Many of the greatest names in women’s golf history are playing in Kentucky this weekend.

Twenty-eight icons of women’s professional golf, who combined to win more than 750 tournaments, have descended upon The Woodford Club in Versailles this week for the inaugural Woodford Legends Invitational.

The event featured a full week of events that will conclude Friday and Saturday with a 36-hole professional tournament showcasing some of the greatest names in the sport.

Legends of the LPGA, the official senior tour of the LPGA, makes its return to The Woodford Club after a successful two-day preview event last October.

This weekend’s tournament, an 18-hole, two-woman scramble, will pit 14 duos of LPGA legends against each other.

Entrants include LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famers Amy Alcott and Pat Bradley, World Golf Hall of Famers Laura Davies and Hollis Stacy, 29-time LPGA winner Jane Blalock, two-time major winner Jane Geddes, 13-time tour winner Rosie Jones and former University of Kentucky standout Nancy Scranton.

Blalock said the Legends Tour allows for some of the biggest names in the history of the LPGA to continue competing while also making a difference.

“We have the recognizable names, and we have the personalities and the true characters,” Blalock said. “And the one thing that our entire group has been known for, they’re so amicable. They relate to the gallery, they spend time chatting with the gallery — except before trying to make a 3-foot putt — and we have always been so good with young women, and young men, as well. Doing clinics, really encouraging them, helping them along and setting the bar. This is a great game; it’s a game of a lifetime, and age doesn’t matter. That’s, to me, the greatest thing about the game of golf.”

Six Kentucky area amateur duos will also compete in the event, a group including UK’s Laney Frye and EKU’s Claira Beth Ramsey. The team format, Blalock said, is enticing for greats who may not be interested in individual tournaments anymore, but are looking to reunite with friends and former competitors, like Bradley.

“One thing a team event does is it draws the best players,” Blalock said. “... That’s one of the reasons we thought this would be really special.”

The Woodford Invitational, the fifth stop on the 2024 Legends Tour schedule, is also a welcome addition to the calendar for former LPGA players who played in The Bluegrass Invitational at Hunting Creek Country Club (Prospect, Ky.) from 1965-74.

“We’re thrilled about Kentucky,” Blalock said. “... So we played (The Bluegrass Invitational) for a long time, but there’s been rather a lengthy absence, so we think this will be truly exciting. ... This event is going to make a big difference for our tour, it’s going to make a difference for the community, and I think we’re going to be in Versailles for many, many years to come.”

The Woodford Legends Invitational also featured community events throughout the week at the The Woodford Club, including the EmpowerHer Luncheon presented by Women Leading Kentucky, which hosted women leaders from the central Kentucky community and beyond to discuss the unique perspective of women in leadership in and outside of male-dominated industries, and the importance of spaces that both celebrate and lend a hand to the next generation while highlighting the challenges and achievements of innovating women who came before.

Guest speakers included Kentucky Lieutenant Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, and a trio of medical professionals — retired heart surgeon Dr. Pamela Roberts, psychologist and owner of True North Counseling and Development, Dr. Janelle McNeal, and Plan Performance Medical Director for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kentucky, Dr. Lori Caloia.

The luncheon emphasized confidence, health and empowerment for women as they advocate for themselves in pursuit of their goals and passions — an appropriate thesis statement, not only for the spirit of The Woodford Invitational, but also the Legends of the LPGA.

“When you count yourself out, and you are in situations where maybe you suffer from imposter syndrome,” Coleman said, “... the best thing you can do is say, ‘What advice would I give my younger self?’ Because that’s the right answer.”

World Golf Hall of Famer and LPGA trailblazer Jan Stephenson, an accomplished member of the Legends Tour and the winner of October’s event at The Woodford Club, spoke to that concept, as well as the benefits of the Legends Tour and tournaments like The Woodford Invitational at a recent media day.

“It’s hard because the (LPGA) Tour has changed so much,” Stephenson said. “In the old days, we all kind of got together and we knew what it would take to keep it going. … But I think that’s why we always still try to do the best we can for other people because … you need to encourage golfers and see what you can do. And especially at our age, that we still love to play and have so much fun. I think that’s going to be good for this tournament.”

The Woodford Legends Invitational will take place Friday and Saturday at The Woodford Club in Versailles. Gates will open at 8:30 a.m., with tee times beginning at 10 a.m. on Hole 1. Free spectator parking is available at The Woodford Club clubhouse and club grounds, with shuttles available to transport fans to the hospitality area.

Tickets are available on The Woodford Club Foundation website for $15 per day, or $20 at the gate. Two-day passes are also available in advance for $20. Spectators aged 17 and under get in free.

Woodford Legends Invitational teams

LPGA Legends two-person teams:

▪ Amy Alcott and Tammie Green

▪ Jane Blalock and Patricia Meunier-Lebouc

▪ Pat Bradley and Jamie Fischer

▪ Elaine Crosby and Nancy Scranton

▪ Laura Davies and Trish Johnson

▪ Pat Hurst and Wendy Ward

▪ Rosie Jones and Michele Redman

▪ Michelle McGann and Laura Diaz

▪ Becky Morgan and Catriona Matthew

▪ Liselotte Neumann and Jane Geddes

▪ Hollis Stacy and Martha Leach (a)

▪ Sherri Steinhauer and Lisa DePaulo

▪ Brandie Burton and Alicia Dibos

▪ Suzy Whaley and Leta Lindley

Kentucky amateurs two-person teams:

▪ Laney Frye and Claira Beth Ramsey

▪ Madison Borders and Cathryn Brown

▪ C.A. Carter and Athena Singh

▪ Abbie Lee and Faith Martin

▪ Abigail Caine and Anika Okuda

▪ Susan Stewart and Elizabeth Eberle