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When the tournament was first played in 2017, it was one of the main tournaments on the Legend's Tour, the circuit for women 45 and over. The following year, the first US Senior Women's Open, which had a minimum age of 50, joined as the major championship for senior women.

Today, as 78 players prepare to play on October 14 on the Pete Dye course at French Lick Resort for the third Senior LPGA Championship, it seems they are not only legends in the game, but also trailblazers for give a new face to their discipline.

This rally at the French Lick Resort in Indiana is not only a competition for the first place prize of $ 100 with an endowment of $ 000, it is also a celebration of the women's game: The players of the past put showcasing their skills in the present while opening a new path to the future.

"It is obvious that we have always dreamed of having these senior majors", said Jan Stephenson, a member of the Australian World Golf Hall of Fame, who was an LPGA rookie in 1974. “We tried to get the seniors tour started 15 or 20 years ago, but we ran away a bit. It's wonderful to finally see all of this happening. "

When the US Senior Open was first played in 1980, it became the cornerstone of the senior men's circuit, which is now the PGA Tour Champions. It may well be that the first Senior LPGA Championship in 2017 will infuse that same growth into the Legends Tour.

Back to defend her title, Dame Laura Davies, who won at French Lick last year by four strokes with a score of 208 (-8) over 54 holes. Davies, who also won the US Senior Women's Open in 2018, will be challenged by Helen Alfredsson, winner of this year's US Senior Women's Open, and Trish Johnson, who won the Senior LPGA Championship 2017.

Juli Inkster, holder of seven major LPGA championships, Jane Crafter, Brandie Burton, Pat Hurst, Liselotte Neumann and Danielle Ammaccapane are also among the participants. Newcomers to the course include Golf Channel commentator and 2004 Women's British Open champion Karen Stupples and Charlotta Sorenstam, both 46.

“Jack Graham, my boss at Golf Channel, asked me if I wanted to take over the Senior LPGA Championship and I said, 'I actually would love to play it. "  Said Stupples. “So this is the opportunity for me to try, to go out and try to do my best and see where it takes me. As soon as it was announced that there would be a Senior LPGA Championship, I knew I wanted to participate. Now I finally have the opportunity. "

Since 2013, the French Lick Resort has hosted a Legends Tour event. Part of its special nature is the charitable engagement with the Riley Foundation for Children. Before each round, one of the Riley's Kids, patients of Riley's Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, serves as the first facilitator. The tournament has raised approximately $ 1 million for the foundation since 2014, or $ 200 for each of the last two years of the Senior LPGA Championship.

The partnership between LPGA, Riley's, French Lick Resort and its parent company, the Cook Group, a medical device company, has evolved over time.

"When the tournament became a Legends Tour event in 2013, we partnered with a national charity, but we didn't feel our community was feeling the direct effects."said Dave Harner, golf manager at French Lick. "My son was a student at Indiana University and they did a dance marathon for Riley's Kids which raised $ 3,5 million and the idea drove us to take this route".

The Riley Hospital for Children provides medical care to all children in Indiana, regardless of their ability to pay.

"We are one of the top ten research hospitals in the country and Indianapolis is not one of the top ten markets"said Jim Austin, director of marketing and head of corporate partnerships at the Riley's Children Foundation. “The care and compassion of people like French Lick and the Cook Group make this possible. "

There is also the special nature of the players.

"The attitude of golfers, the course, it's so special," said Austin. “This is a very caring and compassionate group of people. Honestly, I don't think we would have had the same connection with the elderly. We have been involved for five years now and the players are returning to pick up the children they have come to know and some of them have become important donors to the hospital. "

The Senior LPGA Championship is an event where history is written, history is showcased and lives are changed. The Golf Channel will air the action from October 14 to 16, from 16 p.m. to 18 p.m. ET. This is the opportunity to see the legends in play.

To know more : https://www.frenchlick.com/golf/events/seniorlpga/home