Twenty-Nine Years Later, Seaview Still Feels Like Home for Michelle McGann

By Leo West 

 

GALLOWAY, N.J. - In the last 29 years, a lot about the LPGA has changed. Prize purses have grown, media coverage has expanded, and the women’s game has earned greater recognition than ever before.  

 

One thing, however, remains the same: the feeling of winning, especially at ShopRite LPGA powered by Wakefern.  

 

Former champion, Michelle McGann still remembers that winning feeling 29 years after her victory at Seaview in 1997. 

 

Winning is nice but what makes winning better is when your family is there to support your triumphs. For McGann, family is everything. While hailing from West Palm Beach, Fla., South Jersey is the home for McGann’s extended family.  

 

“Atlantic City was always one of my favorite stops on tour because I had so much family up there. I had aunts, uncles, cousins,” McGann said. “Everybody would come out to watch, so that was really special.” 

 

McGann’s brother J.C., served as her caddie, while her father, James “Bucky” McGann, was in her ear the whole weekend.  

 

One conversation, in particular, has remained with her all these years later. 

 

The night before Championship Sunday, McGann specifically remembered a walk with Bucky on the famous Atlantic City boardwalk, perfectly recounting every detail.  

 

“After the first round my blood sugar got a little high that night. I remember walking with my dad and telling him, ‘I’m hitting it so good. This is so frustrating.’ I think I shot one over the first day.” McGann said.  

 

Her dad offered a simple reminder. 

 

“My dad told me, Listen, you might go out tomorrow and make everything. This is a great golf course for you. Just keep hitting it well and something’s going to work out.” 

 

Turns out that was all the advice she needed. 

 

But that final round wasn’t easy. Right on McGann’s tail was LPGA legend Annika Sörenstam. 

 

“By the final round, I was playing really well," McGann said. “Annika [Sörenstam] was behind me, but I was just focused on playing the golf course and taking advantage of every birdie opportunity I could. 

 

McGann ultimately won, but the final stretch was anything but comfortable. She had to make the last holes on the course count.  

 

Just one stroke up with Sörenstam right behind her in the standings, McGann faced one of her toughest moments on the par -4 17th.  

 

“On 17, I hit a little hook off the tee into the trees on the left. I had to crouch down and hit this knockdown 7-iron, and I knocked it to about two feet and made birdie.” McGann said.  

 

Then came the 18th hole. Make birdie and she wins. 

 

“Then we got to 18. It was out of bounds left, so naturally I hit it right into the trees,” McGann said. “My brother was caddying for me, and I remember saying, “I think I can hit it through that gap.” 

 

Standing over the ball in thick, rough with trees blocking much of her path, McGann and her brother tried to find any possible route to the green while Sörenstam remained within striking distance. 

 

“My brother and I were trying to figure out if there was any line to the green because Annika was only about a shot behind me,” McGann said. “My brother told me, ‘Think high, Shell. You’ve got this.’” 

 

McGann could barely see through the trees but if she was able to get it through the rough and the trees, she could put the ball right on the green.  

 

I hit this 9-iron up over the trees, and when we got up to the green, he came running through the trees yelling, ‘Great shot! Great shot!” Then I said, “Where did it go? Is it even on the green?’ It ended up about 15 feet from the hole. It was unbelievable. 

 

The shot was perfect and left her with a birdie opportunity, but even after that, she was still worried about Sörenstam potentially moving in front of her. 

 

“Then I had this big breaking left-to-right putt,” McGann said. “My brother said, ‘Just cozy it down there. Don’t get too cute with it.’” 

 

McGann still had doubts. 

 

“I remember saying, ‘Yeah, but Annika’s behind me. She might make birdie,’” McGann said. “He said, ‘No, no, no. Just cozy it down there.’ Well, I knocked it in.” 

 

McGann had done it; she won. Although she was a pro and had already won earlier that season, nothing beats that winning feeling, especially being with the people who were there to experience it with her.  

 

“My parents were there, my extended family was there, and my brother was on the bag. McGann said. “Those are memories you never forget.” 

 

McGann wasn’t just playing for her friends and family that made the trek down to AC, but also those who couldn’t make it. And for McGann she was playing for her close friend Perry Sumas.  

 

“Another really special part of that week was Perry Sumas from ShopRite. Perry was a dear friend of mine who has since passed away,” McGann said. “I played a lot of pro-ams with him and his sons over the years.”  

 

After the final putt dropped, one of the first calls she made was to Sumas. 

 

“One of the greatest calls I ever made was calling him after I finished on 18 to tell him I had won. You could just hear how happy he was,” McGann said.  

 

Nearly three decades later, Seaview remains a special place for McGann, just as the tournament remains a cornerstone of the LPGA Tour. The ShopRite LPGA presented by Wakefern celebrated its 38th edition this past weekend and continues to be one of the tour’s most historic events. 

 

For McGann, it will always feel like home. 

 

“Atlantic City gave me so many wonderful memories. I’ve gone back a few times for pro-ams and other events, and it’s just such a cool place,” McGann said. “It’s a great tournament for players to build momentum because it’s not the longest course on tour, so there are birdie opportunities everywhere and everybody likes making birdies.”