White Comes From Behind to Win LPGA Pros Championship for Second Year in a Row

After spending three years at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va., the 2024 LPGA Pros Championship headed down south to Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course. Host of the PGA TOUR’s Valspar Championship, this challenging new venue tested 112 players across four divisions over three days of play. 

The Championship Division remained tightly contested over the course of the tournament, with reigning champion Alexandra White (Lancaster, Ohio) LPGA Professionals Apprentice managing to tame the field, as well as the Snake Pit, to successfully defend her title. Reflecting on both victories, White couldn’t help but recognize the differences between the two.

“Last year was a little different,” White explained. “I came out and played really hot right at the start, but then I started kind of leaking oil down the stretch and ended up in a playoff. This year I pretty much played a similar three rounds of golf, and even though I didn’t strike the ball great today, I putted really well to make up for it.”

Despite not getting off to a quick start, White remained in contention over the first two rounds thanks to scores of 2-over 73 and even-par 71. Trailing by one entering the final round, the former Epson Tour player focused on staying level-headed as she maneuvered her way through the difficult golf course. For example, White knew birdie opportunities were out there, but the real key to success was avoiding big numbers and compounding mistakes. She immediately proved her composure following a bogey on the opening hole by carding four straight pars before getting the stroke back with a birdie on the par-4 No. 6. She rounded out the front nine with three more pars to make the turn at even.

White added a birdie on the par-4 No. 11, but quickly gave it back, and then some, with bogeys on Nos. 12 and 14. At this point in the round, White was tied for the lead with playing partner and round two leader Natalie Vivaldi (Ocean Side, Calif.) PGA Professional. Heading into the snake pit, both players made par on No. 15, but it was ultimately Vivaldi who blinked, carding a triple bogey on the par-4 No. 16. Now with a three-shot lead, White finished out her round with two pars to grab the three-shot win at 3-over 216.

In addition to receiving the winner’s check and trophy, White once again secured the prestigious honor of an exemption into the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. The exemption is just one of eight handed out each year at the LPGA Pros Championship to the top-eight finishers in the Championship Division. For White, this opportunity is not taken for granted.

“It’s a life goal of mine to play as well as I can at a major, however that stacks up and finishes is however it finishes,” White explained. “In Seattle, I had some good stretches of golf. I played a good nine on the first day and a good nine on the second day, but I just didn’t put it all together. With that said, staying consistent is definitely going to be a goal of mine next year ahead of KPMG. Just trying to work on being better for four days in a row.”

TICKETS PUNCHED TO PGA FRISCO

Despite coming up just short at the end, Vivaldi could not have been happier with the finish, as she secured her place in the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship field. The PGA Professional has always dreamt of competing in a major, and now she’ll get that chance next year at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco in Frisco, Texas. The tournament will be held from June 19-22, 2025.

“This will be my first LPGA event and for it to be a major is beyond special to me,” Vivaldi shared. “I think what I’m most excited about is just having family and friends there. I’m gonna bring a bunch of people with me, so we’re going to have some fun and see what I can do.”

Joining White and Vivaldi in the field are Nicole Felce (Clearwater, Fla.) LPGA Professionals Apprentice; Allie Knight(Knoxville, Tenn.) LPGA Class A Professional and PGA A-2; Dr. Alison Curdt (Simi Valley, Calif.) LPGA/PGA Master Professional; Heather Angell (Fort Myers, Fla.) Class A PGA Professional; Sandra Changkija (Daytona Beach, Fla.) LPGA Class A Professional and PGA A-11, and Ashley Grier (Hagerstown, Md.) PGA Professional. Grier secured the final spot after defeating Leslie Cloots (Chapel Hill, N.C.) LPGA Class A Professional in a sudden-death playoff after both players finished T8 at 8-over 221.

“Being from here I kind of had a little home-town advantage,” Felce explained. “I’ve played this course before. It’s tough but I like it. Having my dad on the bag for the last day was very helpful and I think a huge part in qualifying and shooting what I did today. As for the KPMG exemption, it’s just surreal. I don’t think it’s set in yet just how big this opportunity is.”

“It’s a relief to be done with,” said Knight, who will be competing in her fifth KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2025. “It was a really tough course out there this week. I’m just glad to make it through. The greens were tough and grainy. There was a lot of water, hazards and trouble everywhere. So it was tight, and you had to place it in the right spots. It was also really long. I had to hit a 6-iron into so many holes. I feel like I only hit two wedges into the holes out here. It played long and tough and with the wind here, those last three holes coming in at the end added a lot of pressure and stress.”

“It makes it so special to play in a major because playing golf isn’t my full-time job,” said Curdt, who will be competing in her eighth KPMG Women’s PGA Championship when she tees it up at PGA Frisco. “My job is being a club pro. It’s teaching the game to young people and old people and helping golfers just play their best. But being a long-time competitor since the age of seven, I’ve never given up being a competitor. To put my foot in the water and be able to play on the LPGA is always so special no matter how many times you do it.”

“The last time a qualified for the KPMG tournament was 2018,” Angell shared. “My caddie for the tournament was PGA Member Bill Abrams, and afterwards we talked about what a fun week we had that year, qualifying again and having him caddy for me. Unfortunately, he passed away a couple years ago, so this week was for him. He won’t be able to caddy for me again but I’m really proud I stuck in there, made a few birdies coming in, and had a great week.”

“Heading to KPMG next year, I might just set my expectations lower,” Changkija explained. “I always set high goals for myself, but that leads to a ton of pressure. So I’m hoping to offset that next year. Like, showing up on the Monday (of tournament week) instead of the weekend before will hopefully be less stressful and cause less anxiety.”

“It feels incredible to make it back to KPMG,” said Grier. “I’ve had a couple of injuries the last few years, so to make it back is really special. With major championships, you feel like you win just by qualifying, and to get to play on the biggest stage against the best players teaches you so much. I know it’s helped my game over the years.” 

*Won in sudden-death playoff

JOHNSTON-FORBES WINS SENIOR DIVISION IN PLAYOFF

Cathy Johnston-Forbes (Powells Point, N.C.) LPGA Class A Professional birdied two of her final three holes to join Christy Longfield (Austin, Texas) PGA Professional at the top of the Senior Division leaderboard after three rounds of play. Johnston-Forbes rode that positive momentum right into the playoff, which she won with a par to Longfield’s bogey.

The Senior Division was tightly contested from the very start, with dozens of golfers in the mix up until the final hole. The top of the leaderboard featured legends of the LPGA as well as some of the best teaching professionals in the country, but it was Johnston Forbes who outlasted them all thanks to rounds of 1-over 72, 3-over 74 and 2-under 69, which matched the lowest final round score out of all four divisions. 

“It feels great to win,” Forbes-Johnston said. “I didn’t play well my first two days. My putting was not very good, although I hit the ball well. It’s just a big relief. My goal was to shoot 3-under today, 2-under at the worst, so I accomplished my goal and it feels good to get the win here.”

BOND-PHILO RUNS AWAY WITH SUPER SENIOR DIVISION TITLE

Susan Bond-Philo (Lake Worth, Fla.) PGA Professional took the lead in round one and never looked back at the 2024 LPGA Pros Championship. Bond-Philo previously competed in the Senior Division, but decided to move into the Super Senior Division after turning 62, which is the qualification age. 

This decision clearly paid off, as Bond-Philo won the title by 10 shots at 8-over 221. She started off her 2024 championship campaign with a 3-over 74 in round one, which was good enough for a five-shot lead. That lead would only grow from there, as she posted the lowest score of the tournament in the Super Senior Division in round two with a 1-over 72. Bond-Philo headed into the final round with an 11-shot lead, the largest of any of the four divisions after 36 holes of play. Having such a big cushion to work with, Bond-Philo went out and played a safe round of golf, carding two birdies to six bogeys for a final-round 4-over 75.

“Age means nothing to me,” Bond-Philo explained. “You know as seniors, we have so few events to play in. So it’s really nice when they add another division like this once we do kind of age a little bit more. And to win this honor that’s named after Shirley Spork, one of the founders of the LPGA, is pretty special.”

CROOKS GOES BACK-TO-BACK IN CHALLENGE DIVISION

Joellyn Crooks (Fuquay Varina, N.C.) LPGA Class A Professional jumped out to a huge lead in round one and never looked back, ultimately winning the Challenge Division by 19 strokes at 6-over 219. The change in venues from Kingsmill to Innisbrook clearly had no effect on her game, as Crooks maintained a steady composure throughout the tournament, carding rounds of even-par 71, 6-over 77 and even-par 71. She finished the week with five birdies to 11 bogeys. 

“I’ll tell you what. Anytime you get a win, it feels good, but to do it at this point in my life feels even better because there was quite a drought for many years, so it just feels good to play well and have some success,” Crooks said. “It’s really special to win here too, not only because the competition is good, but because you get to make a lot of friends and revisit old ones.”