Cognizant Founders Cup 2024 Preview: Nelly Korda in contention for six in a row

Jin Young Ko is a three-time winner of the Cognizant Founders Cup

The Cognizant Founders Cup returns this week to Upper Montclair Country Club in New Jersey for the third consecutive year on the LPGA Tour.

Cognizant has been the main sponsor of the tournament since it moved to New Jersey in 2021 and the company has been a champion of women’s sports as a whole, especially golf. This year’s LPGA event has a prize fund of $3m, the highest outside the five major championships and the CME Group Tour Championship.

Jin Young Ko has dominated the event since 2019. Across the previous four tournaments (2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic), the South Korean golfer has won three times, including a playoff victory in 2023.

Ko overcame a four-shot deficit in the final round to prevail over Minjee Lee at the first playoff hole as the New Zealander missed her par putt to hand the title to the 27-year-old for the third time.

She will be looking to win the event for the fourth time this week, but all eyes will naturally be on Nelly Korda, who is one of the hottest commodities in golf right now. After five successive wins on tour, Korda will compete for an unprecedented sixth consecutive title in New Jersey.

Who is playing the Cognizant Founders Cup?

Korda headlines the field and will be joined by four other winners on the LPGA Tour this season. Hannah Green, Lydia Ko, Bailey Tardy, and Patty Tavatanakit have remarkably shared every single LPGA Tour event on the schedule in 2024 that hasn’t been won by Korda, showing how strong the field is this week.

Defending champion Ko returns along with past winners Sei Young Kim, Minjee Lee, Anna Nordqvist, and Stacy Lewis, while Georgia Hall, Gemma Dryburgh, and Jodi Ewart Shadoff all aim to become the first British player to win the event.

What is the format of the Cognizant Founders Cup?

It is a standard strokeplay event played over 72 holes with a cut after 36 holes (two rounds) and the player who achieves the lowest score over four rounds will win the tournament.

Where is the Cognizant Founders Cup being played?

Upper Montclair Country Club will host the event for the third year. The par 71, 6,656-yard layout has been a familiar course for hosting LPGA tour events, doing so in 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, and 2007-2009. Originally designed by A.W. Tillinghast, the course was remodeled by Robert Trent Jones Sr in 1956.

Fans of The Sopranos will also recognize the course as it was host to several golf scenes shot in the iconic show, and it is not for the faint-hearted.

Arguably the most difficult hole on the front nine is the par-4 8th, as a solid tee shot is required to avoid the desert areas. Players then face a long approach to a challenging green which has a lake situated on the right side.

The back nine features a range of difficult holes, none more so than the par-3 14th. Coming in at 214 yards, receiving breaks and slopes make this a hole where par will be a good score during the closing stages.

Who will win the Cognizant Founders Cup?

Going for a record-breaking sixth consecutive victory, Korda has everything at her disposal to make history in New Jersey, but there will be a plethora of players looking to end her dominance this week.

Three-time winner of the event, Ko, finished in a tie for fourth last week at the JM Eagle LA Championship, coming into the tournament following a positive showing as she aims to win the Founders Cup for the fourth time in five starts.

Green is another name to watch out for. The 27-year-old has won two events already this season yet has also missed the cut in two tournaments – the Chevron Championship and the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship – suggesting consistency has been her biggest issue.

Maja Stark finished 2nd, 2nd, 40th, and T3rd in her previous four starts. The Swede will be aiming to add to her solitary LPGA win in 2022.

How much does the winner of the Cognizant Founders Cup receive?

The prize fund for the event is $3m, with the winner receiving a cheque for $450k and second place taking home $282,976.

How to watch the Cognizant Founders Cup?

US viewers can catch featured group coverage via ESPN+.

All times ET

Thursday, May 9: ESPN+, 08.00

Friday, May 10: ESPN+, 08.00

Saturday, May 11: ESPN+, 08.00

Sunday, May 12: ESPN+, 08.00

Cognizant Founders Cup: Tee times

Tee times and groupings can be found here.

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About the Author

Ross Kilvington – Contributing Golf News Writer

Ross Kilvington is a freelance writer from Scotland who currently writes previews for Today’s Golfer, covering events on the DP World, PGA and LPGA tours along with the LIV Golf Series.

Ross holds a passionate interest in golf and tries to play as often as possible, although having two daughters under the age of 6 means his quest to break 80 will have to wait a little longer.

Despite first picking up a club aged 11, highlights are few and far between on the golf course.

An Eagle on the par-4 16th at Kinghorn is one that stands out (it doesn’t matter that it was only 290 yards).