BELMONT, MI – Big-name golfers and big crowds have become a Father’s Day tradition in West Michigan, and that will be the case again this year, when the Blythefield Country Club hosts the Meijer LPGA Classic. Three of the tournament’s previous champions have committed to compete in the 11th installment of the event, which runs from Thursday, June 12 to Sunday, June 15. Lilia Vu, who won last year’s tournament in a three-hole playoff, will return to defend her title, as will 2022 champ Jennifer Kupcho and 2015 winner Lexi Thompson, who announced her retirement as a full-time golfer at the conclusion of the 2024 season. Thompson was last year’s runner-up to Vu, and the Floridian has never missed the Meijer LPGA Classic since its inception in 2014. LPGA vice president of tournament business Casey Ceman said it’s the crowds and community support that draw the tour’s best golfers year after year. “Many of our players stay with host families here, and it’s just a nice week to kind of feel at home for them when they’re out traveling week after week,” he said during Tuesday’s Meijer LPGA Classic media day. “It can be a long grind throughout the year, but everybody just embraces this event with open arms, and I think the players just feel so comfortable here. “I think one of the other cool things about this is just the crowds that are out, and the players love playing in front of those big groups of people,” Ceman added. “It kind of gives them a little extra energy as they go through the year.” Brittany Lincicome, a 25-year pro and eight-time LPGA winner, will be making her ninth appearance at Blythefield and said it’s a combination of the fans and the course that keep her coming back. “All the top players want to play this event, and with the community aspect of it, there’s just so much support from the community,” said Lincicome, whose best finish at the Meijer LPGA Class was seventh place in 2015. “You can really feel that when you’re out there playing and all the fans are cheering for you and clapping for you, so it’s just an honor to be back. And the golf course is really beautiful, so it’s kind of an easy one to say yes to.” The only two years Lincicome missed the tournament were in 2018 and 2019, when she and husband, Dewald Gouws, welcomed their first of two daughters into the world. This time, the tournament will be a family affair. “I’m going to bring my husband this time, so that’ll be exciting,” Lincicome said. “He’s going to caddy and bring our two girls. Obviously, in the summer, we don’t have kindergarten, so it’s going to be a family affair, which is great.” Lincicome and the rest of the field can expect big crowds once again, as the tournament is on pace to top last year’s record-setting attendance, Meijer LPGA Classic executive director Cathy Cooper said. “The community continues to rally around the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give and for helping families in need, and we’re just thrilled about that,” she said. “We feel really good about this year.” In its first 10 years, the tournament has raised more than $12 million for Simply Give, a Meijer program that helps local food pantries keep their shelves stocked. The fundraising goal this year is $1.3 million, and Meijer kickstarted that campaign with a $250,000 donation announced on Tuesday. Tickets for the tournament are $10 per day or $25 for all four days and can be purchased by clicking here. Children 17 and under get in free with a ticketed adult, and active, retired or reserve military personnel also get in free with proper identification. Since the final day of the tournament is held on Father’s Day, dads have free general admission with a child on Sunday. New to this year’s tournament is the Kraft Heinz Pavilion, an open-air structure with a view of the 17th green and 18th tee box that offers all-inclusive food and beverage items for $40 per person. “I don’t know how this gets any bigger, but we find a way to add new a new tent and create more fan experiences, which is great,” Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes said. That the Meijer LPGA Classic continues to grow in both attendance and spectator offerings bodes well for the tournament’s future, Ceman said. “All the brands within the Meijer company put so much weight behind this event, and as they add more hospitality and sell out year after year, I think it just shows that this event is kind of that north star of community engagement and getting people out,” he said. “The whole town shuts down for this week, and it’s really cool to see that it just continues to grow year over year.”