Jun 8, 2024 
Photo – Bill Caine
(LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY – June 8, 2024) – The opening round of the inaugural Woodford Legends Invitational produced everything golf fans look for in a Tour event – low scores, superior shot-making, a near ace and plenty of autographs and smiles. The Legends of the LPGA are in town taking on The Woodford Club in Versailles, Kentucky, in a unique two-person, 36-hole team event. Two of Europe’s finest – Catriona Matthew of Scotland and Becky Morgan of South Wales – teamed up to card a first round 59 and take the overnight lead.
“We just combined really well,” said Matthew of the pair’s 13 under par performance that included birdies on five of the first six holes. “We each hit the shots when we had to.” Matthew won four times on the LPGA Tour and made nine appearances in the Solheim Cup, serving as captain of Team Europe in 2019 and 2021.
“Catriona was on fire on the front. I barely had to putt,” said Morgan, a past champion on the Ladies European Tour who played the LPGA from 2001-2022, “but I made a few on the back. When one of us hit a bad shot, the other hit a decent one, and our putting was just really good today.”
Sitting one shot back of the Euro duo is the team of Sherri Steinhauer of Madison, Wisc., and Lisa DePaulo of Austin, Texas, playing together for the third time in a Legends team event and posting a personal best score of 12 under par (60).
Photo – Legends of the LPGA
“We’ve struggled in scrambles before,” admitted Steinhauer, who won eight times on the LPGA Tour including two British Open championships. “We had a good day today.”
“We had more fun,” said DePaulo, a past LPGA Professionals National Champion with six professional tour wins. “We didn’t over-analyze, and we just played our own games. I hit second, which was nice to get a little intel, but in the past, I think we just talked over every shot too much.”
DePaulo and Steinhauer carded 11 birdies and an eagle against a lone bogey.
“I love the golf course,” said Steinhauer. “You have to pick good lines and you have to trust them. You have to think out there, and that makes it fun. I had to hit a lot of low shots.”
Trish Johnson of South Wales picked a good line on Hole 13, a par 3 over water that she nearly aced with a shot that came to rest 1” from the hole for a tap-in birdie. She and teammate Laura Davies of Surrey, England, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame with 87 professional wins worldwide, sit T8 at 8 under.
Photo – Legends of the LPGA
Michelle McGann of North Palm Beach, Fla. and Laura Diaz of Ponte Verde, Fla. birdied seven of their last nine holes to finish 10 under par (62) and vault into solo 3rd in the Legends division. Kentucky golfers Laney Frye and Claira Beth Ramsey sit atop the Amateur division at 11 under par. The pair carded two eagles on the back nine.
For Legends leaders Matthew and Morgan, it’s business as usual tomorrow.
“We had a birdie putt on every hole today,” said Matthew. “The greens are quite small, so if you’re on the greens, you’ve got a chance. We’ll try to have a birdie putt on every hole again tomorrow, and if we hole the putts, we hole the putts. That’s what it will come down to.”
Gates open at 8:30 a.m. for the final round of the Woodford Legends Invitational at The Woodford Club. Tee times start at 10:00 a.m. on Hole 1. For more information and to follow live scoring online, visit http://legendsofthelpga.com.
Photo – Legends of the LPGA
Here are the pairings and tee times for Saturday, June 8:
10:00 AM – Group 1
Elaine Crosby / Nancy Scranton
Abigail Caine (a) / Anika Okuda
10:11 AM – Group 2
Jane Blalock / Patricia Meunier-Lebouc
Susan Stewart (a) / Elizabeth Eberle (a)
10:22 AM – Group 3
Pat Bradley / Jamie Fischer
Abbie Lee (a) / Faith Martin (a)
10:33 AM – Group 4
Hollis Stacy / Martha Leach (a)
Liselotte Neumann / Jane Geddes
10:44 AM – Group 5
Trish Johnson / Laura Davies
Wendy Ward / Pat Hurst
10:55 AM – Group 6
Brandie Burton / Alicia Dibos
Madison Borders (a) / Cathryn Brown (a)
11:06 AM – Group 7
Rosie Jones / Michele Redman
Suzy Whaley / Leta Lindley
11:17 AM – Group 8
C.A. Carter (a) / Athena Singh (a)
Michelle McGann / Laura Diaz
11:28 AM – Group 9
Laney Frye (a) / Claira Beth Ramsey (a)
Amy Alcott / Tammie Green
11:39 AM – Group 10
Becky Morgan / Catriona Matthew
Sherri Steinhauer / Lisa DePaulo
Nov 20, 2024 
