Columbus North’s Erin Hopkins hits a chip shot on No. 4 during a golf match against Perry Meridian Aug. 12, 2024 at Harrison Lake Country Club. Harrison Lake will host a major event on the LPGA Legends Tour in 2026.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
When Otter Creek Golf Course hosted the LPGA Epson Tour the past two summers, officials from women’s golf’s governing body ventured across town to play the newly-renovated Harrison Lake Country Club.
The officials liked what they saw. They were so impressed that they awarded Harrison Lake one one of the four major events on the LPGA Legends Tour — the women’s senior tour — for 2026.
“Once our renovation was done, after Tim Liddy completed our renovation, the Legends team came in and played Harrison Lake during the Epson Championship and asked if we’d be interested, said Austin Wright, director of golf at Harrison Lake and Otter Creek. We’re excited to bring major championship golf to Columbus, Indiana. It’s hard to say ‘no’ to that.”
The LPGA Legends at Harrison Lake will take place May 29-31. Players and officials will start arriving May 26, the day after Memorial Day.
“We’ve known that we were going to host it for probably a few months, but it wasn’t official until just recently because we were trying to figure out where we were going to be in the schedule,” Wright said following Wednesday’s announcement in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, which was awarded the 2027 event.
Harrison Lake plays about 6,500 yards from the tips. Wright said the ladies likely will play from 5,800 to 6,200 yards.
“We are thrilled to host the LPGA Legends on the re-imagined Harrison Lake,” Wright said. “We have hosted the Epson Tour the past two seasons at Otter Creek, and now to bring in the generation that inspired the current Epson Tour players is thrilling for a city the size of Columbus, Indiana. After our redesign, the course is ready to host the best players in the world. Even at 6500 yards, it’s very challenging, and we are excited to see how the Legends fare.”
Otter Creek currently is undergoing a similar renovation. Its 18-hole championship course will stay open through the end of this year, with renovations likely starting in the spring.
Wright is hopeful more big events will come to Columbus in the future.
“Obviously, this year will tell us a lot, how the golf course holds up to the best players in the world,” Wright said. “We fully believe, especially after Otter Creek is done with their renovations, that Otter and Harrison Lake is more than ready to host events like this.”
