LPGA Rookie Kelly Shon '14 Finishes Third at ShopRite Classic
May 31, 2015 | Women's Golf
Like many Princeton alums, Kelly Shon '14 was back in New Jersey for the weekend. But while some of her returning classmates were coming back for their first Reunions as graduates, Shon was a bit further south, near Atlantic City, taking a big jump in her professional career.
The LPGA Tour made its lone stop of the year in New Jersey for the ShopRite Classic at the Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club in Galloway, N.J., and Shon finished in a two-way tie for third, her best finish in her first year on the tour. Anna Nordqvist, an Arizona State alum who has been on the LPGA Tour since 2009, won the tournament at -8, with Christel Boeljon, a Purdue alum who has also been on the tour since '09, a shot back at -7. Shon, who won two Ivy League Player of the Year honors, finished at -5 alongside Morgan Pressel, who has been on the tour since 2006.
On the season, Shon has now played in 10 LPGA events, with the season continuing through November. She's made the cut now in five of those tournaments, and her previous best finish was an 11th-place tie at her LPGA Tour debut, the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic, back in February.
Shon opened play Friday with a 1-under 70, getting five birdies and four bogeys. Saturday, she had five birdies again but trimmed the bogeys to two, carding a 68 and putting her in a third-place tie, three shots off the lead. After 14 holes Sunday, Shon was one shot back at -7, having picked up five birdies against just two bogeys, but she gave back three shots between the 15th and 16th holes before ending with a birdie to finish three shots back.
Seaview's Bay Course, which hosted the ShopRite Classic, has seen Shon play well before, with that course having hosted the 2012 Ivy League Women's Golf Championship. That year, Shon finished tied for seventh, earning second-team All-Ivy League honors as a sophomore.
Shon's rookie season on the tour has taken her to tournaments in six states and three countries, including the Bahamas tournament and the Australian Open. She's scheduled to play in her second major of the year, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, in two weeks.