Betsy Rawls

Betsy Rawls
Rawls, circa 1954
Personal information
Full nameElizabeth Earle Rawls
NicknameBetsy
Born(1928-05-04)May 4, 1928
Spartanburg, South Carolina, U.S.
DiedOctober 21, 2023(2023-10-21) (aged 95)
Lewes, Delaware, U.S.
Sporting nationality United States
Career
CollegeUniversity of Texas
Turned professional1951
Former tourLPGA Tour (joined 1951)
Professional wins58
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour55
Other3
Best results in LPGA major championships
(wins: 8)
Western OpenWon: 1952, 1959
Titleholders C'ship2nd: 1952, 1953, 1959
Women's PGA C'shipWon: 1959, 1969
U.S. Women's OpenWon: 1951, 1953, 1957, 1960
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame1960 (member page)
LPGA Tour
Money Winner		1952, 1959
LPGA Vare Trophy1959
Patty Berg Award1980
Bob Jones Award1996
LPGA 50th Anniversary
Commissioner's Award		2000

Elizabeth Earle Rawls (May 4, 1928 – October 21, 2023) was an American professional golfer who played on LPGA Tour. She won eight major championships and 55 LPGA Tour career events. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Early life

In 1928, Rawls was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She was the daughter of Robert Miller and Mary Earle Rawls. In 1940, her family moved to Arlington, Texas.

Rawls did not start playing golf until the age of 17. She went on to graduate from Lovelady High School in Lovelady, Texas.

Amateur career

In 1946, Rawls enrolled in North Texas Agricultural College (now UT-Arlington) 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]

In 1947, Rawls transferred to the University of Texas at Austin. She won the Texas Amateur in 1949 and 1950. She also won the 1949 Trans-National and the 1950 Broadmoor Invitational. She graduated from with a degree in physics in 1950.[1]

In 1950, a few months after graduating, she finished in solo second place at the U.S. Women's Open.[2]

Professional career

In 1951, Rawls turned professional. She joined the LPGA Tour. She won her first tournament that year at the Sacramento Women's Invitational Open. She would go on to win a total of 55 events on the LPGA Tour, including eight major championships.[3] In 1959, she earned the LPGA Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average. She was the tour's leading money winner in 1952 and 1959 and finished in the top ten on the money list a total of nine times. She led the tour in wins three times: in 1952, 1957, and 1959.

In 1961 and 1962, Rawls was the LPGA's president. Following her retirement from tournament play in 1975, she became a tournament director for the LPGA Tour.[4] From 1987 until 2004, she was the tournament director for the McDonald's LPGA Championship at the DuPont Country Club.

Personal life

Rawls died in Lewes, Delaware, on October 21, 2023, at the age of 95.[5][6]

Awards and honors

  • Rawls was the LPGA's money winner twice: in 1952 and 1959.
  • In 1959, Rawls earned the Vare Trophy, given to the LPGA golfer with the lowest scoring average.
  • In 1960, the LPGA recognized her induction year into the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf as her official induction year into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame and the World Golf Hall of Fame.[3]
  • In 1967, when the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame was created, she was one of the six inaugural inductees.
  • In 1980, she was bestowed the Patty Berg Award, given to an individual who "exemplifies diplomacy, sportsmanship, goodwill and contributions to the game of golf."
  • In 1996, she was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.[2]
  • In 2000, she earned the LPGA's 50th Anniversary Commissioner's Award.

Professional wins (58)

LPGA Tour wins (55)

LPGA majors are shown in bold.

Sources:[7][8][9]

Other wins (3)

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 Louise Suggs
1952 Women's Western Open 1 up Betty Jameson
1953 U.S. Women's Open +6 (75-78-74-75=302) Playoff1 Jackie Pung
1957 U.S. Women's Open +7 (74-74-75-76=299) 6 strokes Patty Berg
1959 LPGA Championship +8 (76-68-69-75=288) 1 stroke Patty Berg
1959 Women's Western Open −1 (70-76-76-71=293) 6 strokes JoAnne Gunderson (a), Patty Berg
1960 U.S. Women's Open +4 (76-73-68-75=292) 1 stroke Joyce Ziske
1969 LPGA Championship +1 (71-72-79-71=293) 4 strokes Susie Berning, Carol Mann

1 In an 18-hole playoff, Rawls 70, Pung 77.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "University of Texas: Elizabeth Earle "Betsy" Rawls". UT Physics History Site. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Betsy Rawls – Bio". LPGA. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Myers, Brad (September 4, 2014). "DuPont club to honor Betsy Rawls on Friday". delawareonline. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  4. ^ Barkow, Al (1986). Gettin' To The Dance Floor: An Oral History of American Golf. Atheneum. ISBN 978-0-689-11517-2.
  5. ^ "Betsy Rawls, 4-time US Open champion and top administrator, dies at 95". Associated Press News. October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "LPGA Tournament Chronology 1950-1959" (PDF). LPGA. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 2, 2010.
  8. ^ "LPGA Tournament Chronology 1960-1969" (PDF). LPGA. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2011.
  9. ^ "LPGA Tournament Chronology 1970-1979" (PDF). LPGA. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 2, 2010.
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