LPGA Legends Tour, Collegians Reunite for Third Annual Tournament

By Jackie Tyson

For the third year, the Legends Tour, the Official Senior Tour of the LPGA, will join the Judson Collegiate Invitational Foundation to host the Judson Collegiate and Legends Pro-Am Challenge presented by AT&T.

The event will be held June 27-30, at the Country Club of Roswell in the Greater Atlanta area, and will feature an 18-hole tournament pairing collegiate golfers with Legends Tour players. The annual event will showcase the talents of 60 collegiate women golfers alongside 30 LPGA Legends professionals.

Hosted by Rosie Jones, an Atlanta resident who has won 13 times on LPGA Tour and six times on Legends Tour, the event will also feature LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famers Amy Alcott, Pat Bradley, Nancy Lopez and Georgia native Hollis Stacy. Legends Tour Hall of Fame member Jan Stephenson of Australia will also be in the field. Special guests, Michelle McGann and LPGA Hall of Famer Kathy Whitworth, an 88-time LPGA Tour winner, will play in the pro-am tournament.

In addition, 20-time LPGA Tour winner Laura Davies of Great Britain, Sweden’s Liselotte Neumann, the winning 2013 European Solheim Cup captain, along with two-time (2012, 2013) defending champion Alicia Dibos of Peru, will highlight the Legends Tour’s top international players in the field.

The event is managed by the The Judson Collegiate Invitational Foundation, Inc. (JCI Foundation), which honors the memory of former Roswell residents, Jim and Beth Judson, who perished in an airplane accident in 2010.  This year the Judson Women’s Leadership Workshop was expanded to provide additional mentorship opportunities for young women.  The Women’s Leadership Workshop will take place on Thursday, June 26, from 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Roswell (1075 Holcomb Bridge Road). Visit the web site for list of speakers and a full agenda.

The Judson Collegiate & Legends Pro-Am Challenge offers a unique format, with three golf events in one.  The first day of golf is a Pro-Am competition, as area amateurs are paired with Legends Tour professionals and collegiate players. The second day is a one-day Legends Tour tournament with a prize purse of $120,000.  It is the only event that allows women collegiate golfers to play alongside former stars of the LPGA.  The third component of the event is a three-day collegiate stroke-play competition. The three rounds for the college women conclude on Monday, June 30. 

June 28 and 29 have been designated at The Judson University Days. All spectators are encouraged to wear the colors of your favorite college team and support the players who represent that school. Special raffle prizes and hospitality will be provided at the University Tent at the tournament. Additional promotions for June 29 include a free youth golf clinic by U.S. Kids Golf, interactive family activities provided by the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Dream, and free post-competition concert, hosted by the Willow Springs Homeowners Association.