1954 U.S. Women's Open
Golf tournament
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1954 U.S. Women's Open was the ninth U.S. Women's Open, held July 1–3 at Salem Country Club in Peabody, Massachusetts. It was the second conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA).
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | July 1–3, 1954 |
| Location | Peabody, Massachusetts |
| Course | Salem Country Club |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Tour | LPGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play – 72 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,393 yards (5,846 m)[1] |
| Field | 53: 21 pros, 32 amateurs[2] |
| Prize fund | $7,500 |
| Winner's share | $2,000 |
| Champion | |
 Babe Zaharias | |
| 291 (+3) | |
Babe Zaharias won her third U.S. Women's Open, twelve strokes ahead of runner-up Betty Hicks,[1] a record victory margin which still stands. It was the last of her ten major championships and her final U.S. Women's Open as a competitor.
Zaharias missed the event in 1953 while recovering from surgery for colon cancer.[1] She did not defend in 1955 due to back surgery, which discovered that cancer had recurred near her sacrum and she died in September 1956 at age 45.[3][4]
Future four-time champion Mickey Wright, age 19, was the low amateur and tied for fourth place. She was paired with Zaharias on Saturday for the final two rounds and impressed the three-time champion.[1]
Final leaderboard
Saturday, July 3, 1954
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Babe Zaharias | 72-71-73-75=291 | +3 | 2,000 |
| 2 | Betty Hicks | 75-76-75-77=303 | +15 | 1,250 |
| 3 | Louise Suggs | 76-77-78-76=307 | +19 | 1,000 |
| T4 | Betsy Rawls | 77-73-78-80=308 | +20 | 750 |
| Mickey Wright (a) | 74-79-79-76=308 | 0 | ||
| 6 | Jackie Pung | 81-77-78-73=309 | +21 | 600 |
| T7 | Beverly Hanson | 77-80-78-75=310 | +22 | 500 |
| Pat Lesser (a) | 79-73-78-80=310 | 0 | ||
| T9 |  Fay Crocker | 77-82-79-73=311 | +23 | 400 |
| Claire Doran (a) | 72-79-80-80=311 | 0 |