Alison Sheard

Alison Sheard (born 21 September 1951) is a South African professional golfer who played on the Ladies European Tour (LET) and LPGA Tour. During her career, Sheard became the first-non British champion of the Women's British Open in 1979 and won three other LET events.

Alison Sheard
Personal information
Born (1951-09-21) 21 September 1951
Durban, South Africa
Nationality South Africa
Career
Turned professional1976
Former tour(s)Ladies European Tour
LPGA Tour
Professional wins4
Number of wins by tour
Ladies European Tour4
Best results in LPGA major championships
Women's PGA C'shipT19: 1980
U.S. Women's OpenT23: 1980
du Maurier ClassicT10: 1981

Amateur career

Sheard was born on 21 September 1951 in Durban, South Africa.[1][2] As an amateur golfer, Sheard won multiple South African tournaments throughout the 1970s. Outside of South Africa, Sheard was runner-up at the 1976 British Ladies Amateur.[3] In team events, Sheard was part of the silver medal winning South African team at the 1974 Espirito Santo Trophy.[4]

Professional career

In late 1976, Sheard became a professional golfer and played throughout Europe.[5] Her first wins on the Ladies European Tour were at the Carlsberg and McEwans Welsh Classic tournaments in 1979. That year, Sheard was the leading money winner for the 1979 LET season.[6][7] In 1980, Sheard joined the LPGA Tour. Between 1980 to 1983, her best performance at the LPGA was a seventh place tie at the 1983 West Virginia LPGA Classic.[8] A few years later, Sheard won an additional LET tournament at the 1985 Spanish Open.[6][9]

In major championships, Sheard won the 1979 Women's British Open, but it was not designated as a major championship until 2001. With her win, Sheard became the first foreign golfer to win the British Open.[10] In later British Opens, she finished 9th at the 1982 edition and tied for 12th at the 1986 edition.[11][12] From 1980 to 1984, Sheard participated at the Peter Jackson Classic and made the cut three times. Her best finish was at the 1981 Peter Jackson Classic when she tied for 10th place with Jo Ann Washam.[13] In the United States, Sheard was tied for 23rd at the 1980 U.S. Women's Open and missed the cut in the 1983 U.S. Women's Open.[14][15] Sheard was inducted into the Southern Africa Golf Hall of Fame in 2010.[16]

Ladies European Tour wins (4)

Team appearances

Amateur

References
  1. "Famous golfers - S". Women Golfer's Museum. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  2. Kaskie, Shirli (1982). A woman's golf game. Chicago: Contemporary Books, Inc. p. 12. ISBN 0809257572.
  3. Alliss, Peter (1983). "Sheard, Alison Irene". The who's who of golf. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. p. 355. ISBN 0139584978. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  4. "Women's Records". International Golf Federation. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  5. Geisler, Greg (7 August 1984). "Sheard enjoys St. Francis meet". The La Crosse Tribune. p. 17.
  6. "Past Tournament Winners - 1979 - 2012". Golf Today. Archived from the original on 11 December 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  7. "Statistics 1979-2011". Golf Today. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  8. Markus, Don (11 July 1983). "Life in the rough: The have and have-nots of golf". The Record. (Hackensack, New Jersey). pp. S10–S11.
  9. "Golf: Sheard's 61 sets the pace". The Times (London, England). 23 July 1987.
  10. "RICOH Women's British Open Championship History". LPGA. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  11. "Golf results". Auburn Journal. 1 August 1982. p. D14.
  12. Kahn, Liz (13 October 1986). "The big hitter strikes it rich". The Guardian. p. 29.
  13. "2015 Canadian Pacific Women's Open Media Guide" (PDF). Golf Canada. pp. 43–47. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  14. "Women's Open". Dover Times Reporter. 14 July 1980. p. C3.
  15. "Women's Open". The Stars and Stripes. 42 (104). 31 July 1983. p. 22.
  16. "Alison Sheard". Southern Africa Golf Hall of Fame. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  17. "Record Book 1974 World Amateur Golf Team Championships" (PDF). World Amateur Golf Council. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  18. "Record Book 1976 World Amateur Golf Team Championships" (PDF). World Amateur Golf Council. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
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