In its second year, a small slice of the metro Atlanta sporting landscape has gained some stature.
The Judson Collegiate Invitational will unfurl its second edition Friday, a women’s amateur golf event with an unusual twist — the participation of some of the bigger names in women’s golf history.
Five members of the World Golf Hall of Fame, headlined by Nancy Lopez, will be among 30 former LPGA tour members who will play one round with a field of collegiate players Saturday at the Country Club of Roswell. The collegians will play three rounds, Saturday through Monday. There also is a Friday pro-am event.
“We’re really hoping and anticipating that people come out to watch the event and check out some names that they remember from the LPGA and who used to play here in Atlanta all those years,” said Rosie Jones, the 13-time LPGA tour winner and Sandy Springs resident who is helping organize the event.
Besides Lopez, Hall of Famers Amy Alcott, Pat Bradley, Donna Caponi and Betsy King will compete Saturday. The event will double as a competition for the Legends Tour, the women’s senior tour, and will offer a $120,000 purse.
The tournament began last year as the project of Lauren Judson, a Blessed Trinity graduate who now plays for Southern Mississippi. Judson wanted to honor her parents, Jim and Beth Judson, who died in a private-plane crash as they returned home from watching Lauren play in a tournament in 2010. The tournament raises money for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
The tournament raised $30,000 last year, a total that Jones expects to exceed this year. The tournament increased its marketing efforts, including commercial spots that ran during coverage of the women’s and men’s U.S. Open.
The participation of the former LPGA stars is crucial. Alcott was to fly back from Rio de Janeiro, where she is helping oversee the construction of the course to be used in the 2016 Olympics. Lopez, who lives in Auburn, Ala., is playing for a second consecutive year.
“She’s really busy, so we feel really lucky she’s going to be here,” Jones said of Lopez. “She still likes to compete, and she loves to be around the Legends Tour, and she loves to give back.”
The former tour members give the tournament its hook. Besides the Friday pro-am and Saturday competition, a leadership workshop for the college players also is part of the weekend.
“It’s really about giving back to the community, but also building and nurturing strong leaders from our young women, whether they continue in golf after college or go into business,” Jones said. “We think that this is a great opportunity to really be a part of that.”
The college field is not the strongest, as it conflicts with other amateur events such as the North and South Championship, a prestigious tournament in Pinehurst, N.C. Among players from state schools are Amira Alexander, Collins Bradshaw and Sylvie Brick from Georgia and Kimmy Graff from Georgia State.
“We’re also trying to get the word out and trying to make this event one that college players would really want to play in,” Jones said.
The tournament begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday and continues at 8 a.m. Sunday and Monday. Tickets are $10. More information is available at judsongolf.com.
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