Sandra Post

Sandra Post, CM (born June 4, 1948) is a retired professional golfer, the first Canadian to play on the LPGA Tour. In 1968 at age 20 in her rookie professional year, she won a women's major – the LPGA Championship, and was the youngest player at the time to win a major.

Sandra Post
Personal information
Full nameSandra Post
Born (1948-06-04) June 4, 1948
Oakville, Ontario
Height5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Nationality Canada
ResidenceToronto, Ontario
SpouseJohn Elliot, Jr.
(m. 1970)[1][2]
Career
Turned professional1968  (age 19)
Former tour(s)LPGA Tour (1968–83)
Professional wins10
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour8
LPGA of Japan Tour1
Other1
Best results in LPGA major championships
(wins: 1)
Titleholders C'shipDNP
ANA InspirationT62: 1983
Women's PGA C'shipWon: 1968
U.S. Women's OpenT2: 1975
du Maurier ClassicT7: 1979
Achievements and awards
LPGA Tour
Rookie of the Year		1968

Over her 16 year career on the LPGA Tour, Post won 8 championships and became the first Canadian to win multiple times in the same season, doing so twice in each of 1978 and 1979. The next time a two-win season by a Canadian occurred was in 2000 by Lorie Kane.[3] In 1988, Post was named to both the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.[4] In 2004, she was inducted into the Order of Canada as a Member with the designation, CM.[4]

Early years

Born in Oakville, Ontario, Post was introduced to golf at age five by her father,[5] and was a youthful prodigy who learned her golf at the nearby Trafalgar Golf & Country Club. She was competing in Ontario provincial events by age 13 and compiled an outstanding junior and amateur career that included winning the Ontario and Canadian Junior Girls Championships three times each.[5][6]

Professional career

Wins major, LPGA Rookie of the Year

Bypassing college, Post turned professional in the spring of 1968 and joined the LPGA Tour at age 19.[5] In her debut season of 1968, Post became the youngest player to win a women's major title at the LPGA Championship. Her 18-hole playoff victory over defending champion Kathy Whitworth, by 68 to 75, also marked the first victory in the championship by a non-U.S. player. She was the only Canadian to win an LPGA major for 48 years, until 18-year-old Brooke Henderson in 2016.

For her performance on the professional circuit, Post was voted the Tour's Rookie of the Year award. Post did not return to the winner's circle on the Tour until 1978; however, she challenged to win on many occasions during that ten-year period. In December 1974, she won the Colgate Far East Open, a non-tour event in Melbourne, Australia.[7]

Second on 1979 money list

Post hit her peak form from 1978 to 1981, winning seven of her eight career titles, and became one of the world's top players. She captured back-to-back wins at the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle in 1978 and 1979.[8][9]

For the 1979 season, she finished second on the LPGA money list, and won the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's "Athlete of the Year." During her 16 years on the pro tour, Post also had 20 runner-up finishes, including the U.S. Women's Open in 1975.

Honors

Several nagging injuries led Post to retire from most LPGA competition by the mid-1980s, but she competed occasionally after that. In 1988, she was elected to the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. In 1999, she was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.[10] In 2003, she was honored by her country with membership in the Order of Canada. She was voted No. 8 of the females chosen as Canada's Athletes of the 20th Century.

Post has captained Canada's Nations Cup team, serves as a commentator on televised golf events in Canada, and writes golf instructional articles for several Canadian magazines. She is involved in a number of charitable causes, and runs the Sandra Post School of Golf near Toronto. Post has her own golf apparel firm, and has designed a set of women's golf clubs for the Jazz Golf company.

Professional wins

LPGA Tour wins (8)
Legend
LPGA Tour major championships (1)
Other LPGA Tour (7)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin
of victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 Jun 23, 1968 LPGA Championship 72-75-74-73=294 +2 Playoff Kathy Whitworth
2 Apr 2, 1978 Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle 65-74-72-72=283 –5 Playoff Penny Pulz
3 Aug 20, 1978 Lady Stroh's Open 69-71-71-75=286 –2 Playoff Pat Meyers
Kathy Whitworth
4 Apr 8, 1979 Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle (2) 68-70-68-70=276 –12 1 stroke Nancy Lopez
5 May 13, 1979 Lady Michelob 72-69-69=210 –9 2 strokes Pat Bradley
6 Sep 23, 1979 ERA Real Estate Classic 71-73-70-70=284 –8 2 strokes Donna Caponi
7 Aug 3, 1980 West Virginia LPGA Classic 69-69-73=211 –5 Playoff Donna Caponi
8 Jun 7, 1981 McDonald's Kids Classic 69-69-73-71=282 –6 2 strokes Amy Alcott

Note: Post's wins in the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle (now ANA Inspiration) were before it became a major championship.

LPGA Tour playoff record (4–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1968 LPGA Championship Kathy Whitworth Won 18-hole playoff (Post:68, Whitworth:75)
2 1976 Girl Talk Classic Pat Bradley
Bonnie Lauer
Judy Rankin		 Bradley won with par on second extra hole
Lauer and Post eliminated with birdie on first hole
3 1978 Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle Penny Pulz Won with par on second extra hole
4 1978 Lady Stroh's Open Pat Meyers
Kathy Whitworth		 Won with birdie on second extra hole
5 1979 Elizabeth Arden Classic Amy Alcott Lost to eagle on third extra hole
6 1980 West Virginia LPGA Classic Donna Caponi Won with birdie on third extra hole

LPGA of Japan Tour wins (1)
  • 1976 Sun Star Ladies

Other wins (1)

Major championships

Wins (1)
YearChampionshipWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
1968LPGA Championship+2 (72-75-74-73=294)Playoff1 Kathy Whitworth

1Won in a playoff (68 Post, 75 Whitworth).

References
  1. "Sandra Post to wed Fort Lauderdale pro". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Associated Press. March 14, 1970. p. 70.
  2. Svoboda, Chuck (August 22, 1970). "Wedding bells hamper Sandra Post's career". Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph. Canadian Press. p. 9.
  3. Sportsnet Central. July 4, 2016. Rogers Sportsnet.
  4. "Sandra Post, CM". Canadian Golf Hall of Fame; Golf Canada - Heritage. 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  5. Thibeault, Marc (May 29, 1979). "Sandra Post knew as tot she wanted to be golf pro". Montreal Gazette. p. 53.
  6. Barclay, James A. (1992). Golf in Canada: A History. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 978-0-7710-1080-4.
  7. "Sandra Post takes Far East tourney". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Florida. Associated Press. December 9, 1974. p. 5C.
  8. "Sandra Post surprised with win". Evening News. Newburgh, New York. Associated Press. April 3, 1978. p. 10B.
  9. Peters, Ken (April 9, 1979). "Sandra Post outlasts Nancy Lopez". The Day. New London, Connecticut. Associated Press. p. 38.
  10. "Sandra Post". Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
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