THINGS TO KNOW
- A 72-player field will be competing for a $400,000 purse in a 54-hole, stroke-play format with no cut
- This is the sixth Senior LPGA Championship
- This is the first Senior LPGA Championship hosted by Sultan’s Run Golf Club
- Karrie Webb is looking to become the first player to successfully defend the Senior LPGA Championship
- Trish Johnson is trying to become a three-time champion of the Senior LPGA Championship
The 2023 Senior LPGA Championship added two more players to the field on Monday afternoon. Sultan’s Run Golf Club is hosting their first LPGA Senior Championship this week and held a Monday Qualifier at the club on June 26. Laura Shanahan Rowe and Yvonne Cox-Holmes were the top-two finishers out of the field of 16 competing on Monday, earning their spots in this week’s field.
Shanahan Rowe has experience in the Senior LPGA Championship, competing in the event in every year it has been played. A T23 finish in 2017 is the Legends of the LPGA veteran’s best result, but she will face a new challenge as she takes on Sultan’s Run for the first time this week.
“The course is beautiful, with a handful of very challenging holes,” said Shanahan Rowe. “You have to hit the right shot to the right areas out here. The elevation changes paired with the wind is what makes this course challenging but coming from New Hampshire it was something I was familiar with and have experience with.”
The New Hampshire native has seven top-10 finishes on the Legends of the LPGA, with a top-20 finish at the 2019 U.S. Senior Women’s Open. In 2019, Shanahan Rowe was inducted into the New Hampshire Golf Hall of Fame and will continue to add to her impressive resume this week.
“I have always had good luck in Indiana, so I am happy to be back,” said Shanahan Rowe. “The first event I qualified for was in Indiana, so I love it here. This course is beautiful, and I am just excited to be here. I made sure I got here and saw the course a couple times before I teed it up because I heard it can be a challenge.”
New to the Senior LPGA Championship is Yvonne Cox-Holmes who finished one shot behind Shanahan Rowe to secure the second qualifying spot for this week’s event. Cox-Holmes was an Epson Tour member from 2001-2005 and competed in the U.S. Women’s Open in 2004. It has been nearly 18 years since Cox-Holmes has competed in a competitive setting of this magnitude, but she is excited for the opportunity and has a strong mindset heading into the week.
“This course and this week are going to be a challenge, but a really fun challenge,” said Cox-Holmes. “This is my first year competing as a senior and I got back into competing after about 18 years, so I am just trying to settle in and enjoy the moment. I have a different mindset at this time because I am not playing for a career anymore, I am playing to just have fun and the pressure is off.”
Laura Shanahan Rowe and Yvonne Cox-Holmes will both tee off in the first round of the Senior LPGA Championship on Thursday, June 29. Tickets are available for purchase at www.sultansrun.com/2023-senior-lpga-championship. One-day tickets are $15 with a 3-day ticket package available for $40.
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