Matthew Crane, Dubois County Free Press
JASPER – A year ago, when the final hole was being played in the Legends of the LPGA tournament in Salina, Kansas, fans lined the entire fairway as Karrie Webb and Annika Sörenstam battled for the top spot in the 2022 tournament.
Webb prevailed over the hard-charging Sörenstam, but the level of golf being played at the Salinas Country Club had drawn the fans in for the final round of play.
Organizers at Sultan’s Run, as well as the City of Jasper and Dubois County government, are making plans to anticipate a similarly large crowd when the Senior LPGA Championship tournament plays out June 29 through July 1 at the Jasper course.
According to Chris Tretter, co-owner of Sultan’s Run, the course was chosen after he was contacted by the LPGA on a referral from Dave Harner, director of golf operations at French Lick Resort.
In October, a contingent from LPGA toured the course. Tretter told them after the tour if they had any questions, he’d be glad to answer them, but they had already made a decision to come to Dubois County.
At a special media event held at Sultan’s Run May 10, Matt Clark, manager of Tournament Business Affairs for the LPGA, noted that the course is great, but that isn’t the only factor considered when making a decision on where to host the tournament.
“Great facilities, great community and the support from the community is really what makes it go,” Clark explained, adding that he had heard there were more than 250 volunteers signed up for the event. “It really takes the whole community.”
Jasper Mayor Dean Vonderheide said it is an honor to host the tournament, and the city is making every effort to be prepared for the golfers and fans that are coming from all over the country.
Events are planned for the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center, and a special “Golf Swings & Baseball Things Night” (Meet the Legends of the LPGA) at League Stadium was included in the itinerary for the week.
“We’ve been preparing for this and the city’s gonna be in its best shape ever — except for some construction,” he said, adding there are plenty of other tourism opportunities for everyone visiting.
Up to 10,000 visitors expected
According to Tretter, they have had inquiries from spectators from Pennsylvania and Atlanta as well as Chicago.
As host, Tretter and his team have been working against the clock since the decision. “Normally, you get about a year to prepare for an event like this, but we were on a short timeline,” he said.
Tretter said he is planning for up to 10,000 visitors to the tournament, and it will also be live-streamed.
“If you are a tourism-based business here, get ready (because) they’re coming,” he said.
The long-term impact of hosting a tournament like this is felt when golfers add that course to their bucket list of ones to play and then base their travel plans on checking off those lists.
“I got an inquiry from a guy in Myrtle Beach right after we announced we were hosting,” Tretter said. “He’s coming. He’s going to stay in a hotel room and go to a restaurant; that strengthens our community.”
Tretter also noted a certain amount of pride comes from hosting a major tournament. “You know there are only 250 courses in the United States that can even say they’ve hosted a pro golf tournament,” he said. “And here we have a pro golf tournament that is a major championship. There is a lot to that.”
He said he was looking forward to seeing this level of golf played at Sultan’s Run.
“These women can flat-out play,” Tretter said. “We’ve hosted some nice events here that have challenged some players in the past, and it’ll be interesting to see how they score out here. I look forward to watching them compete.”
Though the registration is still open, currently, the no-cut international field will consist of up to 78 professional women golfers.
Current entries include Juli Inkster, a seven-time major champion; Hollis Stacy, a four-time major champion; and making her championship debut this year will be Angela Stanford, who just a few years ago won the Amundi Evian Championship on the LPGA Tour. Trish Johnson, who’s a two-time champion of this event, will also be in the field.
The top golfer will take home $60,000 of the $400,000 purse.
Ticket info
Tretter said tickets are $15 daily or $40 for a three-day pass (kids 12 and under are free). An announcement will be made on the Legends of LPGA website and by Sultan’s Run when those go on sale. They will also be sold in person at Sultan’s Run.
Ferdinand News Editor Kathy Tretter contributed to this report.