1967 U.S. Women's Open Winner and Scores
Winner: Catherine Lacoste (amateur), 294
Where it was played: The Homestead (Cascades Course) in Hot Springs, Virginia
Tournament dates: June 29-July 2, 1967
Leader after first round: Sandra Haynie, 70
Leader after second round: Catherine Lacoste, 141
Leader after third round: Catherine Lacoste, 215
What Happened in the 1967 U.S. Women's Open
Catherine Lacoste, a 22-year-old amateur from France whose parents were far more famous than she was, held on to win the 1967 U.S. Women's Open. She was the tournament's first (and still only) amateur winner, and at the time was the tournament's youngest winner.Lacoste had not yet won any of the biggest amateur titles when she claimed victory in the world's biggest pro women's tournament. The daughter of French tennis legend (and fashion icon) Rene Lacoste and 1920s French golf star Simone de la Chaume, Lacoste went on to win both the British Ladies Amateur and U.S. Women's Amateur in 1969. But at the time of the 1967 U.S. Women's Open, her biggest amateur titles were all in her native France.
Lacoste was one off the lead following the first round, but with a 70 (tied for low round of the tournament) in Round 2, she opened a five-stroke lead. Her 141 tied the tournament's 36-hole record.
She maintained that five-shot advantage with a 74 in the third round, but only one golfer was within seven strokes of her. It turned out she needed that big lead.
In the final round, perhaps finally feeling the nerves, Lacoste scored 79. That still shares the record today for highest final-round score by the eventual USWO champ. In the early going of the final round, Lacoste stretched her lead to seven. But then she started making bogeys and at one point her lead was down to just one.
But Lacoste recovered late, finishing with a birdie on No. 17 and parring the 18th for a two-stroke victory. It was Louise Suggs, LPGA co-founder and U.S. Women's Open winner in 1949 and 1952, who put the pressure on Lacoste. Suggs, who started the final round nine behind, was just one back after the 15th hole. But she double-bogeyed No. 16 and finished tied for fourth. It was the last Top 5 finish in any major for Suggs.
One of the competitors who started the tournament was Beverly Klass, who was just 10 years, 7 months and 21 days old. She scored 96-96 and, needless to say, missed the cut. That was 50-over par for the first and second rounds. Klass still holds the record as the USWO's youngest player.
1967 U.S. Women's Open Final Scores
| a-Catherine Lacoste | 71-70-74-79—294 |
| Beth Stone | 75-76-71-74—296 |
| Susie Maxwell | 71-75-76-74—296 |
| Louise Suggs | 76-74-74-73—297 |
| Sandra Haynie | 70-79-77-71—297 |
| Murle Lindstrom | 75-74-73-75—297 |
| Margie Masters | 73-73-74-80—300 |
| Marilynn Smith | 75-77-72-77—301 |
| Sharon Miller | 76-80-74-71—301 |
| Clifford Ann Creed | 75-75-76-75—301 |
| Judy Torluemke (Rankin) | 78-81-70-73—302 |
| a-Dorothy Germain | 75-78-79-70—302 |
| Shirley Englehorn | 73-74-76-79—302 |
| Sybil Griffin | 71-79-75-78—303 |
| Kathy Whitworth | 81-76-73-75—305 |
| a-Nancy Roth Syms | 76-75-78-76—305 |
| Betsy Rawls | 73-82-75-75—305 |
| Judy Kimball | 78-76-73-78—305 |
| Lesley Holbert | 79-73-74-79—305 |
| Peggy Wilson | 80-72-79-75—306 |
| Carol Mann | 77-72-82-75—306 |
| Marlene Hagge | 79-80-73-74—306 |
| Gerda Whalen | 80-76-79-72—307 |
| Sandra Palmer | 80-76-76-75—307 |
| Donna Caponi | 74-76-76-81—307 |
| a-Anne Welts | 78-78-75-77—308 |
| Sandra Spuzich | 77-79-77-76—309 |
| Mary Mills | 84-75-73-77—309 |
| Betsy Cullen | 72-79-77-81—309 |
| Kathy Ahern | 78-74-74-83—309 |
| Sharron Moran | 76-83-78-73—310 |
| Gloria Ehret | 76-79-76-80—311 |
| JoAnn Prentice | 81-76-78-77—312 |
| Jan Ferraris | 76-83-75-78—312 |
| Barbara Romack | 77-77-80-79—313 |
| Renee Powell | 82-76-79-76—313 |
| a-Barbara Gabrielsen | 73-78-81-83—315 |
| Kathy Cornelius | 76-78-80-81—315 |
| Patty Berg | 77-82-77-80—316 |
| Jean Bryant | 75-80-82-83—320 |
| a-Betty Probasco | 78-79-84-80—321 |
Sources:
LPGA Tour. 2004 LPGA Media Guide, Biographies, Louise Suggs.
Spokane (Wash.) Spokesman-Review. "French Lass Grabs Large Lead in Open," Associated Press, July 1, 1967.
Spokane (Wash.) Spokesman-Review. "French Gal Beats Nerves, Retains Five-Stroke Lead," Associated Press, July 2, 1967.
United States Golf Association. U.S. Women's Open Past Champions, 1967, via Internet Archive, https://web.archive.org/web/20100314144601/https://www.uswomensopen.com/history/pastchamps/1967.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, 1967, https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/championships/history-timeline/scoring-and-stats/scoring.html#!&y=1967.
