An experience of a lifetime was just getting the opportunity to attend, but University of Detroit Mercy senior Lindsey Lammers (Milan, Mich. / Milan) sweetened the deal just a little more with her play over the weekend at the 2nd Annual Judson Collegiate Pro-Am and Legends Challenge. The four-day event was held at the Country Club of Roswell in Roswell, Ga.
“It was a just phenomenal,” said Lammers. “The course was great and everyone that I met was great from the legends to the other golfers competing to the entire staff. I made so many friends over the weekend.”
Lammers – the reigning Horizon League Player of the Year – started her trip down south by playing with Legend’s golfer Kris Tschetter, a LPGA member for over 20 years, and a pair of sponsors in the Legends Pro-College Stroke & Best Ball Challenge on Friday, July 12. The foursome won that event with a 16-under tally.
“It was a lot of fun and obviously it was great starting the event with a win,” said Lammers. “Kris was great to play with and she stayed in touch with me the whole weekend, calling and asking how I was doing in the college tournament. She shared with me a few things during the day and she was just amazing to play with.”
On Saturday, July 13, the day got started with a bang as the two-time All-Horizon League selection warmed up between the likes of Hall of Famers Betsy King and Nancy Lopez before the beginning of the legends and collegiate tournaments as Lammers played with Women’s Golf Hall of Famer Amy Alcott and BYU’s Gabby Gregory. Alcott has been a member of the LPGA Tour since 1975 and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1999 after winning five major championships and 29 LPGA Tour events in her career.
“I was nervous the entire weekend, but Amy was so personable,” Lammers said. “She talked to us throughout the entire round and not just about golf, but about me, my family and just really getting to know me. We were on the same holes playing and once again she would share her golf experiences with us.”
Lammers would finish the opening round tied for fourth with a 4-over 75, while her teammate for the event Alcott claimed 11th and $3,107.00 in prize money with a 3-over 74. The collegiate competition continued with Lammers carding a 78 in round two and a 75 on the final 18 to finish tied for ninth with a 228.
“I really just had a bad nine holes in the second round,” stated Lammers. “There are a few holes I would love to have back, but I was happy with the way I played with the competition that was there and everything that surrounded the event.”
“I couldn’t be more proud of Lindsey and the way she represented herself and the University,” said head coach Terri Anthony-Ryan. “I think she played extremely well with the talent in the field. This is the first time she has really been healthy in the summer and she will only grow from this experience and continue to get better.”
The 2nd Annual Judson Collegiate Pro-Am and Legends Challenge was put together by five-time Legends Tour champion Rosie Jones – a winner of 13 LPGA Tour events and the 2011 Solheim Cup Captain of Team USA. She teamed up with the Judson Collegiate Invitational Foundation in 2012 to start a new tradition in women’s golf combining some of the nation’s best college players with history’s best professional players.
The weekend featured 30 Legends Tour individuals playing alongside 56 female collegiate golfers in a few different events with part of the proceeds going straight to charity benefitting the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
“I don’t think I ever stopped being nervous and it was great for me to step out of my comfort zone,” added Lammers.
Lammers became the first Titan to be named the Horizon League Player of the Year in 2013 as she posted a school-record 76.2 average to lead the conference. She was in the top five in eight of the nine events she took part in on the season, including a pair of wins, and has five victories in her career which is second all-time at UDM just two away from Alainna Stefan’s (2007-11) seven.
She is a two-time All-Horizon League performer who has been All-Tournament the last two seasons, including winning the conference tournament in 2012 despite not playing a single round in the spring due to an injury and had just three practices heading into the league showdown. She will enter her senior year at Detroit with a school record 78.3 average.
“I have really not played the last two summers because of injuries and everything has been a bit of a roller coaster dealing with the injuries and playing,” said Lammers. “This was easily the highlight of my career and the best five days ever in my life.”