The four practically perfect shots that Utah Golf Hall of Fame member Sue Nyhus delivered to start the LPGA Legends Championship at Copper Rock were only a few of her favorite memories from playing the par-5 opening hole.
She’ll remember her caddie, former BYU golf contemporary Dave DeSantis, telling her on the tee, “You belong.”
She’ll appreciate Devin Dehlin, Executive Director of the Utah Section PGA, following through on the sponsor exemption he helped her receive by running to the first tee to witness her first drive in Hurricane.
And she’ll think about her husband, Steve, who walked alongside her Thursday, representing a family that has framed her life beyond golf.
In an adventurous round that added up to a 6-over-par 78, just below average in the 78-player field, Nyhus produced some highlights. She appeared on the leaderboard after five holes, having carded three birdies and a bogey. Nyhus made consecutive double bogeys, yet she was only 3 over par through 15 holes.
She then produced a 9-2 scoring sequence that almost became an even more improbable 9-1, thanks to a well-placed 9-iron shot on the par-3 No. 17. Her ball landed on the bank to the right and trickled down, catching a lot of the hole as it sharply spun out.
The comeback from the desert-driven quadruple bogey on the previous hole typified how Nyhus battled all day, saving par five times on the last 10 holes via scrambling.
“I was nervous all day,” she said. “I’m exhausted.”
Robin Krapfl, Nyhus’ friend from their college golf coaching tenures, topped her with a more conventional 77, making one birdie and six bogeys. Krapfl is in the field via the Utah Golf Association’s exemption, having won the Senior Women’s State Amateur last September. Krapfl, an Arizona resident, and partner Marci DuBois also were co-champions of the Women’s Spring Open team tournament in St. George in April.
Nyhus and Krapfl are grouped together for Friday’s second round.
Charlotta Sorenstam leads the 54-hole, no-cut event with a 66, followed by 2024 runner-up Cristie Kerr, Leta Lindley and Moira Dunn-Bohls at 69. Two-time defending champion Angela Stanford posted a 72.
The LPGA Legends Championship, booked for Indiana in 2026 and Pennsylvania in ‘27, returned to Copper Rock Golf Course for a second year. That created an opportunity for Nyhus, with organizers adding the Utah Section PGA exemption in the senior major event for golfers 45 and older.
“I’m playing with my people, even though I’m not at their level,” said Nyhus, 62. “To be among women who are older, who are passionate about the game, means so much to me. It makes me feel I’m not so alone.”
She’s in her own Utah women’s pro golf demographic, in other words. And at this stage of life, she said, “You can’t get higher competition” than the LPGA Legends.
That’s why Nyhus was nervous, even while famously having competed in every United States Golf Association available to her since her teens. Aside from the 9 on the par-5 No. 16, caused by a hooked drive, she certainly justified Dehlin’s advocacy and DeSantis’ belief in her.
And when she struck a nice drive on the par-5 No. 12, Nyhus good-naturedly announced, “I knew it was in me.”
2025 LPGA Legends Championship opening round leaderboard.
LPGA Legends Championship opening round recap written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photos by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson.