Betsy Rawls
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| Betsy Rawls | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Elizabeth Earle Rawls |
| Nickname | Betsy |
| Born | May 4, 1928 Spartanburg, South Carolina |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| College | University of Texas |
| Turned professional | 1951 |
| Former tour(s) | LPGA Tour (joined 1951) |
| Professional wins | 58 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| LPGA Tour | 55 |
| Other | 3 |
| Best results in LPGA Major Championships (Wins: 8) |
|
| Western Open | Won: 1952, 1959 |
| Titleholders C'ship | 2nd: 1952, 1953, 1959 |
| LPGA Championship | Won: 1959, 1969 |
| U.S. Women's Open | Won: 1951, 1953, 1957, 1960 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| World Golf Hall of Fame | 1960 (member page) |
| LPGA Tour Money Winner |
1952, 1959 |
| LPGA Vare Trophy | 1959 |
| Patty Berg Award | 1980 |
| Bob Jones Award | 1996 |
Elizabeth Earle "Betsy" Rawls (born May 4, 1928) is an American professional golfer.
Rawls was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. After attending the University of Texas, Rawls joined the LPGA Tour in its second season in 1951. She won 55 tournaments on the tour, including eight major championships. She topped the money list in 1959 and finished in the top ten nine times between its introduction in 1957 and 1970.
Following her retirement from tournament play, she became a tournament director for the LPGA Tour.[1]
In 1996, she was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.
Contents |
[edit] Breast cancer
Rawls was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999 and has no evidence of the disease as of 2006. "Looking back, it was a small blip in my life," Rawls said from her office in Wilmington, Delaware.[2]
[edit] Professional wins
[edit] LPGA Tour wins (55)
- 1951 (2) Sacramento Women's Invitational Open, U.S. Women's Open
- 1952 (8) Houston Weathervane, Bakersfield Open (tied with Marlene Hagge, Betty Jameson and Babe Zaharias), Seattle Weathervane, Cross Country 144 Hole Weathervane, Eastern Open, Women's Western Open, Carrollton Open, Thomasville Open
- 1953 (4) Barbara Romack Open, Eastern Open, U.S. Women's Open, Fort Worth Open
- 1954 (3) Tampa Women's Open, St. Louis Open, Texas Open
- 1955 (1) Carrollton Open
- 1956 (3) Tampa Open, Sarasota Open, Peach Blossom Open
- 1957 (5) Tampa Open, Lake Worth Open, Peach Blossom Open, U.S. Women's Open, Reno Open
- 1958 (2) Tampa Open, St. Petersburg Open
- 1959 (10) Lake Worth Open, Royal Crown Open, Babe Zaharias Open, Land of the Sky Open, Triangle Round Robin, LPGA Championship, Mt. Prospect Open, Women's Western Open, Waterloo Open, Opie Turner Open
- 1960 (4) Babe Zaharias Open, Cosmopolitan Open, U.S. Women's Open, Asheville Open
- 1961 (2) Cosmopolitan Open, Bill Brannin's Swing Parade
- 1962 (1) J.E. McAuliffe Memorial
- 1963 (1) Sunshine Women's Open
- 1964 (2) Dallas Civitan Open Invitational, Valhalla Open
- 1965 (2) Pensacola Invitational, Waterloo Open
- 1968 (1) Mickey Wright Invitational
- 1969 (1) LPGA Championship
- 1970 (2) Dallas Civitan Open, Cincinnati Open
- 1972 (1) GAC Classic
LPGA majors are shown in bold.
[edit] Other wins (3)
- 1951 Hollywood Four-Ball (with Betty Dodd)
- 1954 Inverness Four-Ball
- 1962 Babe Zaharias Open (tie with Kathy Cornelius)
[edit] Major championships
[edit] Wins (8)
| Year | Championship | Winning Score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | U.S. Women's Open | +5 (73-71-74-75=293) | 5 strokes | Louise Suggs |
| 1952 | Women's Western Open | 1 up | Betty Jameson |
|
| 1953 | U.S. Women's Open | +6 (75-78-74-75=302) | Playoff1 | Jackie Pung |
| 1957 | U.S. Women's Open | +7 (74-74-75-76=299) | 6 strokes | Patty Berg |
| 1959 | LPGA Championship | +8 (76-68-69-75=288) | 1 stroke | Patty Berg |
| 1959 | Women's Western Open | -1 (70-76-76-71=293) | 6 strokes | JoAnne Gunderson (a), Patty Berg |
| 1960 | U.S. Women's Open | +4 (76-73-68-75=292) | 1 stroke | Joyce Ziske |
| 1969 | LPGA Championship | +1 (71-72-79-71=293) | 4 strokes | Susie Berning, Carol Mann |
1 In an 18-hole playoff, Rawls 70, Pung 77.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Gettin' to the Dance Floor: An Oral History of American Golf, by Al Barkow, 1986.
- ^ Dolch, Craig (October 28, 2006). "Wright, 82-Time LPGA Winner, Has Surgery For Breast Cancer". The Palm Beach Post: p. 1C.
[edit] External links
- Betsy Rawls at the LPGA Tour official site
- Betsy Rawls bio at about.com
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