Betsy Rawls
Betsy Rawls | ||
---|---|---|
Personal information | ||
Full name | Elizabeth Earle Rawls | |
Nickname | Betsy | |
Born | Vare Trophy 1959 | | May 4, 1928
Patty Berg Award | 1980 | |
Bob Jones Award | 1996 | |
LPGA 50th Anniversary Commissioner's Award | 2000 |
Elizabeth Earle Rawls (May 4, 1928 – October 21, 2023) was an American
Early life and education
Rawls was the daughter of Robert Miller and Mary Earle Rawls. She was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and moved to Arlington, Texas, in 1940. She went on to graduate from Lovelady High School and enrolled in North Texas Agricultural College (now UT-Arlington) in 1946 as a physics major. As a freshman, she was recognized by faculty and department heads as a "Who's Who" in Physics, and was selected for the Phi Kappa Theta honor society.[1] The following year Rawls transferred to the University of Texas at Austin, where she graduated from with a degree in physics in 1950.[1]
Amateur career
Rawls started playing golf at age 17. She won the Texas Amateur in 1949 and 1950. She also won the 1949 Trans-National and the 1950 Broadmoor Invitational. In 1950, she finished second at the U.S. Women's Open as an amateur.[2]
Professional career
Rawls turned professional in 1951 and joined the
Rawls was the LPGA's president from 1961 to 1962. In 1967, when the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame was created, she was one of the six inaugural inductees. The LPGA recognized her induction year into the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf, 1960, as her official induction year into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame and the
Death
Rawls died in Lewes, Delaware, on October 21, 2023, at the age of 95.[5][6]
Professional wins
LPGA Tour wins (55)
- Sacramento Women's Invitational Open, U.S. Women's Open
- Seattle Weathervane, Cross Country 144 Hole Weathervane, Eastern Open, Women's Western Open, Carrollton Open, Thomasville Open
- Fort Worth 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
- 1960 (4) Babe Zaharias Open, Cosmopolitan Open, U.S. Women's Open, Asheville Open
- Bill Brannin's Swing Parade
- J.E. McAuliffe Memorial
- 1963 (1) Sunshine Women's Open
- Dallas Civitan Open Invitational, Valhalla Open
- Pensacola Invitational, Waterloo Open
- 1968 (1) Mickey Wright Invitational
- LPGA Championship
- Cincinnati Open
- 1972 (1) GAC Classic
LPGA majors are shown in bold.
Other wins (3)
- 1951 Hollywood Four-Ball (with Betty Dodd)
- 1954 Inverness Four-Ball (with Betty MacKinnon)
- 1962 Babe Zaharias Open (tie with Kathy Cornelius)
Major championships
Wins (8)
Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|
1951 | U.S. Women's Open | +5 (73-71-74-75=293) | 5 strokes | ![]() |
1952 | Women's Western Open | 1 up | ![]() | |
1953 | U.S. Women's Open | +6 (75-78-74-75=302) | Playoff1 | ![]() |
1957 | U.S. Women's Open | +7 (74-74-75-76=299) | 6 strokes | ![]() |
1959 | LPGA Championship |
+8 (76-68-69-75=288) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
1959 | Women's Western Open | −1 (70-76-76-71=293) | 6 strokes | Patty Berg |
1960 | U.S. Women's Open | +4 (76-73-68-75=292) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
1969 | LPGA Championship |
+1 (71-72-79-71=293) | 4 strokes | ![]() ![]() |
1 In an 18-hole playoff, Rawls 70, Pung 77.
See also
- List of golfers with most LPGA Tour wins
- List of golfers with most LPGA major championship wins
References
- ^ a b "University of Texas: Elizabeth Earle "Betsy" Rawls". UT Physics History Site. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
- ^ a b "Betsy Rawls – Bio". LPGA. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ a b Myers, Brad (September 4, 2014). "DuPont club to honor Betsy Rawls on Friday". delawareonline. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
- ISBN 978-0-689-11517-2.
- ^ "Betsy Rawls, 4-time US Open champion and top administrator, dies at 95". Associated Press News. October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ Nichols, Beth Ann (October 21, 2023). "Betsy Rawls, a 4-time U.S. Women's Open champion, dies at age 95". Golfweek. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
External links
- Betsy Rawls at the LPGA Tourofficial site
- Betsy Rawls at golf.about.com at the Wayback Machine (archived April 15, 2008)