On the 100-plus degree day Cecilie Lundgreen qualified for the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, she put one foot in front of the other and kept praying.
“I said, ‘Please help me just have strength and energy,’” Lundgreen said of her prayers that day.
And those prayers were answered as Lundgreen stepped off the green at the Meadowbrook Country Club outside Richmond, Virginia, on July 9, 2024, and realized she had not only qualified but had won by seven shots. She finished the day with 71 strokes, way ahead of the two next closest competitors, who each finished with 78.
Who is Cecilie Lundgreen?
Cecilie Lundgreen, who often goes by “CC,” is a former professional golfer from Sarpsborg, Norway, renowned for her contributions to the sport both in Norway and internationally. She distinguished herself with an amateur career, which included victories in the Norwegian Junior and Norwegian National golf championships.
She turned professional in 1998, playing on various tours, including the Ladies European Tour, Swedish Golf Tour, and in the South African Women’s Masters.
After 40 years of playing golf, Lundgreen’s career has spanned the globe. She’s played in championships in Europe, Africa and the United States.
Lundgreen is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, after her coach and other golfers introduced her to the gospel in 2002. She wrote about her conversion in a collection of biographies published by Deseret Book in 2012. Lundgreen sees golfing as a great way to share her faith, both on and off the green.
“It changed everything,” Lundgreen said of her conversion. “I never went back to striving for being number one in the world, like I wanted to. I just got a totally different perspective on playing golf and how to do it.”
Lundgreen’s focus turned to doing the Lord’s will.
“He took a small girl from a small town in Sarpsborg, and He managed to do something with me” Lundgreen said of Heavenly Father’s influence in her life. “He uses everyone. As long as we are worthy, He will take us, and He will use us for His good.”
The comeback
Lundgreen’s entire experience of coming out of retirement last year involved a lot of prayer and reliance on Heavenly Father’s direction.
First, she prayed about whether or not she should even start playing competitively again.
After retiring from competitive golf in 2017, Lundgreen’s return to the course has come at a time in her life when she’s managing the Borrregaard Golf Club in Sarpsborg, Norway, helping the young women in the Fredrikstad Ward and the Oslo Norway Stake, and co-running a non-profit called Eyes4Zimbabwe, which helps provide medical assistance for people in Zimbabwe.
With her time spread so thin, Lundgreen didn’t know how she would be able to make time to practice and prepare for such a big competition as the Open, so she prayed the Lord would magnify the time she was able to spend on her swing.
“I said, ‘You know I’m not lazy, You know I’m working. I am exhausted every week,’” Lundgreen said. “‘So if this can happen, You need to help me with this.’”
Lundgreen said Heavenly Father showed His love for her by answering those prayers where she lacked.
“And I know that He is never far away,” she said. “He’ll make things so much greater than you thought possible.”
She then prayed about where she should qualify for the Open and felt directed to play on a course in Richmond, Virginia — one of several options in the United States to qualify. This would require a long flight from Norway to the United States, thousands of miles from home, with just a few days off work before and after the qualifier — leaving little time to prepare.
“I was praying about which [course] would be best for me, and the Lord said this was the place,’” Lundgreen said.
Sabbath Day and temple attendance
In addition to her constant prayers leading up to the U.S. Senior Women’s Open qualifier in July, Lundgreen said she prioritized keeping the Sabbath Day holy and attending the temple.
Rather than spend any time on the green the Sunday before the qualifier, she went to the Washington D.C. Temple and walked the grounds. And then she went to the Richmond Virginia Temple a few days later, along with Southern Virginia University President Bonnie H. Cordon, who served as the Young Women general president from 2018-2023, as a way to show her gratitude to the Lord.
“She’s so good about drawing power from her covenants,” Sister Cordon said of Lundgreen.
In fact, Lundgreen felt it was a tender mercy from Heavenly Father that she was led to the Virginia golf course, so she could spend time with Sister Cordon.
While Lundgreen was in town, Sister Cordon also arranged for some of the golf athletes from Southern Virginia University to spend time with her — and get some golf tips.
“They just came back elated that they were around her,” Sister Cordon said. “And I thought, yeah, that’s CC’s ability to validate and lift others. ... She has an incredible way to weave in her faith wherever she goes.”
Lessons learned
One great thing Sister Cordon admires about Lundgreen is her ability to be grateful for the journey.
“I think there’s a lot of power that comes from being OK with the journey,” Sister Cordon said.
In the actual Open in August at the Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh, Pa., Lundgreen became the first Norwegian to play in the competition, but she was cut after the second round and admits she didn’t play as well as she wanted to. She said this is a lesson she tells the young women in her stake, that “you will not get everything that you want.”
“But for me, it was just the process of getting there, the process of just knowing that He just grabbed hold of me and said, ‘I got you,’” Lundgreen said. “Whatever happened that week of playing the Open had no significance to me, really as much as the process of just totally trusting that Heavenly Father would have my back.”
Lundgreen has served in the Young Women’s organization in the Oslo Norway Stake for over 16 years, including bringing young women from all over Norway to attend general conferences in Salt Lake City. She tries to use her experience and even her title as a professional athlete to influence the youth for good, especially because she attributes keeping the Word of Wisdom with much of her current good health.
“And I tell them that it’s cool, because it actually helps you,” Lundgreen said. “That’s why I could still hit the ball. I might not hit at 300 yards anymore, but 270.”
Lundgreen said she’s learned that Heavenly Father lets each person do their part, and then He makes up the difference. And she wants the youth of the Church to understand that for themselves, too.
“We have to put in the hours, we have to put in the practice, we have to put in the study, we have to put in the time,” she said. “And when we do that, that’s when He’ll come and He’ll make up the difference.”
As for the next U.S. Senior Women’s Open in 2025, Lundgreen isn’t certain yet of her plans. But she knows it is something she will continue to involve Heavenly Father in.
“I know that the Lord loves golf, because He loves me,” she said. “This is all to do about me, and I think that goes for everyone. The Lord loves piano or guitar or whatever. It’s just because it’s what’s important to us.”
