Golf great Nancy Lopez headed back to Locust Hill for fundraising event
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Golf legend Nancy Lopez has a reputation for being open and welcoming to young fans who approach her.
“Sometimes you meet your hero, and it’s very disappointing,” said the Hall of Famer, who won three LPGA events at Locust Hill Country Club and played a record 24 tournaments there.
So, she tries to be extra nice. “Making a connection with young fans is always important to me.”
But when they’re really young, like 8 or 9 years old, and they ask her to sign something, 65-year-old Lopez, who first retired from regular tournament play in 2002, will do some digging to find out who actually wants the autograph.
“I’ll say, ‘You’re awfully young to know who I am. Did someone send you?’ And they’ll say, ‘My grandfather talks about you all the time.’ And I’ll say, ‘Not your dad?’ And they’ll say, ‘No, my grandfather.’ And then I feel really old.”
In truth, Lopez, who grew up in Roswell, New Mexico, has been a fan favorite among people of all ages in this area since 1978, when, as a 21-year-old rookie sensation, she won the Bankers Trust Classic at Locust Hill, setting a record for five LPGA tournament victories in a row and cementing her status as an honorary Rochesterian.
“They kind of adopted me,” she said of the people here after that history-making “bonding” experience in ’78, followed by wins in ’80 and ’81. “I felt like I was one of their own.”
On Sunday, July 24, they’ll welcome her back when, for the first time in at least a decade, she’ll visit Locust Hill, which sits in the towns of Henrietta and Pittsford, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of one of her favorite causes, Rochester Rotary Sunshine Camp in Rush.
The fully accessible residential summertime destination for kids with physical challenges (which Lopez will visit July 25) also was the tournament's charitable cause from 1977 to 2013.
Proceeds from July 24 programming — including a brunch, a women’s golf tournament and a barbecue — will benefit the camp, too. All events will be open to the public, and tickets are available at lopez100.com.
Veteran 13WHAM news anchor and longtime Rochester Rotary Club member Don Alhart was the person who asked Lopez to participate, and she didn’t hesitate.
“When Don called me, I was humbled and said I’d love to come,” she said by phone from Colorado. “Rochester really has that special spot in my heart, so I’m excited. I hope a lot of people will come out and be a part of the day.”
Among those she can count on is 16-year-old Julia Zigrossi of Spencerport, who this fall will be a senior at Our Lady of Mercy high school in Brighton.
Years before becoming a Section V golf champion and one of the best high school players in New York state, she was one of those little girls who was prompted to approach Lopez.
Zigrossi, who has verbally committed to play Division I golf next year at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, was around 8 and at a Danielle Downey Classic tournament at Brook-Lea Country Club in Gates with her father, Todd, when he spotted Lopez, who served as chairperson.
“He said, ‘Do you realize who she is? She’s one of the pioneers of women’s golf,’” Zigrossi recalled her dad saying. “You should go up and say hi to her.’ So, I ended up talking with her and took a picture and she signed my cap.”
That was their only encounter, but soon they’ll have a chance to reconnect over something they have long supported — Zigrossi has done volunteer work for Rotary Sunshine Camp for years — at a golf course they love.
Zigrossi, who will participate in the July 24 tournament, is a junior member at Locust Hill and plays there three or four times a week, covering the same ground where the stars aligned repeatedly for Lopez.
“Some golf courses just suit your eye and the shape of your shot," Lopez said. "There are some golf courses that I just really didn’t like or didn’t feel comfortable playing. Locust Hill was always comfortable.”
Except for that time during the ’78 tourney when her drive off the 10th tee went sideways and hit a spectator in the head. “I thought I’d killed him,” said Lopez of Jerry Mesolella. Lopez was shaken and crying when she knelt down to check on Greece dentist, then 40.
And while the ball strike left him with a bloody gash, he wasn’t seriously injured. Later, “I remember looking at my caddie, Rosco Jones, and I said, ‘If I win this tournament, I’m going to dedicate it to that man.’” Lopez did — and also invited Mesolella to her 1979 wedding, which he attended.
She said she's looking forward to being back and seeing the people she came to know during her time in Rochester and how the Locust Hill course has changed.
Oh, and eating white hots. "I love white hots.”
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Nancy Lopez headed back to Locust Hill for fundraising event
