West Hartford, Connecticut (June 3, 2025) – On a picture-perfect day, Yvonne Cox-Holmes fired a stellar 6-under 65 to sprint out to a five-shot first round lead at the 26th Connecticut Women’s Open hosted by Hartford Golf Club.
Cox-Holmes, a member of the Legends of the LPGA Tour, stumbled out of the gates with consecutive bogeys on Nos. 1 and 2 but one swing on the par-4 third hole changed the complexion of her day.
“I think the two bogeys actually helped me settle into the round,” said Yvonne Cox-Holmes. “I’ve been fighting a few things the last few weeks, and then on the third, I hit a really good iron shot to about six inches that resulted in a birdie. I felt something then, and I thought this is what I’ve been working on. So we just went with that for today, and it worked out.”
Once Cox-Holmes (Cumming, GA) found her swing there was no looking back. The 2024 South Carolina Women’s Senior Open champion birdied the par-3 sixth and par-4 seventh to move into the red for the first time and then stepped on the accelerator with four straight birdies on Nos. 9-12 to jump to 5-under.
Birdies from 25 feet on Nos. 10 and 11 highlighted Cox-Holmes’ run as she quickly separated from the rest of the field. With her lead growing, Cox-Holmes eased her way to the clubhouse recording pars on Nos. 13-17 before capping off her day with her eighth birdie of the round on the closing par-4 18th.
However, despite a comfortable lead heading into the final round, Cox-Holmes isn’t changing her game plan. “No different. It’s still fairways, greens, pick your targets, and make the swings. My approach doesn’t change from one hole to the next or one round to the next.”
In many ways, Cox-Holmes is just happy to be in a position to win. In the early 2000s, Cox-Holmes played on the Futures Tour, now the Epson Tour, but in 2005 she decided to retire. Over a decade later someone very close to Cox-Holmes helped convince her to get back into the game. That decision has been paying dividends.
The last three years she has been competing on the Legends on the LPGA Tour and, “is enjoying golf more now than I ever have. I’m just in a good place in my life and it allows me to have the wisdom and the mindset to be able to come out and be competitive again.”
So far in her first Connecticut Women’s Open, Cox-Holmes has been more than competitive and on Wednesday she will look to etch her name onto another trophy.
Rounding out the top five heading into the final round are Elizabeth Moon (Orlando, FL) and Jennifer Rosenberg (Syosset, NY) in a tie for second at 1-under while 2011 winner Jordan Lintz (Blackhawk CC) is in fourth at 1-over. In a tie for fifth at 2-over are Mackenzie Whitney (Westminster, MA), Maisie Filler (Hartford GC), Alexis Hios (Birchwood CC), and Catherine Qiu (Great Falls, VA).
In the Senior Division Patricia Beliard (France) leads the way at 2-over followed by 2009 champion CJ Reeves (Bedford, NY) at 6-over in second place. Jen Holland (Lyman Orchards GC) and Elizabeth Kelley (MCC) share third at 10-over while Debbie Johnson (Blackhawk CC), Lisa Fern-Boros (Highland GC), and Darlene Tranquilli (eClub of Connecticut) share fifth at 11-over.
The final round of the 26th Connecticut Women’s Open will begin at 8 a.m.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut Women’s Open is one of 20 championships conducted by the Connecticut State Golf Association. The CSGA functions as an extension of the USGA and provides stewardship for amateur golf in Connecticut. Founded in 1899, it is the country’s oldest state golf association and conducts over 60 Championships, Qualifiers, and One Day Tournaments throughout the year.
