1955 U.S. Women's Open
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).
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 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 | |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,330 yards (5,788 m)[1] |
| Prize fund | $7,500 |
| Winner's share | $2,000 |
| Champion | |
 Fay Crocker | |
| 299 (+11) | |
Fay Crocker led wire-to-wire[2] and won the first of her two major championships, four strokes ahead of runners-up Mary Lena Faulk and Louise Suggs.[1] From Uruguay, Crocker was the first international winner of the U.S. Women's Open. She posted a 72 in the second round on Friday in difficult blustery conditions, with winds of 40 mph (64 km/h), and had an eight shot lead after 36 holes.[3] A 79 (+7) in the wind in the third round on Saturday morning reduced it to a single stroke over Faulk, with Suggs another two strokes back.
Defending champion Babe Zaharias did not compete due to back surgery;[4] she also missed the 1953 edition due to colon cancer surgery and died in 1956.[5][6]
This was the second U.S. Women's Open played in Wichita; the first in 1950 was at Rolling Hills Country Club.
Past champions in the field
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louise Suggs |  United States | 1949, 1952 | 79 | 77 | 72 | 75 | 303 | +15 | T2 |
| Patty Berg | United States | 1946 | 78 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 307 | +19 | 5 |
| Betty Jameson | United States | 1947 | 83 | 77 | 76 | 76 | 312 | +24 | T9 |
| Betsy Rawls | United States | 1951, 1953 | 84 | 81 | 84 | 77 | 326 | +38 | T18 |
Final leaderboard
Saturday, July 2, 1955
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fay Crocker | Uruguay | 74-72-79-74=299 | +11 | 2,000 |
| T2 | Mary Lena Faulk | United States | 77-77-72-77=303 | +15 | 1,125 |
| Louise Suggs | United States | 79-77-72-75=303 | |||
| 4 | Jackie Pung | United States | 79-76-76-75=306 | +18 | 750 |
| 5 | Patty Berg | United States | 78-80-78-71=307 | +19 | 600 |
| T6 | Polly Riley (a) | United States | 80-78-74-77=309 | +21 | 0 |
| Jackie Yates (a) | United States | 76-79-76-78=309 | |||
| 8 | Pat Lesser (a) | United States | 81-76-79-75=311 | +23 | 0 |
| T9 | Beverly Hanson | United States | 87-76-77-72=312 | +24 | 450 |
| Betty Jameson | United States | 83-77-76-76=312 |
Source:[1]
References
- "Fay Crocker captures Women's National Open". Palm Beach Post-Times. Associated Press. July 3, 1955. p. 23.
- "Crocker leading National Open". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. July 1, 1955. p. 15.
- "Crocker expands lead in Wichita". Wilmington Morning Star. Associated Press. July 2, 1955. p. 8.
- "Crocker new queen of women's circuit". Lawrence Journal-World. Associated Press. July 4, 1955. p. 7.
- Considine, Bob (August 6, 1956). "Babe Zaharias, greatest girl athlete of all time, fights gamely in big battle". Spokane Daily Chronicle. p. 1.
- "Babe Zaharias loses match with cancer, dies in sleep". Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. Associated Press. September 27, 1956. p. 8.
External links
- USGA final leaderboard
- U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship
- U.S. Women's Open – past champions – 1955
- Wichita Country Club