BOSTON, Jan. 31, 2017 – Twenty-year LPGA veteran Brandie Burton will make her Legends Tour debut at the Walgreens Charity Classic, set for March 2-5.
Burton, who played one year of college golf at Arizona State University and helped the Sun Devils win the 1990 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship, says she is looking forward to another career milestone in the Greater Phoenix area.
This year’s sixth annual tournament will return to Grandview Golf Course in Sun City West, Ariz., bringing the legends of women’s golf back to the Grand Canyon state.
“It is always comforting going back to a place where I made some great memories,” said Burton, of San Bernardino, Calif., who recorded five wins and 88 top-10 finishes while playing on the LPGA Tour from 1991 to 2010.
“I am very excited and honored to be able to compete with and see all the players that I grew up playing against on the LPGA Tour,” added Burton. “I’m both nervous and excited for my Legends Tour debut next month.”
Injuries pushed the Californian out of competition seven years ago. Burton had surgery four times on her back and endured a neck fusion in 2009. She left the LPGA Tour in 2010, and wasn’t able to begin playing golf again until 2016.
As her physical health improved, Burton said she was motivated by the fact that she would become eligible to compete on The Legends Tour in 2017. Burton turned 45 in early January.
“To even be considered a Legends Tour member and to be able to play alongside the game’s best players is very exciting for me,” added Burton, a member of five U.S. Solheim Cup teams. “I’ll be ready in March and will look forward to being a ‘rookie’ again at 45.”
The Legends Tour event will feature a field of 50 veteran LPGA players competing for a purse of $250,000. Californian Juli Inkster is the defending champion and Australian Jan Stephenson is the defending Legends Honors champion.
Tournament week will begin with player practice rounds on Tuesday, Feb. 28, followed by the XXIO Women’s Amateur Desert Scramble event on Wednesday, March. 1. The low-gross scoring and low-net teams in the event will win spots in the Official Pro-Am, set for Thursday, March 2.
Professional practice rounds will continue on Friday, March 3, with the first round of the tournament set for Saturday, March 4. The tournament’s final round will be played on Sunday, March 5.
Gates will open at 8:30 a.m. each day of the professional tournament with tee times starting at 9 a.m.
Daily tickets are $15 at the gate. Advance ticket sales begin today at area Walgreens stores, offering a $5 discount of $10 per ticket. Kids age 13-under, as well as military with I.D., will be admitted free.
In addition, free public parking for the tournament will be offered at RH Johnson Social Hall on Meeker Boulevard, with free shuttle service from public parking to the main gate at Grandview Golf Course.
For more information about The Legends Tour, the official senior tour of the LPGA, visit www.thelegendstour.com.
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