Earlier this month three ladies from the Verdes made their way to Sun City West to participate in the LPGA Legends Tour: Walgreen’s Charity Classic.

Pat Bradley, Jenny Lidback and Martha Nause have a combined 68 years competing as LPGA Tour professionals. All retired from the tour now, they have settled at least part of the year in the Verde Communities.

The Legends Tour is for those who have retired but still have the desire to compete and want to help out the sponsoring charities. In Sun City West, Nause finished the 36-hole event two under par, seven shots behind winner Juli Inkster.

Bradley and Lidback both finished even par for the event, nine shots off the winning score.

“It was a lot of fun,” Bradley said.

“Walgreen’s is a great sponsor.

“At this stage of our lives, we love the opportunity to compete and help charity.”

Asked why they settled in the Verdes and all three answers are similar, and basic – if you play golf, you go where the sun shines.

True, the sun shines much of the year in a lot of places, but all three have something that drew them to the desert.

Bradley, an LPGA Hall of Famer, attended Arizona State University (one semester) and was the winner of the Sun Devil Classic.

In 1986, she also made a connection with long-time Verde resident Jody Anschutz, then Rosenthal. Bradley was the LPGA’s Player of the Year in ’86 and Anschutz was Rookie of the Year. They became friends after the dinner that honored them that year.

Bradley was living in New England and looking for a way to get out during the winter.

“The desert is different,” Bradley said.

“I came full circle to return and ended up at Tonto Verde.

“Tonto (Verde Golf Club) is wonderful. They welcome us and allow us to their facilities to prepare. They have two excellent golf courses where we can relax and work on our game.”

Lidback, originally from Lima, Peru, lived in Scottsdale during her 15-year LPGA Tour career. After spending time in the Atlanta, Georgia area near her parents, Lidback decided to return to the desert a couple of years ago and brought her mother with her.

“We love Arizona and the desert,” Lidback said.

“We have a lot of friends here.”

She counts Anschutz as one of those friends. They have known each other for 40 years, according to Lidback. Jody caddied for her in the final round of the Walgreen’s event.

The Legends Tour has about eight events and Lidback says she will compete in about six.

The followers in the gallery for the Legends events are people who are familiar with the names of the players from their years on the LPGA Tour.

Lidback said it is nice to have fans that are familiar with them from tour days.

Nause has owned a home in Rio Verde for the past two years. Prior to that she spent vacation time here and rented for a few years.

Nause said Rio Verde Country Club has been generous in allowing her to use practice facilities and play rounds occasionally. She said it is great to have players she competed with on the tour nearby.

“We see each other on the practice range and have the opportunity to play together on occasion,” Nause said.

“When you don’t play in a lot of tournaments it is nice to practice with someone with a competitive mindset.

“It is easier to gauge the state of your own game when you can play with someone at your own level.”

This week the LPA Tour is making its Phoenix stop for the JTBC Founders Cup at the Wildfire Golf Club at Marriott’s Desert Ridge.

Bradley will be joined by three other Hall of Fame players for a nine-hole exhibition at about 4 p.m. Saturday, March 19. Bradley will be playing with Nancy Lopez,

Betsy King and Patty Sheehan.