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UGA Senior Champions tied through 36-holes of the LPGA Legends Championship
This was the kind of friendly pairing that evoked a high-five from another player’s caddie in response to a nice par save.
Sue Nyhus and Robin Krapfl, longtime college golf coaches and former Utah Senior State Amateur champions, wish they could have brought out more of each other’s best in Friday’s second round of the LPGA Legends Championship at Copper Rock. But they enjoyed some little victories in a grouping that featured both of the 78-golfer field’s sponsor-exempt players in Hurricane.
(L-R) Sue Nyhus and Robin Krapfl were paired together during the second round of the LPGA Legends Championship at Copper Rock.
And wouldn’t you know, Nyhus (78-80) and Krapfl (77-81) are tied for 49th place, going into the final round at Copper Rock Golf Course. They’ll play in consecutive groups Saturday.
Cristie Kerr acknowledges the Copper Rock crowd after a bridie on the 18th hole to get to (-4) 140 and the lead after 36-holes.
Cristie Kerr, the 2024 runner-up to Angela Stanford at Copper Rock, is the leader. The 47-year-old Kerr (69-71) birdied No. 18 on Friday and is 4 under par, two strokes ahead of Heather Bowie Young (71-71), Giulia Sergas (70-72) and reigning U.S. Senior Women’s Open champion Leta Lindley (69-73).
First-round leader Charlotta Sorenstam (66-77) is tied for fifth place and Stanford (72-74) is tied for 10th.
(L-R) Kareen Larson, Dave DeSantis, Sue Nyhus and Robin Krapfl survey the 9th green at Copper Rock.
Nyhus’ caddie this week is PGA Professional Dave DeSantis, who also played for BYU in the early 1980s and is the father-in-law of Tory Gatrell, Copper Rock’s PGA General Manager. Working with Krapfl is Kareen Larson, the Utah Golf Association’s reigning Senior Women’s Player of the Year and the General Manager of TalonsCove Golf Club.
“It was fun,” Nyhus said. “I’ve known Robin for a really long time. Kareen’s one of my best pals in Utah.”
Krapfl is the only amateur in the field. Her own friendship with Larson via amateur competition explains why the Arizona resident entered last September’s Senior Women’s State Am. Nyhus (BYU/Utah Valley) and Krapfl (Nebraska) became acquainted when the Cougars and Cornhuskers played in some of the same college tournaments.
They seemed destined to end up tied Friday. Each golfer’s only birdie came on the par-5 No. 12, their third hole of the day, while each made two double bogeys, resulting from short-game mistakes.
Nyhus’ most disappointing result of the day actually was a par. She nearly hit the green of the par-5 hole in two shorts, purposely playing from the adjoining No. 2 fairway, but three-putted from the fringe as the afternoon wind played a factor.
“You’re trying to figure out, how much is the wind going to move it on the putt? And I didn’t do that figuring very well. That was a struggle,” Nyhus said. “I had a better ball-striking day. I had some unlucky bounces, which you’re going to get here, so I can’t complain.”
Nyhus and Krapfl watched Suzy Green-Roebuck post a 71 that was keyed by several tough par putts and featured four birdies. That list included an impressive one on their last hole, as the par-4 No. 9 played straight into the wind. Green-Roebuck jumped from a tie for 38th place to a tie for 21st.
2025 LPGA Legends 36-hole leaderboard.
2025 36-hole recap of the LPGA Legends Championship at Copper Rock GC written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photos by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson.