1956 LPGA Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 21–24, 1956 |
| Location | Bloomfield Hills, Michigan |
| Course(s) | Forest Lake Country Club |
| Tour(s) | LPGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play – 72 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 75 |
| Length | 6,415 yards (5,866 m)[1] |
| Cut | none |
| Prize fund | $6,500 |
| Winner's share | $1,350 |
| Champion | |
 Marlene Hagge | |
| 291 (−9), playoff | |
Forest Lake
Country Club
Country Club
Location in the United States
Forest Lake
Country Club
Country Club
Location in Michigan
The 1956 LPGA Championship was the second LPGA Championship, held June 21–24 at Forest Lake Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a suburb northwest of Detroit.
Marlene Hagge, age 22, won her only major title in a sudden death playoff over runner-up Patty Berg, who missed a bogey putt on the first playoff hole to stay alive.[2][3] The two were co-leaders after 54 holes[4] and both shot 76 (+1) in the final round to tie at 291 (−9), five strokes ahead of third-place finisher Betty Jameson. Defending champion Beverly Hanson finished ten strokes back, tied for sixth.[2]
The course hosted its second major two years later, the U.S. Women's Open in 1958.
Past champion in the field
| Player | Country | Year won | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beverly Hanson |  United States |
1955 | 77 | 75 | 72 | 77 | 301 | +1 | T6 |
Final leaderboard
Sunday, June 24, 1956
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Marlene Hagge | United States |
69-73-73-76=291 | −9 | Playoff |
| Patty Berg | United States |
71-73-71-76=291 | |||
| 3 | Betty Jameson | United States |
74-72-77-73=296 | −4 | 765 |
| 4 | Mickey Wright | United States |
74-74-72-77=297 | −3 | 657 |
| 5 | Joyce Ziske | United States |
73-75-75-77=300 | E | 572 |
| T6 | Alice Bauer | United States |
75-73-75-78=301 | +1 | 456 |
| Beverly Hanson | United States |
77-75-72-77=301 | |||
| T8 | Kathy Cornelius | United States |
79-72-71-80=302 | +2 | 285 |
| Betty Dodd | United States |
77-76-74-75=302 | |||
| Louise Suggs | United States |
72-76-77-77=302 |
Playoff
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marlene Hagge | United States |
5 | E | 1,350 |
| 2 | Patty Berg | United States |
7 | +2 | 945 |
References
- ^ "Marlene's 69 leads field". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associate Press. June 22, 1956. p. 22.
- ^ a b c d e "Marlene grabs LPGA crown in extra holes". St. Petersburg Times. Florida. Associated Press. June 25, 1956. p. 14.
- ^ a b c d "Hagge wins over Berg in LPGA". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Florida. Associated Press. June 25, 1956. p. 6.
- ^ "Patty, Marlene tie up LPGA". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Florida. Associated Press. June 24, 1956. p. 11.