Angela Stanford: Golf's Newest Senior Major Winner

It’s not how you start, but it’s how you finish. That is the best way to summarize the play of Texas native Angela Stanford during the third and final round of the 6th Senior LPGA Championship (June 29-July 1) at the Sultan’s Run Golf Club in Jasper, Indiana. Stanford, 45, a newcomer to the LPGA Legends Tour, who still plays on the LPGA Tour, shot a bogeyfree seven-under-par round of 65 for a three-round total of 206 (-10) to win by one. Her 65 was both the best round of the day and the tournament. Stanford overcame a five-shot deficit in the final round to beat England’s Trish Johnson, the leader entering the final round, by a single stroke. As well as Stanford played, she needed help from Johnson at the end to win.

When Stanford walked off the 17th green in the third round, she was at -9 while tournament-leader Johnson was four shots ahead at -13, through 16 holes. Johnson had just birdied four straight holes. At that moment, this Senior LPGA Championship appeared to be firmly in the grasp of the 57-yearold Johnson, who also won this tournament in 2017 and 2021 when it was held at The Pete Dye Course in nearby French Lick. The next two holes were a disaster for Johnson, who had parred 17 and 18 during the first two rounds.

Johnson pushed her tee shot at 17 into the deep right rough. That led to a three-putt triple bogey which dropped her to -10. As Johnson struggled on 17, Stanford drained a 15-foot birdie putt at 18 to move to -10. There was a two-way tie at the top. As Stanford was finishing her round, she was unaware of what was happening with Johnson.

“When I saw the leaderboard coming up 18, I saw Trish was at -13,” said Stanford. “I think at that point I was pretty upset because I felt like I didn’t have a chance, which is probably why that (birdie) putt went in. I hit it pretty hard because I was pretty upset with myself.”

Johnson’s triple bogey at 17 presented three scenarios: a birdie at 18 would win the tournament for Johnson; a par at 18 would send Johnson to a sudden-death playoff against Stanford, with a dark sky overhead and rain/lightning-filled clouds just minutes away; or a bogey or worse at 18 would make Stanford the winner. Johnson’s weak tee shot at 18 left her a difficult, uphill shot to the green. Her approach was short left of the green which gave her a manageable up-and-down opportunity to save par. A par for Johnson would send this tournament to ‘overtime.’

Johnson’s chip left her a 12-foot left-to-right par putt. She and her caddy took their time to analyze the line, as she was well aware of the situation. Unfortunately, she didn’t allow enough break and the putt fell off to the right. That gave the title to the surprised and stunned Stanford (71-70-65, -10).

Johnson knows that she squandered a great chance to win.

“My game was great for about 16 holes,” said Johnson, who shot 70-66-71 (-9) for three rounds. “I ended triple, then bogey to finish. Not much more you can say really, just a horrendous finish. It was, obviously, very, very disappointing. Literally throwing the tournament away, but life goes

on. There are worse things.”

Stanford was thrilled to win in her maiden effort on the LPGA Legends circuit.

“This win has changed my life,” said Stanford, whose last tournament victory was the LPGA’s Volunteers of America Classic in Texas in December 2020.

Stanford was the model of consistency for three rounds as she had 42 pars, 11 birdies, and just one bogey.

“I putted well this week,” said Stanford, who knew nothing about the Sultan’s Run GC upon her arrival. “I had never been to this golf course and I had never heard of Jasper, Indiana.”

But, she has now. And, she left Jasper with a positive mindset.

“I’m leaving with more confidence than I had before I came here, that’s for sure,” said Stanford. “I think I just figured some things out, and I got my mind right this week. I have had some confidence issues lately and this week was figuring out how to get back to basics.”

Stanford is the first American to win this senior major as the first five editions were won by England’s Johnson (twice), England’s Laura Davies, Sweden’s Helen Alfredsson, and Australia’s Karrie Webb, the defending champion, who finished third at Sultan’s Run at -8, two shots shy of Stanford. This tournament had a $400,000 pursue. Stanford’s winner’s check was $60,000.