Leta Lindley Ready to Defend Title on Home Turf

Leta Lindley’s wonderful ride through the world of golf has wound its way back home. The defending champion at the 7th U.S. Senior Women’s Open seeks to become the first repeat winner in this championship and at San Diego Country Club no less, where she played a lot of junior golf.

Lindley, who held off Kaori Yamamoto by two strokes to win last year’s Senior Women’s Open at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh, grew up in Carlsbad Calif., 40 miles north of Chula Vista and graduated from Carlsbad High School. From age 10 until she headed off to play college golf at the University of Arizona, she competed in junior events all over Southern California and San Diego C.C. was always special for her.

“It’s one of my favorite courses,” Lindley said on Monday before she re-familiarized herself with the course in a practice round. “I’ve always loved it. In junior golf, for a one-dollar entry fee we got a hot dog, a soda, a bag of chips and got to play San Diego Country Club. Not a bad deal.”

She also played in the 1993 U.S. Women’s Amateur here, losing in the round of 16 to eventual winner Jill McGill, who also won the 1994 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links and the 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Open.

“I took her to the 18th hole,” Lindley said with a sly smile from beneath her trademark oversized visor.

Lindley played on the LPGA Tour from 1995 through 2012, winning once and finishing a career-best T-5 in the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open. She was also second in the 1997 Women’s PGA Championship and T-9 in the 2002 Chevron Championship. She’s won three times on the Legends of the LPGA Tour, including that major last year at Fox Chapel.

Asked what she’s been doing since winning the Senior Women’s Open, Lindley said: “Enjoying my beautiful trophy,” punctuating her words with that Cheshire cat grin.

Lindley says the biggest challenge is not practicing but competing.

“I compete six or eight times a year,” she said. “I play some state opens to stay competitively sharp, some Legends Tour events. There is no substitute for competitive pressure. That’s something you can’t practice. You only get it by playing in championships.”

She handled that pressure brilliantly at Fox Chapel, opening with a 69, followed by two even-par rounds of 71 then closing with a scintillating 64 to finish 9-under-par 275. Only five players broke par for the week on an extremely challenging layout.

Lindley proved at Fox Chapel that you are never too old to learn. After finishing second in the U.S. Senior Women’s Open in 2022 to McGill and 2023 to Trish Johnson, she erased a five-stroke deficit starting the final round to win by two strokes over Yamamoto, the 54-hole leader.

“There’s no words,” Lindley said with the champion’s trophy sitting next to her at Fox Chapel. “I’d been dreaming about that day for so long, three years since I turned 50, and I’ve imagined myself hoisting this trophy and winning this championship, and I dared to dream big. It’s just so satisfying to stand here now as your champion”

Lindley, whose roommate at Arizona was Annika Sorenstam, was paired with her in the final round at Fox Chapel. Sorenstam had the pedigree – three U.S. Women’s Open championships and the 2021 U.S. Senior Women’s Open – but on that Sunday Lindley had the game.

She started with four birdies in her first six holes and played bogey-free, her winning margin two strokes only because Yamamoto birdied the final two holes to make the outcome look closer than it was.

“I’m excited to go back to San Diego Country Club where I grew up and to be the reigning champion,” Lindley said.

Asked how winning the U.S. Senior Women’s Open has changed her life, she loses that ever-present smile and answers with earnest sincerity.

“I am a major champion now,” she said firmly. “My husband says they can never take that away from you. You’ll always be a major champion.”

That journey from a 10-year-old kid savoring a hot dog, chips and soda began in Southern California and now Lindley returns to San Diego Country Club, a venue that knows a thing or two about history.

Mickey Wright started at San Diego C.C. as a junior golfer and returned to win her record fourth U.S. Women’s Open here in 1964. Billy Casper, a two-time U.S. Open champion, played here and so did Gene Littler, who won the 1953 U.S. Amateur and the 1961 U.S. Open. All three are in the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Now Lindley tries to make some history of her own by doing in 2025 what she did in 2024 – win the U.S. Senior Women’s Open. The winners list of the U.S. Senior Women’s Open is a roll call of greatness: Laura Davies, Helen Alfredsson, Sorenstam, McGill, Johnson and Lindley.

No one has won it twice, let alone back to back. This week, Lindley will be playing for more than a hot dog, soda and chips. She’s playing for greatness.

Ron Sirak is a Massachusetts-based freelance writer whose work has previously appeared on USGA websites.