1970 U.S. Women's Open Winner and Scores
Winner: Donna Caponi, 287
Where it was played: Muskogee Country Club in Muskogee, Oklahoma
Tournament dates: July 2-5, 1970
Leaders after first round: Donna Caponi, Carol Mann, 69
Leader after second round: Donna Caponi, Carol Mann, 139
Leader after third round: Donna Caponi, 210
What Happened in the 1970 U.S. Women's Open
Donna Caponi opened a lead in the third round, but then had to hold on on the tournament's final hole to win the 1970 U.S. Women's Open.Caponi shared the first- and second-round leads, but a 70 in Round 3 gave her a four-stroke edge with a score of 210 — the lowest score after 54 holes in the tournament's history to this point.
But Caponi struggled in the final round, making only one birdie against five bogeys and one double bogey, scoring 77. When she reached the final hole, she still led by two strokes over 1966 U.S. Women's Open champ Sandra Spuzich. But the final hole is where that double bogey happened.
Spuzich first had a six-foot par putt that would have assured her at least a tie, but she missed. Caponi then stood over a four-foot putt for double bogey, which just barely fell into the hole. That gave Caponi the one-shot win over Spuzich and Sandra Haynie.
Caponi won a year earlier, too, in the 1969 U.S. Women's Open. She was just the second golfer to win back-to-back USWO titles after Mickey Wright in 1958-59. (Wright finished 37th this year, just the fourth time since 1955 she finished outside the Top 10 in a USWO.)
Hollis Stacy made her major championship debut here, missing the cut. Stacy went on to win the U.S. Women's Opens of 1977, 1978 and 1984. Stacy played every USWO from this year through 2000, a streak of 31 appearances and the tournament's all-time record for consecutive starts. Another future LPGA major winner, Sally Little, also made her major championship debut here and missed the cut.
1970 U.S. Women's Open Final Scores
| Donna Caponi | 69-70-71-77—287 |
| Sandra Spuzich | 72-72-70-74—288 |
| Sandra Haynie | 71-72-71-74—288 |
| Kathy Whitworth | 71-71-76-71—289 |
| Sandra Palmer | 73-71-71-74—289 |
| Sharon Miller | 70-77-74-69—290 |
| JoAnn Prentice | 72-75-70-74—291 |
| Carol Mann | 69-70-77-76—292 |
| Shirley Englehorn | 70-74-74-75—293 |
| Clifford Creed | 73-73-74-73—293 |
| Peggy Wilson | 71-75-75-73—294 |
| Marilynn Smith | 72-73-77-72—294 |
| a-Cynthia Hill | 72-70-75-77—294 |
| Gerda Whalen | 71-74-75-75—295 |
| Betsy Rawls | 72-75-77-71—295 |
| Kathy Ahern | 71-74-76-74—295 |
| Carole Jo Skala | 72-74-79-71—296 |
| a-Jane Fassinger | 71-73-78-74—296 |
| Jane Blalock | 73-74-77-73—297 |
| Pam Barnett | 77-68-80-72—297 |
| Susan Little | 74-74-79-71—298 |
| Murle Lindstrom | 73-76-73-76—298 |
| Judy Kimball | 75-74-73-76—298 |
| JoAnne Carner | 73-74-78-73—298 |
| a-Jane Bastanchury | 74-74-75-75—298 |
| a-Shelley Hamlin | 73-75-76-75—299 |
| Marlene Hagge | 72-76-74-77—299 |
| Gloria Ehret | 74-75-74-76—299 |
| Althea Gibson | 73-75-74-77—299 |
| Betsy Cullen | 71-77-76-75—299 |
| Patty Berg | 74-75-76-75—300 |
| a-Martha Jett | 76-74-78-73—301 |
| a-Nancy Hager | 75-72-79-75—301 |
| Sharron Moran | 72-76-74-80—302 |
| Lesley Holbert | 75-75-75-77—302 |
| Kathy Farrer | 76-74-78-77—305 |
| Mickey Wright | 71-78-79-78—306 |
| Norma Owens | 76-74-76-82—308 |
| Gail Denenberg | 76-72-81-79—308 |
| Betty Burfeindt | 76-73-78-81—308 |
Sources:
Houston Post. "Caponi defends title with Muskogee bogies," The Associated Press, July 6, 1970.
Ladies Professional Golf Association. 2004 LPGA Media Guide, Player Biographies, Hollis Stacy.
Ladies Professional Golf Association. 2004 LPGA Media Guide, Player Biographies, Mickey Wright.
United States Golf Association. U.S. Women's Open Past Champions, 1970, via Internet Archive, https://web.archive.org/web/20100314144601/https://www.uswomensopen.com/history/pastchamps/1970.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, 1970, https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/championships/history-timeline/scoring-and-stats/scoring.html#!&y=1970.
