Louisville golfer playing with memory of father after qualifying for the U.S. Women's Senior Open

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- When she heard in 2015 that the United States Golf Association was adding a Senior Women's Open, starting a few years later, Christine Ridenour Lindsey called the guy who first taught her the game and had long caddied for her in events.

"I said 'Dad, you won't believe it but the USGA is going to have a senior women's open and in 2022, I'll be eligible to play. I'll be 50,'" Ridenour Lindsey said. "I said, 'I think we should try to qualify' and he said 'I think that's a great idea' and then he said, 'Wait a second, when you're 50, I'll be 80, so I'm not sure I'll be able to caddy.' I said 'That's OK dad, I'll be able to get another caddy. You can just be there to watch and who knows, maybe I'll make it.'"

Her father Jim passed away suddenly just months later, prompting Ridenour Lindsey to write him a note and include it with a picture of the last time he had caddied for her in the 2021 Kentucky Open. It was tucked into the pocket of the sport coat in which he was buried.

Louisville golfer qualifies for the U.S. Women's Senior Open — Christine Ridenour Lindsey will be playing with the memory of her dad as she qualified for the U.S. Women's Senior Open.

"And I said that I would do my best to get to the 2022 Senior Women's Open, seven years down the road," Ridenour Lindsey said of the note. "It would be tough to do it without him but I would keep working at it and try to get there and try to make him proud."

Ridenour Lindsey played in college at Stetson University and for a time, on the mini-tour before settling in as an assistant pro to Kevin Greenwell at both Shawnee and Seneca golf courses. He started teaching her at age 12 and still gives her the occasional lesson.

She has been in real estate for the last 15 years with competitive golf limited to mostly the Kentucky Open, an event she won 20 years ago.

So perhaps she had some help as she qualified last week in Columbus, Ohio, for her first USGA event.

"She had promised her dad," said Greenwell. "So, I think that was important to her. Yeah, I think she's got fate on her side for that but it's quite an achievement for someone that's not doing it every day to get there."

"Afterwards there were tears. There were tears shed," Ridenour Lindsey said. "Tears of happiness, tears that I was sad that my dad wasn't there. And I know he would have been proud."

There's no doubt about that.

Ridenour left the scorecard from last week's qualifier at her father's grave this week with a note saying "Dad, we did it! Love, me."