Ex-player getting back on the course for LPGA tourney at the Shore

Former LPGA Tour player Meaghan Francella has transitioned in her career to where she is now the LPGA teaching professional at Philadelphia Cricket Club, but the itch to compete remains with her even nine years after stepping away from the grind of being on tour.

That is why she is delighted to have received a sponsor’s exemption for this weekend’s ShopRite LPGA Classic, an invitation that means much more to her than simply teeing the ball up Friday at 9:05 a.m. off No. 1 and playing over the Bay Course at Seaview in Galloway, N.J.

Much, much more.

Francella’s mother, Denise, recently overcame a five-month battle with breast cancer. Her recovery has given her a chance to watch her daughter play the game that she loves, something she hasn’t been able to do since Meaghan left the tour after the 2013 season, unhappy with her game and withdrawing from competition.

“I just love seeing her play happy golf,” said Denise Francella, a former college basketball and lacrosse player. “At the end of her tournament time, she wasn’t enjoying it as much, as I know. She loves golf. Just to see her go out and enjoy herself is going to be the greatest gift for me, to see her have fun again.

“This is my Super Bowl. I never thought I’d get to see this again.”

The thrill is even greater for Meaghan, 40, who also has qualified for the LPGA’s third major of the season, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., beginning June 23. And yes, her mother will be attending that event as well.

“I really want to go out there and have some fun,” she said Wednesday, sitting next to her mother. “My perspective is definitely different. I am just really excited to play golf. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this excited to get back and play again. It’s really fun to see everybody.

“I know when we were driving in, my Mom was like, ‘Wow, this is exciting we’re doing this again,’ and I’m like, ‘Whoa, relax.’ But I’m really excited to get back.”

The ShopRite LPGA Classic always has been a fun trip for Francella, who hails from Port Chester, N.Y. Friends and family would always drive to see her play, with some making a stop at the casinos after the round had ended. This week, she’ll have former students from Dormie Network and Hidden Creek Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township, N.J., as well as from Philadelphia Cricket. She said she has sent out more than 60 tickets.

“I know I’ll definitely have a lot of support here, which is great,” she said. “Obviously my mom’s here, which is fun. A lot of students are coming to see me play, which his exciting for them. It just makes me feel good that I’m doing something that’s making them happy, too. That’s really kind of what this is all about.”

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Francella, a two-time New York State Junior Amateur champion, earned All-America honors at North Carolina before deciding to pursue a career on the LPGA Tour. She played her first three years on the Futures Tour (now the Epson Tour) before getting her LPGA card for the 2007 season.

Her only LPGA Tour win was a memorable one, taking the 2007 MasterCard Classic in a four-hole playoff over world No. 1 player Annika Sorenstam. Her best finish in a major came in 2009, a tie for fifth at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. She won almost $1.1 million in her first four years on tour, but she slipped to 84th on the money list in 2011, and her last two seasons were a struggle.

When she was not able to get her tour card back for 2014, “I knew it was time to walk away,” she said.

“I didn’t want to struggle anymore,” she said. “I didn’t want to play for my paycheck anymore. I just wanted to enjoy myself and I wasn’t doing that. I was fine with my decision.”

Francella returned to the course a short time later as a tour caddie, working for about three seasons for a list of players that included Marina Alex, Na Yeon Choi, Min Lee, Jaye Marie Green, Heather Bowie, and Pat Hurst. She looped for Michelle Wie and Karrie Webb at major championships.

She then turned to the teaching side of the game, working for the Dormie Network with her headquarters at Hidden Creek. After three years there, she looked into a position at Philadelphia Cricket, where she was interviewed by director of golf Jim Smith Jr., and began working there last March.

“After I met her,” Smith said, “I was like, ‘This is a woman who’s got the love of the game, she’s got the moral character, she’s got the desire to be great.’ She’s just a really great human being. I told people, ‘I didn’t even care at that point what her teaching philosophy was. This girl’s a rock star as a human being and I’m hiring her.’ ”

“The support that I have from the Cricket members is incredible,” Francella said. “Only in the short time I’ve been there, I feel like I’ve known everybody for a while. It’s a testament to Jim Smith, who really puts an incredible staff together. I feel really fortunate to be a part of that team.”

So Smith and John Spina, the club’s director of instruction, will be joining plenty of friends and family for the ShopRite LPGA’s opening round. The fan Francella loves the most will be wheeling around in a scooter keeping up with the action.

“When this came up, I just got goose bumps,” Denise Francella said. “To see her play again is such a gift. I’m just so excited. So I’m going to be very good. You’ll see me in my scooter and I’ll be in the back. I don’t think I have to pray this week. I’m just going to enjoy.”