Virginia Van Wie
Virginia Van Wie (February 9, 1909 – February 18, 1997) was an American amateur
Early life
While at the age of 16 and still attending Lindblom High School in Chicago—in 1925 when the school did not have a golf team—Van Wie first emerged as an extraordinary golfer. In the summer that year, the newspapers first noticed Van Wie when she won the Western Michigan championship and then won the Western Junior championship, and upset several top golfers in other tournaments.
Golf career
In 1926, Van Wie beat the national champion,
U.S. Women's Amateur
Van Wie broke through to national fame in 1932, when she beat Collett for the first of her three consecutive national amateur titles. After winning her final championship in 1934, and based on her performance for the entire year, she earned the 1934 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year[2] and was proclaimed the "world's greatest female golfer."
Curtis Cup
Van Wie was a member of the American team that won the first Curtis Cup[3] played at the Wentworth Golf Club in England in 1932 and was part of the team that won it again in 1934.
Later life
Van Wie retired in 1935 without defending her national title, and then taught golf in the Chicago area for more than thirty years.
Death and legacy
Van Wie died on February 18, 1997, aged 88, at her home in Big Rapids, Michigan.[4] In 1950, she was inducted into the Women's Golf Hall of Fame.
Team appearances
Amateur
- Curtis Cup (representing the United States): 1932 (winners), 1934 (winners)
References
- ^ "Virginia Van Wie". Illinois Golf Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- ^ "AP Female Athlete of the Year". Associated Press. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- ^ "USGA Curtis Cup Results; 1932-Present". United States Golf Association. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- ^ Heise, Kenan (February 22, 1997). "Virginia Van Wie; Won 3 Amateur Golf Titles". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 19, 2018.