1955 U.S. Women's Open

Last updated
1955 U.S. Women's Open
Tournament information
DatesJune 30 – July 2, 1955
Location Wichita, Kansas
Course(s)Wichita Country Club
Organized by USGA
Tour(s) LPGA Tour
Format Stroke play – 72 holes
Statistics
Par72
Length6,330 yards (5,788 m) [1]
Prize fund $7,500
Winner's share$2,000
Champion
Flag of Uruguay.svg Fay Crocker
299 (+11)
  1954
1956  
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Wichita CC
USA Kansas relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Wichita CC

The 1955 U.S. Women's Open was the tenth U.S. Women's Open, held from June 30 to July 2 at Wichita Country Club in Wichita, Kansas. It was the third conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA).

Contents

Fay Crocker led wire-to-wire [2] and won the first of her two major championships, four strokes ahead of runners-up Mary Lena Faulk and Louise Suggs. [1] From Uruguay, Crocker was the first international winner of the U.S. Women's Open. She posted a 72 in the second round on Friday in difficult blustery conditions, with winds of 40 mph (64 km/h), and had an eight shot lead after 36 holes. [3] A 79 (+7) in the wind in the third round on Saturday morning reduced it to a single stroke over Faulk, with Suggs another two strokes back.

Defending champion Babe Zaharias did not compete due to back surgery; [4] she also missed the 1953 edition due to colon cancer surgery and died in 1956. [5] [6]

This was the second U.S. Women's Open played in Wichita; the first in 1950 was at Rolling Hills Country Club.

Final leaderboard

Saturday, July 2, 1955

PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney ($)
1 Flag of Uruguay.svg Fay Crocker 74-72-79-74=299+112,000
T2 Flag of the United States.svg Mary Lena Faulk 77-77-72-77=303+151,125
Flag of the United States.svg Louise Suggs 79-77-72-75=303
4 Flag of the United States.svg Jackie Pung 79-76-76-75=306+18750
5 Flag of the United States.svg Patty Berg 78-80-78-71=307+19600
T6 Flag of the United States.svg Polly Riley (a)80-78-74-77=309+210
Flag of the United States.svg Jackie Yates (a)76-79-76-78=309
8 Flag of the United States.svg Pat Lesser (a)81-76-79-75=311+230
T9 Flag of the United States.svg Beverly Hanson 87-76-77-72=312+24450
Flag of the United States.svg Betty Jameson 83-77-76-76=312

Source: [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babe Didrikson Zaharias</span> American golfer and athlete

Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias was an American athlete who excelled in golf, basketball, baseball, and track and field. She won two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Summer Olympics before turning to professional golf and winning 10 LPGA major championships.

The Women's Western Open was an American professional golf tournament founded in 1930. The LPGA was established in 1950, and it recognized the Western Open as one of its major championships through 1967. All of the events back to 1930 have been designated as majors by the LPGA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marilynn Smith</span> American professional golfer (1929–2019)

Marilynn Louise Smith was an American professional golfer. She was one of the thirteen founders of the LPGA in 1950. She won two major championships and 21 LPGA Tour events in all. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

The 1948 U.S. Open was the 48th U.S. Open, held June 10–12 at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, northwest of Los Angeles. Ben Hogan won the first of his four U.S. Open titles at the course that became known as "Hogan's Alley," as it was his third win at Riviera in less than 18 months. He had won the Los Angeles Open at the course in early 1947 and 1948. It was the third of Hogan's nine major titles; he had won his second PGA Championship a few weeks earlier. He was only the second to win both titles in the same year, joining Gene Sarazen in 1922. Later winners of both were Jack Nicklaus in 1980 and Tiger Woods in 2000.

The Babe Zaharias Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1953 to 1967. It was played in Beaumont, Texas at the Beaumont Country Club from 1953 to 1964 and at the Bayou Din Golf Club from 1965 to 1967. Babe Zaharias, LPGA co-founder and Beaumont resident, hosted the tournament until her death in 1956. She won the first edition of the event.

The Peach Blossom Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1953 to 1966. It was played at the Spartanburg Country Club in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Betsy Rawls, Spartanburg native, hosted the event.

The Eastern Women's Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1949 to 1961. It was played at four different courses in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

The All American Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1943 to 1957. It was played at the Tam O'Shanter Country Club in Niles, Illinois. It was played concurrently with the men's All American Open on the PGA Tour as well as All American Amateur events. Some of the pre-1950 events are considered official LPGA wins.

The U.S. Women's Amateur is the leading golf tournament in the United States for female amateur golfers. It is played annually and is one of the 13 United States national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association (USGA). Female amateurs from all nations are eligible to compete and there are no age restrictions. It was established in 1895, one month after the men's U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open. It is the third oldest USGA championship, over a half century older than the U.S. Women's Open, which was first played in 1946. Along with the British Ladies Amateur, the U.S. Women's Amateur is considered the highest honor in women's amateur golf.

The 2002 U.S. Women's Open was the 57th U.S. Women's Open, held July 4–7 in Kansas at Prairie Dunes Country Club, northeast of Hutchinson, about forty miles (65 km) northwest of Wichita.

The 1958 U.S. Women's Open was the 13th U.S. Women's Open, held June 26–28 at Forest Lake Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a suburb northwest of Detroit. It was the sixth edition conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA).

The 1954 U.S. Women's Open was the ninth U.S. Women's Open, held July 1–3 at Salem Country Club in Peabody, Massachusetts. It was the second conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA).

The 1953 U.S. Women's Open was the eighth U.S. Women's Open, held June 25–28 at the Country Club of Rochester in Rochester, New York. It was the first U.S. Women's Open conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA), and the final two rounds were played on Saturday.

The 1951 U.S. Women's Open was the sixth U.S. Women's Open, held September 13–16 at Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia.

The 1950 U.S. Women's Open was the fifth U.S. Women's Open, held September 28 to October 1 at Rolling Hills Country Club in Wichita, Kansas.

The 1949 U.S. Women's Open was the fourth U.S. Women's Open, held September 22–25 at Prince George's Country Club in Landover, Maryland, a suburb east of Washington, D.C.

The 1948 U.S. Women's Open was the third U.S. Women's Open, held August 12–15 at Atlantic City Country Club in Northfield, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fay Crocker</span> Uruguayan professional golfer

Fay Crocker was a Uruguayan professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour. In her career, she won 11 LPGA tournaments, including two major championships, the 1955 U.S. Women's Open and 1960 Titleholders Championship. Crocker was the oldest player to win her first LPGA event, the first U.S. Women's Open champion from outside the United States, and the oldest women's major champion.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Fay Crocker captures Women's National Open". Palm Beach Post-Times. Associated Press. July 3, 1955. p. 23.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. "Crocker leading National Open". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. July 1, 1955. p. 15.
  3. "Crocker expands lead in Wichita". Wilmington Morning Star. Associated Press. July 2, 1955. p. 8.
  4. "Crocker new queen of women's circuit". Lawrence Journal-World. Associated Press. July 4, 1955. p. 7.
  5. Considine, Bob (August 6, 1956). "Babe Zaharias, greatest girl athlete of all time, fights gamely in big battle". Spokane Daily Chronicle. p. 1.
  6. "Babe Zaharias loses match with cancer, dies in sleep". Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. Associated Press. September 27, 1956. p. 8.

37°42′18″N97°14′10″W / 37.705°N 97.236°W / 37.705; -97.236