Coloradan Paige Crawford completes sweep of 2023 female John Shippen tournament titles and earns two more LPGA Tour starts
By Gary Baines – 6/7/2023
The last month has certainly been one that Paige Crawford of Colorado Springs won’t soon forget.
A month after winning The John Shippen Cognizant Cup and thus earning her first career LPGA Tour start — at the Cognizant Founders Cup — Crawford did it again on Wednesday.
That’s when the Coloradan completed a sweep of the John Shippen women’s tournaments by claiming the title at The John Shippen National Invitational in Grand Rapids, Mich. And that victory gives Crawford two more LPGA starts — in the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give (June 15-18 and played at the same site as the Meijer) and the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational two-person team event in Midland, Mich. (July 19-22). Coincidentally, fellow Coloradan Jennifer Kupcho will be the defending champion in both events, the latter with Lizette Salas.
At The John Shippen National Invitational, Crawford posted rounds of 74-71 for a 1-over-par 145 total and a one-stroke victory over Anita Uwadia. Over two days, Crawford recorded six birdies, five bogeys and a double bogey. A total of 14 women competed in the tournament.
The Shippen tournament, which showcases black pro and amateur golfers, is named for John Shippen Jr., the son of a former slave who is believed to be the first American-born golf professional. He lived from 1879-1968, playing in six U.S. Opens and finishing fifth in 1902. He was awarded PGA of America membership posthumously in 2009.
A decade ago, Crawford won the Big Sky Conference individual title while competing for Montana State. During her pro career, she’s played primarily on mini tours, but with a couple of starts on the Epson Tour. She didn’t compete full time until last year. The Doherty High School graduate is now 31 years old.
Crawford had previously been scheduled to compete in her home state at the Inspirato Colorado Women’s Open. But that event next week (June 14-16) conflicts with the Meijer LPGA Classic, so she withdrew from the CWO on Wednesday.
For scores from the women’s John Shippen National Invitational, CLICK HERE.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. He was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com