When the Greater Toledo Golf Classic takes place at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania (July 13-19), young women golf professionals will be on the course to pursue their dreams of making it to the regular LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) tour. This is the second year for the Epson Tour stop here. Last year’s event was a combination Epson and Legends tour tournament, but ladies’ professional golf is not new to the area. From 1984-2024 (with the exceptions of 1986 and 2011) the LPGA tour came to town. That competition had several names including the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic, but it was not the first time the women’s tour came to Sylvania. In 1966, the Glass City Classic took place, also at Highland Meadows.
Although professional women’s golf brings tremendous competition and excitement to the area, local ladies have been playing the game for more than a century. Some were even younger than the players coming to the area in July.
Highland Meadows had a very young women’s club champion in the mid-1930s. Ruth Thomas was fourteen when she won. The feat was so unique that her picture, along with that of runner-up Lucille Bush and club pro Herman Lang, was highlighted. Although Miss Thomas’ family moved from the area a short time later, she went on to play in amateur tournaments for most of her life.
Youngsters like Miss Thomas would have found special competitions for their age group hard to find in the 1930s and early 1940s. Prior to World War II, few formal junior tournaments existed for girls or boys. The USGA (United States Golf Association) conducted the first girls’ championship in 1949, only one year after the first boys’ event.
In the immediate area, the TWDGA (Toledo Women’s District Golf Association) was founded in 1920. The group welcomed girls as young as fifteen, as long as they met the handicap requirements. Young women could also play in the Ohio State Amateur Championship, but many years passed before the state had a competition geared to girls.
In 1977, the first Ohio Girls Golf Championship was played at Marion Country Club, where it continues to be held. Kay Wigton and Andy Fischer, an LPGA pro, founded the event after Ms. Wigton’s daughter was not allowed to participate in the state boys’ tournament, where her sons competed.
Since the 1970s, tournaments for girls have increased in number, as have special programs. The LPGA Foundation and the USGA (United States Golf Association) partner to run LPGA*USGA Girls Golf program. They have sites in over 500 places in the United States. Other organizations sponsor instruction and competitions for both girls and boys.
Today, the Toledo Junior Golf Association—founded in 1973—is a local organization for young golfers. Many of those youngsters will undoubtedly be at Highland Meadows to watch 144 pros play and take inspiration from their excellence.
The Epson tournament not only showcases top women golfers, it supports local children’s charities. Among them are Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity, the Jamie Farr Scholarship Fund of the Greater Toledo Community Foundation, Toledo’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Promedica Ebeid Children’s Hospital, and the Ronald McDonald House of Northwest Ohio. “Hopefully, this year’s tournament will be able to raise $350,000 so we can reach the $15 million mark for overall charitable contributions since the tournament’s inception in 1984,” stated tournament director Judd Silverman. Ticket information for the 2026 Greater Toledo Golf Classic can be found at www.ToledoClassic.com.
Some of those playing in this year’s event may also be in the field next year when the U.S. Women’s Open is held at Inverness Club, June 3-6. Like all open events, that tournament may also include top female amateurs. Qualifying will take place in the spring, but between 80 and 90 players are usually exempt.
The strong interest in golf, especially women’s golf, in the Toledo area remains steady. Fans—young and old—will have plenty of opportunity to watch some of the world’s best female players: in July at Highland Meadows and next June at Inverness.
D.S. Lang is the author of two historical mystery series, one set at a 1920s golf resort. As the daughter of former Highland Meadows and Inverness golf pro, Herman Lang, she got her first set of clubs at the age of four. In addition, Ms. Lang is also a former TWDGA match play champion.
