Warrenton ’ s KRIS TSCHETTER , a former LPGA standout , keeps one foot in the game on the Legends circuit while learning the business side working for golf app 18BIRDIES
by LEONARD SHAPIRO
THE KID IN THE CART had a question as he drove toward the far end of the practice range at Stonewall Golf Club in Gainesville . He ’ d just spent several minutes mesmerized by the woman in the pink sweater and khaki pants pounding wedges off the grass that kept dropping out of the sky and landing softly near a flagstick 100 yards away .
“ Is that lady a pro ?” cart-boy asked a man who also happened to be watching all those dead-on shots . Yes she was , he was told . And still is .
LIVING LEGEND The pro in pink with the gorgeous swing so precise was Kris Tschetter , who spent 24 years on the LPGA Tour with one championship trophy from the 1992 Northgate Computer Classic to her credit and countless top 10s , including runner-up in the 1996 U . S . Women ’ s Open at Pine Needles in Pinehurst , when only Annika Sorenstam played better in winning her own first Open title . Overall , Tschetter had 11 top 15 finishes in majors , including runner-up in the ’ 97 Kraft Nabisco Dinah Shore in Palm Springs .
These days , Tschetter is still an active professional golfer . At 51 , she competes on the Legends circuit , the official senior tour of the LPGA for players 45 and older , though it ’ s a far less lucrative version of the men ’ s PGA Tour Champions . The Legends was founded in 2000 by former pro Jane Blalock and does get some support from the LPGA . But Blalock , who runs a marketing company in Boston , handles most of the heavy lifting , arranging for courses , sponsors , prize money and so much more .
There are a dozen Legends tournaments a year , and several companies , including TaylorMade and Walgreens , have their own separate tournaments where senior LPGA players make up the field . The LPGA also has had several events in combination with the tour ’ s developmental Symetra Tour , where the senior players mingle and play with potential future stars of the regular Big Tour .
“ I wouldn ’ t say there ’ s any resentment toward ( the LPGA ),” Tschetter said . “ We sometimes wonder why we can ’ t have a little more support from them . The people who come out and play in the pro-ams in our events are really excited to be there and they enjoy the day . We have a lot of Hall of Famers out there — Nancy Lopez , Betsy King , Julie Inkster , Pat Bradley , Patty Sheehan — and a lot of other great players .
When she ’ s not playing on the LPGA Legends circuit , Kris Tschetter plays a key role for golf app 18BIRDIES as the company ’ s director of community relations .
PHOTO CREDIT HERE
20 V IRGINIA G OLFER | J ANUARY / F EBRUARY 2017 vsga . org