Looking Back: LPGA's J&B Scotch Pro-Am Tournament
First played: 1979
Last played: 1985
Also known as: Sahara National Pro-Am (1979), LPGA National Pro-Am (1980), LPGA Desert Inn Pro-Am (1981). The J&B Scotch Pro-Am name was used over the tournament's final four years.
Winners of the LPGA J&B Scotch Pro-Am
1979 — Nancy Lopez, 2741980 — Donna Caponi, 286
1981 — Donna Caponi, 286
1982 — Nancy Lopez, 279
1983 — Nancy Lopez, 283
1984 — Ayako Okamoto, 275
1985 — Patty Sheehan, 275
The J&B Scotch Pro-Am was played seven times, and won by four different golfers, each of whom — Lopez, Caponi, Okamoto and Sheehan — later became members of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
The first five years, Lopez won three times and Caponi won twice. Caponi was runner-up in Lopez's first win (1979), and Lopez was runner-up in Caponi's first win (1980). Lopez's three wins were her 11th, 24th and 27th, respectively, on the LPGA Tour. Caponi's victories were her 15th and 20th, respectively, on the LPGA Tour.
The 72-hole scoring record was the 274 with which Lopez won in 1979. The largest margin of victory was five strokes, by Lopez over runner-up Sandra Haynie in 1982, and by Okamoto over runner-up Donna White in 1984.
Golf courses: The tournament was played at both Sahara Country Club and Las Vegas Country Club in 1979. From 1980-85, the site was the Desert Inn Golf & Country Club, with Paradise Valley Country Club co-hosting in 1980.
Sources:
LPGA Tour. Tournament Chronology, 1970-79 (via Internet Archive), https://web.archive.org/web/20100102105959/http://www.lpga.com/content/Chronology70-79.pdf.
LPGA Tour. Tournament Chronology, 1980-89 (via Internet Archive), https://web.archive.org/web/20110629095854/http://www.lpga.com/content/Chronology80-89.pdf.
