The LPGA doesn’t have a tournament scheduled for Georgia this season, but the Legends Tour will make a stop in Atlanta in July.
Atlanta resident and recent Solheim Cup captain Rosie Jones spearheaded the creation of the Judson Collegiate Invitational and The Legends Tour Atlanta Pro Am, which will be played at the Country Club of Roswell on July 15-18.
Thirty players from The Legends Tour, the LPGA version of the PGA’s 50-plus Champions Tour, will compete in the event. Among those who committed to join Jones in Roswell are Albany resident Nancy Lopez, Amy Alcott, Betsy King, Lori Kane and Jan Stephenson.
The tournament will feature a Pro-College-Am the first day, with one Legends player competing alongside two collegians and two amateurs. The second day will feature a Legends-College team challenge and stroke-play competition, with the college stroke-play event continuing the final two days.
The tournament was created to honor philanthropists Jim and Beth Judson of Roswell, whose daughter, Lauren, plays at Southern Miss. The Judsons, known for their support of women’s collegiate golf, were killed when their private plane crashed in 2010.
Tour news
The Florida swing begins this week with the Honda Classic at PGA National. Rory Sabbatini is the defending champion, but “Sir Speedy” has missed the cut in his past three events. Sabbatini connected with coach Rick Smith after missing the cut in Mexico and worked on getting his swing on the right angles and proper planes.
The strong field at The Honda includes the four reigning major champions and Tiger Woods. A win by Rory McIlroy would propel him into first place in the Official World Golf Ranking.
American players have won the first nine events, the longest streak since 1991, when U.S. players won the first 11 tournaments.
John Huh became the first rookie to win on the PGA Tour this season when he claimed the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico. Huh came from seven strokes behind and beat veteran Robert Allenby in an eight-hole playoff, the second-longest in Tour history. Only the 1949 Motor City Open in Michigan lasted longer.
Swainsboro’s Will Claxton tied for ninth at Mayakoba, his best finish of the year. The 30-year-old rookie had missed the cut in his two previous starts.
Savannah native Brian Harman continues his habit of going low in at least one round. He had a 65 last week at Mayakoba and tied for 26th. He had a 64 at Pebble Beach and tied for 20th at the AT&T National Pro-Am. He had a 66 at the Sony Open in Hawaii. The Georgia grad ranks 96th in the FedEx Cup standings.
Larry Mize of Columbus shot a 62 in the first round of the Champions Tour’s ACE Group Classic and went on to finish seventh. The 62 matched the score he posted at Riviera Country Club 27 years earlier.
Etc.
Covington-based Bridgestone Golf added Karrie Webb to its team. The seven-time major champion joins fellow LPGA standouts Paula Creamer, Sophie Gustafson and Ai Miyazato under the Bridgestone banner. ... Former Georgia Tech standout Chesson Hadley tied for fifth at the eGolf Tour’s Oldfield Open.
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