Women’s professional golf is returning to Salisbury.
A field of up to 144 Futures Golf
Tour players is likely to enter an unexpected tournament at the Country Club of Salisbury
June 24-25.
‘‘The tournament was to
be held in Durham,’’ said Chairman Jim Hurley, ‘‘but when sponsors
backed out Friday, Eloise Trainor of the Futures called to see if Salisbury would fill in
at the last minute.’’
Directors of the Country Club
agreed, and the tournament committee will try to repeat past successes with women’s
professional golf. Salisbury was voted the players’ favorite stop in a straw vote.
The Futures will provide the
$40,000 purse. Salisbury will provide the golf course and funds for range balls, carts and
amenities such as evening meals and cookouts.
Betty Jean Brittain will return as
chairman of housing for up to 110 players. Jayne and Joel Hubbard will be chairmen of
volunteers, who will drive carts during the tournament and help keep scoring records and
scoreboards.
Tentative plans call for practice
rounds on Tuesday, June 22, with housing registration the same day, followed by a
welcoming cookout around the poole.
The Sponsors Pro-Am will take
place Wednesday, June 23, followed by relay races and a buffet dinner.
The 36-hole tournament will take
place Thursday and Friday.
The Salisbury Classic was held
here for 14 years from 1982 to 1995. Multiple LPGA winners who played here are Juli
Inkster, Karrie Webb, Tammie Green, Meg Mallon, Jane Geddes, Cindy Flom, Sherri
Steinhauer, Danielle Ammaccapane, Barb Mucha, Sherri Turner, Maggie Will and Jody
Anschutz.
Inkster set the course record with
an 8-under-par tournament in 1983. Dianne Dickman set the 18-hole course record by
shooting a 66 in 1987.
The tournament was discontinued
after 1995 when the Futures began playing in larger towns with larger purses. |
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