Jan Stephenson earned one of her 16 LPGA Tour wins in Seattle at the 1987 Safeco Classic, so the Australian says she is looking forward to returning to the city that offers fond memories from her 30-year LPGA career.
Now a member of The Legends Tour, the LPGA’s official tour for professionals age 45 and over, Stephenson will return to Seattle for the LPGA Legends Swing For The Cure tournament presented by MulvannyG2 Architecture. The tournament will be staged July 29, at Inglewood Country Club.
“I always played well in Seattle and I’ve got great memories there,” said Stephenson, whose 16 LPGA titles include three major championships, including the 1983 U.S. Women’s Open.
Stephenson’s 1987 win in Seattle came during one of her most rollercoaster LPGA seasons. In the spring of that year, she was involved in an automobile accident that left her with four broken ribs and head injuries. But 1987 was also a year in which she won three tournaments and even jumped to the top of the LPGA’s season money list.
“After that car wreck, I thought I’d never win again,” said Stephenson, who earned more than $3 million on the LPGA Tour and recorded 14 international victories.
Stephenson lost to Nancy Lopez in Portland, Ore., during the week prior to the 1987 tournament in Seattle, but she defeated Lopez coming down the stretch at the Seattle event, and again held off Lopez to win the LPGA tournament the following week.
Always a Legends Tour fan favorite, Stephenson tied for third at this year’s Walgreens Charity Classic in April, held in Sun City West, Ariz. She will challenge her peers again this weekend in Maine at the Tour’s second tournament -- the Hannaford Community Challenge, presented by Kraft Foods.
The Australian recently became a Class A member of the PGA of America and is hosting an October celebrity tournament in Australia. She has designed golf courses in the United States and is currently involved in “Jan For Juniors,” a non-profit organization that offers opportunities for young people in sports and academics.
The inaugural Legends Tour event in Seattle next month will feature an 18-hole professional challenge event with a purse of $150,000.
Other tournament headliners will be former LPGA stars Rosie Jones, Patty Sheehan, 2013 European Solheim Cup captain Liselotte Neumann of Sweden and Nancy Lopez.
Advance-purchase tickets are now available online by visiting http://www.thelegendstour.com/tickets/tickets_Seattle.htm .
All proceeds from the event will benefit the Susan G. Komen For The Cure Puget Sound.
Tickets are $20 each for the tournament day, with children 17-under admitted free. Active military are also admitted free with a current ID.