1951 U.S. Women's Open
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | September 13–16, 1951 |
| Location | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Course(s) | Druid Hills Golf Club |
| Organized by | LPGA Tour and Northside Kiwanis Club[3] |
| Tour(s) | LPGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play – 72 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,200 yards (5,670 m)[1] |
| Prize fund | $7,500[2] |
| Winner's share | $1,500 |
| Champion | |
 Betsy Rawls | |
| 293 (+5) | |
Druid Hills
Golf Club
Golf Club
Location in the United States
The 1951 U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship was the sixth U.S. Women's Open, held September 13–16 at Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia.
First-year professional Betsy Rawls, age 23, won the first of her eight major championships, five strokes ahead of runner-up Louise Suggs, the 1949 champion. It was the first of four U.S. Women's Open titles for Rawls, with additional wins in 1953, 1957, and 1960.
Prior to this event, the LPGA Tour petitioned the United States Golf Association (USGA) to take over the championship,[2] which it did two years later in 1953.
Past champions in the field
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louise Suggs |  United States |
1949 | 73 | 79 | 75 | 71 | 298 | +10 | 2 |
| Babe Zaharias | United States |
1948, 1950 | 70 | 78 | 73 | 78 | 299 | +11 | 3 |
| Patty Berg | United States |
1946 | 74 | 75 | 77 | 79 | 305 | +17 | 8 |
| Betty Jameson | United States |
1947 | 76 | 79 | 79 | 77 | 311 | +23 | T14 |
Final leaderboard
Sunday, September 16, 1951
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Betsy Rawls | United States |
73-71-74-75=293 | +5 | 1,500 |
| 2 | Louise Suggs | United States |
73-79-75-71=298 | +10 | 1,000 |
| 3 | Babe Zaharias | United States |
70-78-73-78=299 | +11 | 900 |
| T4 | Marlene Bauer | United States |
71-78-72-79=300 | +12 | 700 |
| Pat Lesser (a) | United States |
75-74-74-77=300 | 0 | ||
| 6 | Beverly Hanson | United States |
78-75-70-79=302 | +14 | 575 |
| 7 | Dot Kirby (a) | United States |
75-76-75-77=303 | +15 | 0 |
| 8 | Patty Berg | United States |
74-75-77-79=305 | +17 | 450 |
| T9 | Mary Lena Faulk (a) | United States |
74-76-78-78=306 | +18 | 0 |
| Kathy McKinnon (a) | United States |
73-80-73-80=306 |
Source:[1]
References
- ^ a b "Rawls, first-year pro, wins Open by 5 strokes". Miami News. Associated Press. September 17, 1951. p. 3B.
- ^ a b "Women golfers ask blessing of USGA". Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. September 7, 1951. p. 11.
- ^ "National Women's Open set Sept. 13". Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. January 28, 1951. p. 10.
External links
- USGA final leaderboard
- U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship
- U.S. Women's Open – past champions – 1951