Louise Suggs

Mae Louise Suggs (September 7, 1923 – August 7, 2015) was an American professional golfer, one of the founders of the LPGA Tour and thus modern ladies' golf.[1][2]

Louise Suggs
Suggs in 1958
Personal information
Full nameMae Louise Suggs
Born(1923-09-07)September 7, 1923
Atlanta, Georgia
DiedAugust 7, 2015(2015-08-07) (aged 91)
Sarasota, Florida
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Nationality United States
ResidenceDelray Beach, Florida, U.S.
Career
Turned professional1948
Retired1962
Former tour(s)LPGA Tour (co-founder)
Professional wins61
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour61 (4th all time)
Best results in LPGA major championships
(wins: 11)
Western OpenWon: 1946, 1947, 1949, 1953
Titleholders C'shipWon: 1946, 1954, 1956, 1959
ANA InspirationCUT: 1983
Women's PGA C'shipWon: 1957
U.S. Women's OpenWon: 1949, 1952
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame1951 (member page)
LPGA Tour
Money Winner		1953, 1960
LPGA Vare Trophy1957
Patty Berg Award2000
Bob Jones Award2007

Amateur career

Born in Atlanta, Suggs had a very successful amateur career, beginning as a teenager. She won the Georgia State Amateur in 1940 at age 16 and again in 1942,[3] was the Southern Amateur Champion in 1941 and 1947,[4] and won the North and South Women's Amateur three times (1942, 1946, 1948).[5] She won the 1946 and 1947 Women's Western Amateur[6] and the 1946 and 1947 Women's Western Open, which was designated as a major championship when the LPGA was founded.[7] She also won the 1946 Titleholders Championship which was also subsequently designated as a women's major. She won the 1947 U.S. Women's Amateur and the next year won the British Ladies Amateur.[5] She finished her amateur career representing the United States on the 1948 Curtis Cup Team.[8]

Professional career

After her successful amateur career, she turned professional in 1948 and went on to win 58[9] additional professional tournaments, with a total of 11 majors. Her prowess on the golf course is reflected in the fact that from 1950 to 1960 she was only once out of the top 3 in the season-ending money list. Suggs' victory in the 1957 LPGA Championship made her the first LPGA player to complete a career Grand Slam.[10]

Suggs was an inaugural inductee into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame, established in 1967, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1979. She was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1966.[11]

She was one of the co-founders of the LPGA in 1950, which included her two great rivals of the time, Patty Berg and Babe Zaharias. Suggs served as the organization's president from 1955 to 1957.

Honors

The Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award, given annually to the most accomplished first-year player on the LPGA Tour, is named in her honor. In 2006 Suggs was named the 2007 recipient of the Bob Jones Award, given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. In February 2015 she became one of the first female members of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.[12]

Amateur wins

Professional wins

LPGA Tour wins (61)

LPGA majors are shown in bold.

Major championships

Wins (11)
YearChampionshipWinning scoreMarginRunner(s)-up
1946Titleholders Championship+14 (80-77-77-80=314)2 strokes Eileen Stulb
1946Women's Western Open2 up Patty Berg
1947Women's Western Open4 & 2 Dorothy Kirby (a)
1949U.S. Women's Open−9 (69-75-77-70=291)14 strokes Babe Zaharias
1949Women's Western Open5 & 4 Betty Jameson
1952U.S. Women's Open+8 (70-69-70-75=284)7 strokes Marlene Hagge, Betty Jameson
1953Women's Western Open6 & 5 Patty Berg
1954Titleholders Championship+5 (73-71-76-73=293)7 strokes Patty Berg
1956Titleholders Championship+14 (78-75-75-74=302)1 stroke Patty Berg
1957LPGA Championship+5 (69-74-74-68=285)3 strokes Wiffi Smith
1959Titleholders Championship+9 (78-73-75-71=297)1 stroke Betsy Rawls

(a)=Amateur

Team appearances

Amateur

  • Curtis Cup (representing the United States): 1948 (winners)

See also

References
  1. "LPGA Founder Louise Suggs Passes Away at Age 91". LPGA. August 6, 2015.
  2. "About the LPGA - Our Founders". LPGA.
  3. "History of the GWGA". Georgia Women's Golf Association. Archived from the original on 2007-06-12. Retrieved 2007-04-15.
  4. "WSGA Champions 1911–2004". Women's Southern Golf Association. Archived from the original on 2007-09-20. Retrieved 2007-04-15.
  5. "Louise Suggs Full Career Bio" (PDF). LPGA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-04-15.
  6. "Amateur Championship Winners 1901–2003". Women's Western Golf Association. Archived from the original on 2007-09-18. Retrieved 2007-04-15.
  7. "Women's Western Open - Winners". About Golf. Archived from the original on 2006-03-23. Retrieved 2007-04-15.
  8. "Previous Curtis Cup Matches 1932–2002". United States Golf Association. Retrieved 2007-04-15.
  9. Nichols, Beth Ann (July 23, 2013). "Biographer adds 3 missing titles to Suggs' resume". Golfweek.
  10. Litsky, Frank (August 7, 2015). "Louise Suggs, Golf Pioneer, Dies at 91; Helped Found the Women's Pro Tour". The New York Times. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  11. "Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Members by Year" (PDF). Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 5, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  12. "Princess Royal among first women to join St Andrews". BBC Sport. February 10, 2015.
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