Betsy Rawls

Background

Rawls was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina and grew up in Arlington, Texas.

Education

She attended the University of Texas. In 1950, she finished second at the United States. Women"s Open as an amateur.

Career

She started playing golf at age 17. Rawls turned professional in 1951 and joined the LPGA Tour. In 1959, she earned the LPGA Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average.

She led the tour in wins three times, 1952 with eight, 1957 with five (tied with Patty Berg), and 1959 with ten.

Rawls was the LPGA"s president from 1961 to 1962. In 1967, when the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame was created, she was one of the six inaugural inductees.

The LPGA recognized her induction year into the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf, 1960, as her official induction year into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame and the World Golf Hall of Fame. Following her retirement from tournament play in 1975, she became a tournament director for the LPGA Tour.

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.

She was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Delaware Women in 2006. Rawls was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999 and has no evidence of the disease as of 2006. "Looking back, it was a small blip in my life," Rawls said from her office in Wilmington, Delaware.

LPGA Tour wins (55) 1951 (2) Sacramento Women"s Invitational Open, United States., Fort Worth Open 1954 (3) Tampa, Saint, Reno Open, Asheville Open 1963 (1) Sunshine Other wins (3) Wins (8) 1 In an 18-hole playoff, Rawls 70, Pung 77.

Achievements

• 1951 (2) Sacramento Women"s Invitational Open, United States. Women"s Open 1952 (8) Houston Weathervane, Bakersfield Open (tied with Marlene Hagge, Betty Jameson and Babe Zaharias), Seattle Weathervane, Cross Country 144 Hole Weathervane, Eastern Open, Women"s Western Open, Carrollton Open, Thomasville Open 1953 (4) Barbara Romack Open, Eastern Open, United States. Women"s Open, Fort Worth Open 1954 (3) Tampa Women"s Open, Saint Louis Open, Texas Open 1955 (1) Carrollton Open 1956 (3) Tampa Open, Sarasota Open, Peach Blossom Open 1957 (5) Tampa Open, Lake Worth Open, Peach Blossom Open, United States. Women"s Open, Reno Open 1958 (2) Tampa Open, Saint St. Petersburg Open 1959 (10) Lake Worth Open, Royal Crown Open, Babe Zaharias Open, Land of the Sky Open, Triangle Round Robin, LPGA Championship, Mountain. Prospect Open, Women"s Western Open, Waterloo Open, Opie Turner Open 1960 (4) Babe Zaharias Open, Cosmopolitan Open, United States. Women"s Open, Asheville Open 1961 (2) Cosmopolitan Open, Bill Brannin"s Swing Parade 1962 (1) J.E. McAuliffe Memorial 1963 (1) Sunshine Women"s Open 1964 (2) Dallas Civitan Open Invitational, Valhalla Open 1965 (2) Pensacola Invitational, Waterloo Open 1968 (1) Mickey Wright Invitational 1969 (1) LPGA Championship 1970 (2) Dallas Civitan Open, Cincinnati Open 1972 (1) Global Assembly Cache Classic LPGA majors are shown in bold. 1951 Hollywood Four-Ball (with Betty Dodd) 1954 Inverness Four-Ball 1962 Babe Zaharias Open (tie with Kathy Cornelius).

Views

Quotations: "Looking back, it was a small blip in my life,".

Membership

She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.