The Sara Lee Classic was a

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

tournament on the

LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekl ...

from 1988 to 2002. It was played at Hermitage Golf Course in

Old Hickory, Tennessee Old Hickory is a neighborhood of metropolitan Nashville located in the Hadley Bend section of eastern Davidson County, Tennessee. Etymology Old Hickory is named in honor of President Andrew Jackson, nicknamed "Old Hickory." History Old Hickory ...

from 1988 to 1999. In 2000, the tournament moved to the Legends Club of Tennessee in

Franklin, Tennessee Franklin is a city in and county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020, its population was 83,454 ...

and changed its name to the Electrolux USA Championship. The tournament was hosted by singers

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist b ...

and

Amy Grant Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the 1980s and 1990s. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christia ...

in its final three years.

Winners

;Aerus Electrolux USA Championship Hosted by Vince Gill and Amy Grant *2002

Annika Sörenstam Annika Charlotta Sörenstam (; born 9 October 1970) is a Swedish professional golfer. She is regarded as one of the best female golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she had won 90 inter ...

;Electrolux USA Championship Hosted by Vince Gill and Amy Grant *2001

Juli Inkster Juli Inkster (born Juli Simpson; June 24, 1960) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. With a professional career spanning 29 years to date, Inkster's 31 wins rank her second in wins among all active players on the LPGA ...

*2000

Pat Hurst Pat Hurst (born May 23, 1969) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. Hurst's mother is originally from Japan and her father is an American of German heritage. She was born in San Leandro, California, and raised in the Ba ...

;Sara Lee Classic *1999

Meg Mallon Meg Mallon (born April 14, 1963) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1987 and won 18 LPGA Tour events, including four major championships, during her career. Mallon was inducted into the World Golf Hall o ...

*1998

Barb Mucha Barb Mucha (born December 1, 1961) is an American professional golfer. Mucha was born in Parma Heights, Ohio. She played college golf at Michigan State University. Prior to joining the LPGA, LPGA Tour in 1987, Mucha won six events on the Futures ...

*1997

Terry-Jo Myers Terry-Jo Myers (born July 23, 1962) is an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour. Myers won three times on the LPGA Tour between 1988 and 1997. Myers suffered from interstitial cystitis throughout her career.Meg Mallon Meg Mallon (born April 14, 1963) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1987 and won 18 LPGA Tour events, including four major championships, during her career. Mallon was inducted into the World Golf Hall o ...

*1995

Michelle McGann Michelle McGann (born December 30, 1969) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. Amateur career Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, McGann was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at age 13 and was a three-time Florida state jun ...

*1994

Laura Davies Dame Laura Jane Davies, (born 5 October 1963) is an English female professional golfer. She has achieved the status of her nation's most accomplished female golfer of modern times, being the first non-American to finish at the top of the LPGA ...

*1993

*1992 Maggie Will *1991

Nancy Lopez Nancy Marie Lopez (born January 6, 1957) is an American former professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1977 and won 48 LPGA Tour events, including three major championships. Amateur career Lopez won the New Mexico Women's ...

*1990

Ayako Okamoto is a Japanese professional golfer. She won 62 tournaments internationally, including 17 on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Early career Okamoto was born in Akitsu, Hiroshima, now part of Higashihiroshima ...

*1989

Kathy Postlewait Kathy Postlewait (born November 11, 1949) is an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the ...

*1988

Patti Rizzo Patrice M. "Patti" Rizzo (born June 19, 1960) is an American professional golfer and golf instructor. Amateur career Rizzo was born in Hollywood, Florida. A collegiate All-American at the University of Miami, among her significant victories as ...

Tournament highlights

*1988: The inaugural version of the tournament is decided in a sudden death playoff involving four players.

birdies the fifth extra hole to defeat

Sherri Turner Sherri Turner (born October 4, 1956) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1984 and won three LPGA Tour events, including one major championship, during her career. Amateur career Turner was born in Greenvil ...

after

Tammie Green Tammie Green (born December 17, 1959) is an American professional golfer. Amateur career Green was born in Somerset, Ohio. She attended Marshall University, where she played golf and basketball. She won four collegiate events, three during her ...

and Kim Williams had previously dropped out on the playoff's first hole. *1991:

, pregnant with her third child, wins by two shots over

Kris Monaghan Kris Monaghan (born August 24, 1960) is an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA ...

. *1995:

wins on the LPGA Tour for the first time. She finished one shot ahead of defending champion

. *2002:

wins the last edition of the tournament by shooting a final round 64 to finish one shot ahead of

. Hurst came to the tournament's final hole tied for the lead but hit a ball into the water leading to a bogey.

1992 fire

Three-time LPGA Tour winner

Cathy Gerring Cathy Kratzert Gerring (born April 28, 1961) is an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour. Born Cathy Kratzert, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, she played college golf at Ohio State University. Gerring won three times on the LPGA To ...

suffered severe burns after finishing her second round of play in that year's Sara Lee Classic. Gerring was in a buffet line at a tournament hospitality tent when a catering employee Mike Singleton tried to restart a fire with denatured alcohol. Flames erupted, engulfing Gerring from the waist up. Gerring was immediately taken to a nearby burn unit. Gerring did not play pro golf again until 1996, but never recovered her form. Three years after the accident, Gerring settled a lawsuit she filed against the catering company whose employee caused the fire to happen.A Sad Fate: Seriously burned in 1992, Cathy Gerring longs to play competitive golf again
/ref>

References

External links

Tournament results (1988-99) at Golfobserver.comTournament results (2000-02) at Golfobserver.comHermitage Golf Course
{{Former LPGA Tour Events Former LPGA Tour events Golf in Tennessee Sports competitions in Nashville, Tennessee 1988 establishments in Tennessee 2002 disestablishments in Tennessee Recurring sporting events established in 1988 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2002 History of women in Tennessee