1959 U.S. Women's Open
The 1959 U.S. Women's Open was the 14th U.S. Women's Open, held June 25–27 at Churchill Valley Country Club in Blackridge, Pennsylvania, a suburb east of Pittsburgh. It was the seventh edition conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA).
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 25–27, 1959 |
| Location | Blackridge, Pennsylvania |
| Course(s) | Churchill Valley Country Club |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Tour(s) | LPGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play – 72 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 6,200 yards (5,670 m)[1] |
| Field | 61, 40 after cut[2] |
| Cut | 164 (+24) |
| Prize fund | $7,200 |
| Winner's share | $1,800 |
| Champion | |
 Mickey Wright | |
| 287 (+7) | |
Defending champion Mickey Wright won the second of her four U.S. Women's Open titles, two strokes ahead of runner-up Louise Suggs, a two-time champion.[3][4] Suggs led after 36 holes,[2] but a third round 75 pushed her four strokes back. Wright, age 24, putted well in the final round and was two-under after fifteen holes, but bogeyed the final three.[3] She was the first of seven to successfully defend the championship, last accomplished by Karrie Webb in 2001. It was the third of 13 major championships for Wright.
This was the third major in three years at Churchill Valley, which hosted the LPGA Championship in 1957 and 1958. The club closed in 2013.[5][6]
Past champions in the field
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mickey Wright | United States | 1958 | 72 | 75 | 69 | 71 | 287 | +7 | 1 |
| Louise Suggs | United States | 1949, 1952 | 71 | 74 | 75 | 69 | 289 | +9 | 2 |
| Patty Berg | United States | 1946 | 72 | 75 | 75 | 74 | 296 | +16 | 6 |
| Betsy Rawls | United States | 1951, 1953, 1957 | 76 | 73 | 72 | 76 | 297 | +17 | 7 |
| Kathy Cornelius | United States | 1956 | 75 | 77 | 76 | 78 | 306 | +26 | T15 |
| Fay Crocker |  Uruguay | 1955 | 77 | 74 | 75 | 80 | 306 | +26 | T15 |
| Betty Jameson | United States | 1947 | 76 | 75 | 81 | 74 | 306 | +26 | T15 |
Source:[7]
Final leaderboard
Saturday, June 27, 1959
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mickey Wright | United States | 72-75-69-71=287 | +7 | 1,800 |
| 2 | Louise Suggs | United States | 71-74-75-69=289 | +9 | 1,200 |
| T3 | Marlene Hagge | United States | 71-76-73-72=292 | +12 | 650 |
| Ruth Jessen | United States | 75-74-72-71=292 | |||
| Joyce Ziske | United States | 75-73-72-72=292 | |||
| 6 | Patty Berg | United States | 72-75-75-74=296 | +16 | 400 |
| 7 | Betsy Rawls | United States | 76-73-72-76=297 | +17 | 350 |
| 8 | Murle MacKenzie | United States | 77-75-75-71=298 | +18 | 300 |
| 9 | Anne Sander (a) | United States | 75-76-75-73=299 | +19 | 0 |
| 10 | JoAnn Prentice | United States | 77-74-77-74=302 | +22 | 260 |
Source:[7]
References
- Drum, Bob (June 25, 1959). "Mickey favored in Women's Open". Pittsburgh Press. p. 43.
- Gundelfinger, Phil (June 27, 1959). "Louise Suggs takes two stroke Open lead". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 11.
- "Wright wins second Open". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. June 28, 1959. p. 2B.
- Drum, Bob (June 28, 1959). "Mickey Wright Open winner". Pittsburgh Press. p. 1, section 4.
- "Churchill Valley Country Club sinks into financial hole". Pittsburgh Business Times. January 25, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
- Varine, Patrick (August 14, 2013). "Churchill Valley Country Club seeks penalty against creditors". Trib Live. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
- "Mickey Wright repeats as National Open champion". Palm Beach Post-Times. Associated Press. June 28, 1959. p. 49.
External links
- USGA final leaderboard
- U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship
- U.S. Women's Open – past champions – 1959