1981 U.S. Women's Open Winner and Scores
The 1981 U.S. Women's Open, staged by the United States Golf Association (USGA), was the 36th time this major championship was played. The winner, Pat Bradley, set a tournament scoring record.
Winner: Pat Bradley, 279
Where it was played: La Grange Country Club in La Grange, Illinois
Tournament dates: July 23-26, 1981
Leaders after first round: Kathy Whitworth, Beth Daniel, 69
Leader after second round: Kathy Whitworth, Bonnie Lauer, 139
Leader after third round: Kathy Whitworth, 210
What Happened at the 1981 U.S. Women's Open
Pat Bradley closed with a 66 to fend off Beth Daniel and win the 1981 U.S. Women's Open by one stroke. It was the second of Bradley's six career wins in majors, the ninth of her 31 career LPGA victories.Bradley's 279 winning score was a new U.S. Women's Open scoring record, lowering by one the record established just a year earlier by Amy Alcott. Bradley's mark stood until 1988. And her final-round 66 was the tournament record for best final-round by the eventual champion; that record stood until 2004.
Bradley was six strokes off the lead held by Kathy Whitworth at the midway point. In fact, Whitworth held or shared the lead after each of the first three rounds. After the third round, Whitworth had the solo lead by one over Bonnie Lauer, with Daniel two back and Bradley three behind.
But in the final round, Whitworth (74) and Lauer (76) both fell away, leaving Bradley and Daniel to battle for the trophy over the back nine. They shared the lead after 14 holes. On the 15th, Bradley birdied to move one ahead. Daniel then bogeyed No. 16, falling two back. But Daniel recovered with a birdie on the 17th.
Bradley's lead was one on the par-5 18th hole. And when Bradley hit her third shot to two feet from the pin, Daniel suddenly needed to hole out her own third to even maintain the possibility of a tie. And Daniel very nearly did, her ball barely missing the cup. Both then made their short birdies and Bradley had her one-stroke victory.
Whitworth, who won six majors among her record 88 LPGA titles, but never the U.S. Women's Open, finished third. It was the last time Whitworth, age 40 at this time, finished higher than 10th in this major.
Whitworth was just the third player in USWO history to lead after each of the first three rounds but not win (after Mickey Wright in 1960 and Ruth Jessen in 1962). Her third-place money did, however, make Whitworth the first woman ever to cross $1 million in career golf earnings.
Marlene Hagge played the tournament for the last time, her 33rd appearance (at the time the record) dating to 1947. Hagge, winner of the 1956 LPGA Championship, tied for 21st place.
1981 U.S. Women's Open Final Scores
| Pat Bradley | 71-74-68-66—279 |
| Beth Daniel | 69-74-69-68—280 |
| Kathy Whitworth | 69-70-71-74—284 |
| Bonnie Lauer | 72-67-72-76—287 |
| Cynthia Hill | 76-70-69-72—287 |
| Patty Sheehan | 74-74-72-70—290 |
| Marlene Floyd | 71-72-73-74—290 |
| JoAnne Carner | 73-71-72-74—290 |
| Donna Caponi | 71-74-72-73—290 |
| Hollis Stacy | 73-75-71-73—292 |
| Amelia Rorer | 73-77-69-73—292 |
| Debbie Massey | 71-72-72-77—292 |
| Sally Little | 74-72-76-70—292 |
| Sandra Haynie | 75-73-73-71—292 |
| Shelley Hamlin | 70-75-75-72—292 |
| Cathy Sherk | 76-69-76-72—293 |
| Louise Parks | 72-75-72-74—293 |
| Dorothy Germain | 1-76-71-76—294 |
| Julie Stanger | 74-75-74-72—295 |
| Amy Alcott | 75-73-72-75—295 |
| Kyle O'Brien | 75-69-73-79—296 |
| Betsy King | 75-75-73-73—296 |
| Marlene Hagge | 74-75-72-75—296 |
| Vicki Fergon | 77-73-72-76—298 |
| Dale Lundquist | 73-72-74-79—298 |
| Judy Clark | 74-76-71-78—299 |
| a-Kathy Baker | 75-77-74-73—299 |
| Janet Alex | 77-74-73-75—299 |
| Jan Stephenson | 76-70-77-77—300 |
| Penny Pulz | 80-68-72-80—300 |
| Sandra Palmer | 77-75-74-74—300 |
| Sandra Post | 73-79-72-77—301 |
| Mary Mills | 79-74-75-73—301 |
| a-Patti Rizzo | 79-74-74-75—302 |
| Jerilyn Britz | 70-81-75-76—302 |
| Debbie Austin | 75-74-76-77—302 |
| Marilyn Smith | 74-75-79-75—303 |
| Barbara Moxness | 74-79-76-74—303 |
| Murle Breer | 74-73-76-80—303 |
| Alexandra Reinhardt | 77-75-75-77—304 |
| Mary Lawrence | 75-73-75-81—304 |
| Laura Baugh-Cole | 73-76-76-79—304 |
| Catherine Morse | 72-81-77-75—305 |
| Jeannette Kerr | 77-75-79-74—305 |
| a-Rosie Jones | 75-76-77-77—305 |
| a-Jennifer Davis | 75-76-79-76—306 |
| Connie Chillemi | 74-76-71-85—306 |
| Kathryn Young | 76-74-81-76—307 |
| a-Lancy Smith | 76-77-76-78—307 |
| Vicki Singleton | 77-76-77-77—307 |
| Judy Rankin | 81-72-73-81—307 |
| Kathy Postlewait | 78-73-79-77—307 |
| Gail Hirata | 76-76-74-81—307 |
| Patty Hayes | 80-70-78-79—307 |
| a-Cathy Hanlon | 79-72-74-82—307 |
| a-Chris Monaghan | 77-75-75-81—308 |
| Alice Miller | 78-74-79-77—308 |
| a-Edwina Kennedy | 78-74-74-82—308 |
| Joyce Kazmierski | 75-75-80-78—308 |
| Sandra Spuzich | 80-71-79-79—309 |
| a-Laurie Rinker | 76-74-75-84—309 |
| Chris Johnson | 75-75-78-82—310 |
| Kathy Ahern | 75-78-74-83—310 |
| Debbie Meisterlin | 77-75-80-79—311 |
| a-Penny Hammel | 77-75-79-80—311 |
| Peggy Conley | 77-76-81-77—311 |
| Susie Berning | 78-75-76-82—311 |
| Mary Porter | 74-77-78-86—315 |
Sources:
Ladies Professional Golf Association. 2004 LPGA Media Guide, Player Biographies, Kathy Whitworth.
United States Golf Association. U.S. Women's Open Past Champion, 1981, via Internet Archive, https://web.archive.org/web/20100314144601/https://www.uswomensopen.com/history/pastchamps/1981.html.
United States Golf Association. U.S. Women's Open Records, https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/media/online-media-center/usga-records/u-s--women-s-open-records.html.
United States Golf Association. U.S. Women's Open, Records & Results, 1981, https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/championships/history-timeline/scoring-and-stats/scoring.html#!&y=1981.