Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge to Honor Legendary Women’s Golf Coach Therese Hession and Sponsor LPGA Exemption for Individual Champion
The Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge will be changing its name to the Therese Hession Regional Challenge Presented by Northrop Grumman, honoring the 30-year legendary Ohio State women’s golf head coach.
As the host of this year’s Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, Ohio State Athletics is excited to announce the challenge will be renamed the Therese Hession Regional Challenge Presented by Northrop Grumman, starting in 2023. The change honors the contributions of the recently retired, long-time Ohio State women’s golf coach, Therese Hession.
“Therese had a vision to create a unique college tournament that featured the best teams from across the country, 27 years later, I cannot think of a better way to honor her legacy than by having the Regional Challenge in her name,” said Lisa Strom, women’s golf head coach, Ohio State University. “Having played for and coached alongside Therese, I truly value the impact the membership of Palos Verdes Golf Club and the support of Northrop Grumman has had on the tournament and women’s golf.”
Hession’s impressive 30-year legendary coaching career is the original founding force behind the Regional Challenge. Hession, a member of the WGCA Hall of Fame, is a former LPGA player, a co-founder of the event, and has served as host since its inception. While her presence may be missed in future years, the name change will remind future participants of her many contributions to the tournament and NCAA women’s golf.
The Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge has been one of the premier women’s collegiate golf tournaments since its founding in 1996. This year’s challenge will also present the individual champion with a sponsor’s exemption into the LPGA’s JTBC Championship.
This Regional Challenge annually boasts one of the strongest fields in NCAA women’s golf including this year’s field which has 10 of the Top 25 teams and 12 of the Top 30 individuals as ranked by Golf Week magazine following the fall season. Past individual winners have included notable players such as Heather Bowie of Texas, Natalie Gulbis and Lorena Ochoa of Arizona, Bronte Law and Lilia Vu of UCLA, and Andrea Lee of Stanford.
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