| Betty Jameson | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||||
| Full name | Elizabeth May Jameson | ||||
| Nickname | Betty | ||||
| Born | (1919-05-09)May 9, 1919 Norman, Oklahoma, U.S. | ||||
| Died | February 7, 2009(2009-02-07) (aged 89) Boynton Beach, Florida, U.S. | ||||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||
| Sporting nationality |  United States | ||||
| Career | |||||
| College | University of Texas | ||||
| Turned professional | 1945 | ||||
| Former tour | LPGA Tour (Founder) | ||||
| Professional wins | 18 | ||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||
| LPGA Tour | 13[1] | ||||
| Other | 5 | ||||
| Best results in LPGA major championships (wins: 3) | |||||
| Western Open | Won:1942,1954 | ||||
| Titleholders C'ship | 5th: 1956, 1961 | ||||
| Women's PGA C'ship | 3rd/T3: 1956, 1958 | ||||
| U.S. Women's Open | Won:1947 | ||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||
| |||||
Elizabeth May Jameson (May 9, 1919 – February 7, 2009) was an Americanprofessional golfer. She was one of the thirteen founders of theLadies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) in 1950.[2] She won threemajor championships and a total of thirteen events during her career, one as amateur and twelve as a professional. She is a member of theWorld Golf Hall of Fame.
Jameson was born inNorman, Oklahoma and graduated from Dallas' Sunset High School in 1939. She started playing golf at age 11. According to her obituary in theNew York Times, her mother gave her 50 cents for a greens fee and another 50 cents to rent a set of clubs at a public golf course in Dallas when she was 11 years old.[3] She won the 1932 Texas Publinx title at the age of 13 and the Southern Championship when she was 15. She won theU.S. Women's Amateur in 1939 and 1940. She won theWomen's Western Amateur in 1940 and 1942. In 1942, she also won theWomen's Western Open, a major at the time, while still an amateur. She was selected to the DISD Athletics Hall of Fame and is a Member of the Sunset High School Hall of Fame.
Jameson turned professional in 1945. She was one of the thirteen women who founded the LPGA in 1950. She won a total of thirteen events, including threemajor championships. In 1947, she won theU.S. Women's Open with a 295 total at the Starmount Forest Country Club inGreensboro, North Carolina, marking the first time a female golfer scored lower than 300 in a 72-hole tournament. She won the 1954 Women's Western Open again. In 1967, when the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame was created, Jameson was one of the six inaugural inductees.[4] The LPGA recognized her induction year into the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf, 1951, as her official induction year into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame and theWorld Golf Hall of Fame. She competed in her final LPGA event, theBurdine's Invitational, in 1970.
Jameson conceived the idea of annually honoring the golfer with the lowest scoring average on the LPGA Tour and, in 1952, donated a trophy for that in the name ofGlenna Collett Vare.[4] She was inducted into theWomen's Sports Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1999, and was listed as "...as one of the (LPGA) association’s top 50 players and teachers."[3] In 2004, August 14 was proclaimed "Betty Jameson Day" inDelray Beach, Florida, to commemorate her career accomplishments.
Jameson had to stop playing golf, other than doing some occasional chipping and putting, because of pain in her wrists caused bycarpal tunnel syndrome. She took up painting for her own enjoyment and sold a few works to friends. However, according to her obituary in theNew York Times, she was reportedly destitute when she died at her home, which was then inBoynton Beach, Florida.[5][6]
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Women's Western Open | 9 & 7 |  Phyllis Otto | |
| 1947 | U.S. Women's Open | −9 (76-75-74-70=295) | 6 strokes | Polly Riley (a),Sally Sessions (a) |
| 1954 | Women's Western Open | 6 & 5 | Louise Suggs | |