From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
1972 LPGA Tour
Golf tour season
Golf tour season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| year | 1972 |
| tour | LPGA Tour |
| regular_season | – |
| no_of_events | 29 |
| most_wins | 5 USA Kathy Whitworth |
| honor1 | Money leader |
| honoree1 | USA Kathy Whitworth |
| honor2 | Player of the Year |
| honoree2 | USA Kathy Whitworth |
| honor3 | Rookie of the Year |
| honoree3 | CAN Jocelyne Bourassa |
| prevseason | [1971](1971-lpga-tour) |
| nextseason | [1973](1973-lpga-tour) |
The 1972 LPGA Tour was the 23rd season since the LPGA Tour officially began in 1950. The season ran from January 7 to November 5. The season consisted of 29 official money events. Kathy Whitworth won the most tournaments, five. Whitworth led the money list with earnings of $65,063.
The season saw the first tournament with a $100,000 purse, the Dinah Shore Colgate Winner's Circle ($110,000). It also saw the first player to win over $50,000 in a season, Whitworth. There were two first-time winners in 1972: Betty Burfeindt and Betsy Cullen. This season saw the return, for 1972 only, of the LPGA major, the Titleholders Championship. It also saw the last of Betsy Rawls' 55 LPGA wins.
The tournament results and award winners are listed below.
Tournament results
The following table shows all the official money events for the 1972 season. "Date" is the ending date of the tournament. The numbers in parentheses after the winners' names are the number of wins they had on the tour up to and including that event. Majors are shown in bold.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Winner | Score | Purse ($) | 1st prize ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 9 | Burdine's Invitational | Florida | USA Marlene Hagge (26) | 211 (−5) | 30,000 | 4,500 |
| Mar 12 | Lady Eve Open | Texas | USA Judy Rankin (6) | 210 (−6) | 25,000 | 3,750 |
| Mar 19 | Orange Blossom Classic | Florida | USA Carol Mann (30) | 213 (−3) | 20,000 | 3,000 |
| Mar 26 | Sears Women's World Classic | Florida | USA Betsy Cullen (1) | 72 (−1) | 85,000 | 12,000 |
| Apr 16 | Dinah Shore Colgate Winner's Circle | California | USA Jane Blalock (4) | 213 (−3) | 110,000 | 20,050 |
| Apr 23 | Birmingham Centennial Classic | Alabama | USA Betty Burfeindt (1) | 212 (−4) | 30,000 | 4,500 |
| Apr 30 | Alamo Ladies Open | Texas | USA Kathy Whitworth (60) | 209 (−10) | 25,000 | 3,750 |
| May 7 | Sealy LPGA Classic | Nevada | USA Betty Burfeindt (2) | 282 (−6) | 50,000 | 10,000 |
| May 16 | Suzuki Golf Internationale | California | USA Jane Blalock (5) | 208 (−8) | 38,000 | 5,700 |
| May 21 | Bluegrass Invitational | Kentucky | USA Kathy Cornelius (5) | 211 (−5) | 25,000 | 3,750 |
| May 29 | **[Titleholders Championship](1972-titleholders-championship)** | North Carolina | USA **Sandra Palmer** (3) | 283 (−1) | 20,000 | 3,000 |
| Jun 4 | Lady Carling Open | Maryland | USA Carol Mann (31) | 210 (−9) | 30,000 | 4,500 |
| Jun 11 | **[Eve-LPGA Championship](1972-lpga-championship)** | Massachusetts | USA **Kathy Ahern** (2) | 293 (+1) | 50,000 | 7,500 |
| Jul 2 | **[U.S. Women's Open](1972-u-s-women-s-open)** | New York | USA **Susie Berning** (8) | 299 (+11) | 40,000 | 6,000 |
| Jul 9 | George Washington Classic | Pennsylvania | USA Kathy Ahern (3) | 213 (−6) | 30,000 | 4,500 |
| Jul 23 | Raleigh Golf Classic | North Carolina | USA Kathy Whitworth (61) | 212 (−4) | 20,000 | 3,000 |
| Jul 30 | Lady Pepsi Open | Georgia | USA Jan Ferraris (2) | 221 (−5) | 25,000 | 3,750 |
| Aug 6 | Knoxville Ladies Classic | Tennessee | USA Kathy Whitworth (62) | 210 (−3) | 25,000 | 3,750 |
| Aug 13 | Pabst Ladies Classic | Ohio | USA Marilynn Smith (21) | 210 (−6) | 30,000 | 4,500 |
| Aug 20 | Southgate Ladies Open | Kansas | USA Kathy Whitworth (63) | 216 (E) | 20,000 | 3,000 |
| Aug 27 | National Jewish Hospital Open | Colorado | USA Sandra Haynie (24) | 207 (−6) | 25,000 | 3,750 |
| Sep 10 | Dallas Civitan Open | Texas | USA Jane Blalock (6) | 211 (−5) | 33,000 | 4,950 |
| Sep 17 | Quality First Classic | Texas | USA Sandra Haynie (25) | 206 (−10) | 20,000 | 3,000 |
| Sep 25 | Lincoln-Mercury Open | California | USA Sandra Haynie (26) | 215 (−4) | 28,000 | 4,200 |
| Oct 1 | Portland Ladies Classic | Oregon | USA Kathy Whitworth (64) | 212 (−7) | 25,000 | 3,750 |
| Oct 10 | Heritage Village Open | Connecticut | USA Judy Rankin (7) | 212 (−7) | 25,000 | 3,750 |
| Oct 22 | GAC Classic | Arizona | USA Betsy Rawls (55) | 141 (−3)^ | 30,000 | 4,500 |
| Oct 29 | Corpus Christi Civitan Open | Texas | USA Jo Ann Prentice (3) | 210 (−6) | 20,000 | 3,000 |
| Nov 5 | Lady Errol Classic | Florida | USA Jane Blalock (7) | 214 (−2) | 30,000 | 4,500 |
^ - weather-shortened tournament
Jane Blalock suspension and lawsuit
Main article: Jane Blalock cheating controversy
After she finished the second round of the Bluegrass Invitational held in Louisville, Kentucky, Jane Blalock was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. Tourney director Gene McAuliff said Blalock did not mark her ball properly on the 17th green and then failed to take a two-stroke penalty for the infraction as required.
Less than two weeks later, the LPGA executive board suspended Blalock for one year "for actions inconsistent with the code of ethics of the organization". The executive board claimed Blalock had been under suspicion for over a year, that she had moved her ball illegally on multiple occasions and that there were witnesses to these happenings, plus that Blalock had admitted to her guilt. Twenty-seven other LPGA Tour players signed a petition arguing that probation, a fine, and disqualification from the Louisville tournament were not enough punishment. LPGA Executive Director Bud Erickson asked Blalock to feign a back injury so to avoid bad publicity but she refused.
Fellow LPGA Tour golfer Sandra Palmer defended Blalock. In addition to saying she had never seen Blalock commit any rules violations, Palmer stated she didn't understand why the alleged infractions weren't reported at the time they happened and why other players signed Blalock's scorecards without reporting the incidents. Palmer also said, "If you see an infraction of the rules, you should point it out immediately. You don't wait until three years later to report something. Once you've signed that card, you're as guilty as the person who committed the violation." The LPGA executive went on to warn Palmer in regards to her statements. Palmer was also placed on probation for one year by the LPGA Tour and ordered not to make further statements of support for Jane Blalock.
Blalock filed a lawsuit against the LPGA. In the suit, Blalock's lawyers motioned the court asking that Blalock be allowed to continue playing while the suit was resolved. U.S. District Court Judge Charles A. Moye Jr. granted the motion. Moye did however rule that any money Blalock earned while her case was being resolved would be placed in a court trust. Blalock went on to win two more times in 1972, at the Dallas Civitan Open and the Lady Errol Classic.
Awards
| Award | Winner | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Money winner | Kathy Whitworth (7) | |
| Scoring leader (Vare Trophy) | Kathy Whitworth (7) | |
| Player of the Year | Kathy Whitworth (6) | |
| Rookie of the Year | Jocelyne Bourassa |
References
References
- "LPGA Tournament Chronology 1970-1979". LPGA.
- Weston, Bob. (May 22, 1972). "Drought over for Kathy Cornelius". [[Beaver County Times]].
- (June 2, 1972). "Jane Blalock suspended from LPGA". [[Schenectady Gazette]].
- McDermott, Barry. (June 19, 1972). "Keeping A Close Eye On The Ball".
- (June 15, 1972). "LPGA affidavits accuse Jane Blalock of cheating". [[The Spartanburg Herald]].
- (May 13, 1973). "LPGA needs flamboyancy". [[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]].
- Bernstein, Ralph. (July 8, 1972). "Sandra Palmer sides with Jane Blalock in latter's battle with LPGA Officials". [[The Gettysburg Times]].
- (June 28, 1972). "Sandra Palmer warned". [[Sarasota Journal]].
- (August 3, 1972). "Sandra Palmer put on probation". [[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]].
- (June 1, 1972). "Blalock files LPGA lawsuit". [[The Daily News (Kentucky).
- (June 3, 1972). "Court order for Blalock". [[The Star-Phoenix]].
- (June 29, 1972). "LPGA Lashes Out - Ruling in favor of Jane Blalock". [[Nashua Telegraph]].
- (September 11, 1972). "Jane Blalock wins at Dallas". Daily Advance.
- (November 6, 1972). "Blalock captures playoff". Tucson Daily Citizen.
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about 1972 LPGA Tour — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report