Golfers Who Were U.S. Women's Open Low Amateurs and Later Won It
There are many big-name golfers on the list of U.S. Women's Open low amateurs, many golfers who went on to stellar LPGA Tour careers after turning pro. But how many of those USWO low ams went on to win the U.S. Women's Open?
The USWO was first played in 1946, making it the oldest major championship in women's professional golf. And, so far, the number of low amateurs who went on to win the tournament stands at 10 — one of them even did it in the same year. These are the golfers who've pulled off the USWO low amateur/champion double:
- Betsy Rawls: In 1950, the fifth time the U.S. Women's Open was played, Rawls was the low amateur as the tournament's second-place finisher. She was runner-up to Babe Zaharias, albeit nine strokes behind. And when Rawls won the very next year after turning pro, she became the first golfer ever to be the low amateur in the USWO and then go on to win the tournament. Rawls wound up winning this major four times, in 1951, 1953, 1957 and 1960 — its first-ever four-time champ.
- Mickey Wright: And Wright was the tournament's second four-time champ, winning it in 1958, 1959, 1961 and 1964. That was after finishing as low amateur in the 1954 tournament.
- Catherine Lacoste: Lacoste is the only amateur ever to win the U.S. Women's Open. Of course, that means she didn't "go on" to win the trophy, but won it the same year as she earned those low amateur honors. In the 1967 U.S. Women's Open, the French amateur won by two strokes. (She didn't win the U.S. Women's Amateur until 1969.)
- JoAnne Carner: Under her maiden name (Gunderson), "the Great Gundy" finished 15th to earn low amateur honors in 1962. After marriage, her nickname changed and "Big Mama" and she was the U.S. Women's Open winner in both 1971 and 1976.
- Kathy Guadagnino: Guadagnino (playing under her maiden name, Kathy Baker) was the low amateur in both the 1981 (tied 26th) and 1982 (tied 13th) U.S. Women's Opens. She went on to win the 1985 U.S. Women's Open, which was also her first career win on the LPGA Tour.
- Betsy King: In 1976, King tied for eighth place as the low amateur. She went on to win the USWO twice, in 1989 and 1990.
- Cristie Kerr: Kerr was low amateur in the 1996 USWO, tying for 36th place. Eleven years later, she won the 2007 U.S. Women's Open.
- Paula Creamer: In the 2004 U.S. Women's Open, Creamer shared low amateur honors with Michelle Wie. The two teens tied for 13th place. In the 2010 U.S. Women's Open, Creamer won by four strokes.
- Michelle Wie: It turns out that both low ams from 2004 went on to win the U.S. Women's Open. Wie, who was 14 years old when she tied for low amateur, won the 2014 USWO by two.
- Brittany Lang: In the 2005 U.S. Women's Open, Lang tied for second place (with another amateur, Morgan Pressel), two strokes behind Birdie Kim. And she became the most-recent golfer to join this list in 2016, when she won after defeating Anna Nordqvist in a playoff.