Following a Pro Am event on Thursday, the Legends of the LPGA Tour’s 2022 Senior LPGA Championship tournament gets underway Friday at the Salina Country Club.
Thursday featured a Pro-Am round, where teams who have registered played a round of golf with an LPGA Legend.
Beginning Friday some of the best women golfers in the world will compete in a 54-hole, stroke-play format for $400,000 and a winner’s share of $60,000. A cut will be made to the top 45 and ties after 36 holes. Tournament admission is $10 for a single day grounds pass or $20 for all three days.
A collection of all-time women’s golf greats including Annika Sorenstam and Juli Inkster are in Salina for the Senior LPGA Championship. There are 68 golfers from 22 states and 8 countries in town for the 3 day tournmant which gets underway Friday.
3 PLAYERS TO WATCH AT THE SENIOR LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Karrie Webb
Coming off a T15 finish at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, Webb heads to Salina Country Club to make her Senior LPGA Championship debut. The Australian has made two cuts in three starts on the LPGA Tour this season. Webb, an LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famer, has recorded 41 wins on the LPGA Tour, the most of any active player.
Laura Davies
The World Golf Hall of Famer returns to the Senior LPGA Championship after finishing 22nd in the 2021 event. Davies has 87 professional career wins, including 20 on the LPGA Tour and four majors. She was also on the inaugural Solheim Cup team in 1990 and appeared in every event for Team Europe through 2011.
Juli Inkster
Inkster finished in 6th place at the 2021 Senior LPGA Championship. The LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famer has won four times on the Legends Tour, most recently at the 2021 Land O’Lakes Legends Classic. The seven-time major champion was also named Women’s Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year in 1999.
SÖRENSTAM CONTINUES TO MAKE HER MARK ON THE GAME OF GOLF
Hall of Famer, and who most would call the women’s golf greatest of all time, Annika Sörenstam tees it up in this week’s Senior LPGA Championship for the first time. She has played in other senior events, previously winning the 2021 U.S. Senior Women’s Open.
“I’m excited to be here,” said Sörenstam. “This is the first time I’m playing this event, and I want to support the LPGA. We appreciate the opportunity for us to play in an event.”
Sörenstam has been balancing a lot of golf recently, and comes to Salina, Kansas off a T28 finish at last week’s Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational with partner, Madelene Sagström,
“It’s been a little busy the past month or so,” laughed Sörenstam. “I’m playing more than I have been in a long time, mixing a little bit on the LPGA Tour, playing here, and then I played in celebrity events two weeks ago. It’s been a fun summer.”
While Sörenstam still has the talent to compete on both tours, she says she feels comfortable with her current situation. She’s grateful for the opportunity to get out on the course and compete again.
“I do think that I belong here, more on the Senior LPGA,” laughed Sörenstam. “But it’s been fun to get back and play.”
The Senior LPGA Championship is known to players as a way to reminisce. It allows friends to reconnect and have some fun while also competing. Sörenstam says there’s a new level of appreciation for the game during this event.
“It’s nice to see a lot of players,” said Sörenstam. “I know most of us have stepped away and started other things, whether it’s family, businesses or just a break from the game and now come back. We share the passion for the game and appreciate the game of golf. To be able to do it at this stage of our life means a lot.”
Since stepping away, Sörenstam has started a family with her husband, as well as a foundation to give back to the game she loves. Her new passion, The ANNIKA Foundation, is her way to say thank you to the game and inspire the next generation.
“I’m very fortunate to be where I am today,” said Sörenstam. “My career wouldn’t really be the way it is if it wasn’t for organizations that support women’s golf and girls golf, so I want to help. The ANNIKA Foundation is all about providing playing opportunities for young girls around the world.”
In its 14th year, the foundation has grown to host seven global tournaments, allow over 600 girls to compete, and contribute over $8 million to girls’ golf. The foundation also gives an award each year to the top female U.S. collegiate golfer. Epson Tour graduate, Leona Maguire, as well as current Epson Tour player Natalie Srinivasan are among past recipients.
“Hopefully it’s a steppingstone in their career, and they feel like they have the resources and the confidence to move on and pursue their career,” said Sörenstam. “That’s really what it is, to create opportunities for them.”
When asked what advice she has for young girls and women playing the game, Sörenstam said the biggest thing is to learn from mistakes. This is something she teaches through her foundation, telling girls her career would not be where it is if she hadn’t learned from her mistakes and moved on.
“I think that’s just the way life is,” said Sörenstam. “We learn and we bounce back.”
Sörenstam bounces back to compete for the Senior LPGA Championship title off No. 10 at 9:11am on Friday.
ABOUT SALINA COUNTRY CLUB
With nearby Smoky Hill River cascading along the edge of the property, Salina Country Club was established in 1911 and sits atop Tom White Hill, just east of the city providing an impressive landmark. A 40,000 square-foot clubhouse serves as the area’s hub for social activities, including three dining areas featuring fireplaces and separate bar facilities. A magnificent 18-hole championship golf course offers members and guests with a superb and challenging layout while other club amenities include four lighted tennis courts, a spacious swimming pool with a 163-foot water slide, and fully equipped fitness center.
ABOUT LEGENDS OF THE LPGA
Legends of the LPGA is the official senior tour of the LPGA providing competitive opportunities for LPGA Tour professionals and eligible amateurs, age 45 and over. The tour was founded in 2000 by 25 veteran LPGA Tour professionals with a goal of showcasing the talents of some of the greatest women golfers of all time. Legends of the LPGA members, including 15 LPGA and World Golf Hall of Fame members, have combined for over 750 LPGA Tour victories including 84 major championships. Legends of the LPGA has helped raise approximately $24 million for charity.
ABOUT THE LPGA
The LPGA is the world’s leading professional golf organization for women, with a goal to change the face of golf by making the sport more accessible and inclusive.
Created in 1950 by 13 Founders, the Association celebrates a diverse and storied history. The LPGA Tour competes across the globe, reaching television audiences in more than 220 countries. The Epson Tour, the LPGA’s official qualifying tour, consistently produces a pipeline of talent ready for the world stage. The LPGA also holds a joint-venture collaboration with the Ladies European Tour (LET), increasing playing opportunities for female golfers in Europe. Across the Tours, the LPGA represents players in more than 60 countries.
Additionally, the LPGA Foundation has empowered and supported girls and women since 1991, most notably through LPGA*USGA Girls Golf, the only national program of its kind, which annually engages with nearly 100,000 girls. The LPGA Amateur Golf Association and LPGA Women’s Network provide virtual and in-person connections to female golfers around the world, while LPGA Professionals are educators, business leaders and gamechangers dedicated to growing the game of golf for everyone.
Follow the LPGA on its U.S. television home, Golf Channel, online at www.LPGA.com and on its mobile apps. Join the social conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
All photos courtesy LPGA – Click to Enlarged
