Michigan Golf Journal August 2018

^ƌ͘ >W' ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉ >W' dŽƵƌ tŝŶƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ϰϯ >W' DĂũŽƌ ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉƐ͘ ϲϬ zĞĂƌƐ ĂŐŽ͗ dŚĞ ŚŝƐƚŽƌLJ ŽĨ ǁŽŵĞŶ͛Ɛ ŐŽůĨ at French Lick Resort kicked Žī ŝŶ ϭϵϱϴ ǁŚĞŶ ƚŚĞ ^ŚĞƌĂƚŽŶ ŽƌƉŽƌĂƟŽŶ ŚŽƐƚĞĚ ƚŚĞ &ƌĞŶĐŚ >ŝĐŬ KƉĞŶ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŶ ŇĞĚŐůŝŶŐ LPGA Tour. Louise Suggs ƚƌŝƵŵƉŚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĂƚ ĞǀĞŶƚ ŽǀĞƌ Marlene Hagge. Suggs went on ƚŽ ǁŝŶ ϲϭ ĞǀĞŶƚƐ ŝŶ ŚĞƌ ĐĂƌĞĞƌ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ LJĞĂƌƐ ƚŚĂƚ ĨŽůůŽǁĞĚ͕ ĞƚƐLJ ZĂǁůƐ ĂŶĚ DŝĐŬĞLJ tƌŝŐŚƚ ƉŝĐŬĞĚ ƵƉ ǁŝŶƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ >W' ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉ ŚŽƐƚĞĚ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ŽŶĂůĚ ZŽƐƐ ŽƵƌƐĞ ŝŶ ϭϵϱϵ ĂŶĚ ϭϵϲϬ͘ ^ƵŐŐƐ͕ ZĂǁůƐ ĂŶĚ tƌŝŐŚƚ ǁĞƌĞ ĂůƐŽ ϯ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ϲ original members of the LPGA Hall of Fame. Having hosted one of the ĞĂƌůŝĞƐƚ W' ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉƐ in 1924, followed by the LPGA ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉ ŝŶ ϭϵϱϵͲϲϬ͕ ĂŶĚ ^ĞŶŝŽƌ W' ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉ ŝŶ ϮϬϭϱ͕ ŝƚ ƐĞĞŵĞĚ ŽŶůLJ ĮƫŶŐ that that French Lick be ŝŶǀŽůǀĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ /ŶĂƵŐƵƌĂů ^ĞŶŝŽƌ >W' ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉ͘ Although many years had ƉĂƐƐĞĚ ƐŝŶĐĞ ƚŚŽƐĞ ĞĂƌůLJ ĐŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉƐ͕ &ƌĞŶĐŚ >ŝĐŬ ĞŵďĂƌŬĞĚ ŽŶ Ă ƉĂƚŚ ŝŶ ϮϬϭϯ that would lead the Resort to ďĞ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚĂů ŝŶ ĐƌĞĂƟŶŐ ĂŶĚ ŚŽƐƟŶŐ ƚŚĞ /ŶĂƵŐƵƌĂů ^ĞŶŝŽƌ >W' ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ WĞƚĞ LJĞ ŽƵƌƐĞ͘ &ƌĞŶĐŚ >ŝĐŬ ƐƚĞƉƉĞĚ ƵƉ ŝŶ Ă ďŝŐ ǁĂLJ ĂŶĚ ŚĂŝƌŵĂŶ ŽĨ the Board Steve Ferguson entered into an agreement ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ƚŽƵƌ ƚŽ ŚŽƐƚ Ă ϱϰͲŚŽůĞ ĐŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ŶĞǁůLJͲ ŽƉĞŶĞĚ WĞƚĞ LJĞ ŽƵƌƐĞ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ƌĞĐŽƌĚ ΨϱϬϬ͕ϬϬϬ ƉƵƌƐĞ͘ dŚĂƚ ĞǀĞŶƚ ǁĂƐ ǁŽŶ ďLJ ĂŶĂĚĂ͛Ɛ >ŽƌŝĞ <ĂŶĞ͘ <ĂŶĞ ƐƚĂƚĞĚ͗ ͞/ ĚŽŶ͛ƚ ŬŶŽǁ ŝĨ / ĐŽŶƐŝĚĞƌ ŵLJƐĞůĨ Ă >ĞŐĞŶĚ͕ ďƵƚ / Ăŵ ƚŽƚĂůůLJ ŚŽŶŽƌĞĚ to win this event” zĞĂƌ ƚǁŽ͕ ĚĞƐƉŝƚĞ Ă ƐĞĐŽŶĚ ƌŽƵŶĚ͕ ϵͲƵŶĚĞƌ ƉĂƌ ϲϯ ďLJ Sherri Steinhauer, Laurie Rinker ƚƌŝƵŵƉŚĞĚ ŝŶ Ă ϮͲƌŽƵŶĚ ƌĂŝŶ shortened event. /ŶŬƐƚĞƌ ŵĂĚĞ ŚĞƌ >ĞŐĞŶĚƐ ĚĞďƵƚ ŝŶ ϮϬϭϱ ĂŶĚ ǁŽŶ ƚŚĞ ƟƚůĞ͘ ^ŚĞ ůĂƵŶĐŚĞĚ ŚĞƌ ďŝĚ ĨŽƌ Ă ƌĞƉĞĂƚ ŝŶ ϮϬϭϲ͕ ŚŽǁĞǀĞƌ͕ ŶŐůĂŶĚ͛Ɛ dƌŝƐŚ :ŽŚŶƐŽŶ ŵĂƚĐŚĞĚ her down to the wire and won a ϲͲŚŽůĞ ƐƵĚĚĞŶ ĚĞĂƚŚ ƉůĂLJŽī͘ Feeling the need to further ŐƌŽǁ ŐŽůĨ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ ĨŽƌ the senior women, Ferguson again was instrumental in ĨŽƌŵŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ĮƌƐƚͲĞǀĞƌ DĂũŽƌ ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉ ĨŽƌ ^ĞŶŝŽƌ tŽŵĞŶ͖ dŚĞ ^ĞŶŝŽƌ >W' ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉ͘ dŚĞ ĮĞůĚ ǁĂƐ ĞdžƉĂŶĚĞĚ ƚŽ ϴϭ ƉůĂLJĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ƉƵƌƐĞ ƐĞƚ Ăƚ ΨϲϬϬ͕ϬϬϬ͘ dŚĞ 'ŽůĨ ŚĂŶŶĞů ǁĂƐ brought on to do live television coverage all three days of the ϱϰͲŚŽůĞ ĞǀĞŶƚ͕ ĐŽŶƚĞƐƚĞĚ ŝŶ :ƵůLJ of 2017, where Johnson again ƚƌŝƵŵƉŚĞĚ͘ tŚĞŶ ĂĐĐĞƉƟŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƚƌŽƉŚLJ͕ :ŽŚŶƐŽŶ ƐĂŝĚ͗ ͞WĞŽƉůĞ ĂƐŬ ŵĞ ǁŚĂƚ ŝƐ ŵLJ ĨĂǀŽƌŝƚĞ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ͕ ĂŶĚ / ĂůǁĂLJƐ ƐĂŝĚ ^ƚ͘ ŶĚƌĞǁƐ͘ Ƶƚ / ŚĂǀĞ ƚŽ ƐĂLJ͕ ƚŚŝƐ ƉůĂĐĞ ŚĂƐ ĐĞƌƚĂŝŶůLJ taken over.”