Cheyenne Knight Excited to Mentor the LPGA Tour's Next Generation as a Part of Team ShopRite
By Leo West
GALLOWAY, N.J. - The ShopRite LPGA powered by Wakefern has long served as a launching pad for some of women’s golf’s brightest young stars. This year could be no exception.
Eleven-time tour winner Lexi Thompson made her professional debut in 2010 by playing at Seaview Hotel and Golf Club in Galloway, N.J. at the tender age of 15. 10 years later, she won the 2019 ShopRite LPGA.
Brooke Biermann hopes to follow in Thompson’s footsteps.
The Michigan State alum will make her LPGA Tour debut this month at the ShopRite LPGA powered by Wakefern, one of the circuit’s longest-standing events.
Helping Biermann and other young golfers alike during the 38th edition of the Jersey Shore tournament will be Cheyenne Knight, who remembers just exactly how those first-hole jitters felt.
Knight, a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour, is on maternity leave this season and not competing in this year’s ShopRite LPGA. So, the Solheim Cup veteran is embracing her role as a mentor while serving as an ambassador for Team ShopRite.
“I was honored to be asked to be a part of it,” Knight said during Media Day on Monday, May 4. “This is my second year doing it. Last year we had a great time. Me and another girl were kind of the veterans to the rookies. It’s amazing because no other tournament or sponsor really has something like that.”
The full roster for Team ShopRite for 2026 includes two veterans, Knight and Azahara Muñoz, as well as two up-and-coming players in Rachel Kuehn and Gianna Clemente.
Now 29, Knight remembers making her pro debut as a nervous rookie in 2019. Early in her career, Knight focused on just trying to keep her head above water.
“My rookie year, my only thing was, ‘I have to make the cut. I just want to make the cut,’” Knight said. “But if you’re just trying to make the cut, you’re not keeping your card and you’re not playing to your full potential.”
Knight believes the ShopRite LPGA’s 54-hole format makes it an ideal introduction to professional golf because players are thrust into a pressure-packed environment.
“Being a three-day tournament, you need to come out of the gates ready to go,” Knight said. “By the time the cut happens, you only have 18 holes left to play. It’s a really good mindset for rookies because it teaches you how you need to approach any event.”
As someone who has played in the ShopRite LPGA four times, Knight knows that Biermann making her pro debut at Seaview won’t be easy.
“I remember my first LPGA event,” Knight said. “It was just so nerve-wracking. You realize these girls might be a little bit better than me, but you have to stay true to yourself because you got here for a reason.”
Along those lines, Knight also warns newbie tour members to avoid star-gazing.
“You can compare yourself to Nelly (Korda),” Knight said. “Yeah, she’s the No. 1 player in the world. But you’re not Nelly Korda. You’re Cheyenne Knight or Brooke Biermann. You need to hone in on who you are and not try to be anyone else.”
Knight, who’s expected to return to the tour next year, understands the opportunity she has as a Team ShopRite ambassador to show the way for the next generation.
“That’s kind of how I hope to leave the LPGA better than I found it,” Knight said. “Hopefully one day one of the rookies will kind of take my shoes and be a mentor.”
