1972 LPGA Tour

Golf tour season December 2024 March 2026 1972 LPGA Tour 1972 1 7 – 1972 11 5 29 5 USA Kathy Whitworth Money leader USA Kathy Whitworth Player of the Year USA Kathy Whitworth Vare Trophy USA Kathy Whitworth Rookie of the Year CAN Jocelyne Bourassa 1971 1973 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 $50,000 in a season, Whitworth. There were two first-time winners in 1972: Betty Burfeindt and Betsy Cullen. This season saw the return, for 1972 only, of the LPGA major, the Titleholders Championship. It also saw the last of Betsy Rawls' 55 LPGA wins. The tournament results and award winners are listed below. Tournament results The following table shows all the official money events for the 1972 season.http://www.lpga.com/content/Chronology70-79.pdf LPGA Tournament Chronology 1970-1979 LPGA https://web.archive.org/web/20100102105959/http://www.lpga.com/content/Chronology70-79.pdf January 2, 2010 "Date" is the ending date of the tournament. The numbers in parentheses after the winners' names are the number of wins they had on the tour up to and including that event. Majors are shown in bold. Date Tournament Location Winner Score Purse ($) 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 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 Massachusetts USA Kathy Ahern (2) 293 (+1) 50,000 7,500 Jul 2 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 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.Drought over for Kathy Cornelius Bob Weston https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NGwyAAAAIBAJ&pg=3140,1754888&dq=bluegrass+disqualified+jane+blalock&hl=en Beaver County Times May 22, 1972 Google News Archive 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".Jane Blalock suspended from LPGA https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aWctAAAAIBAJ&pg=4185,574193&dq=suspended+jane+blalock+baltimore&hl=en Schenectady Gazette June 2, 1972 Associated Press 31 Google News Archive 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.Keeping A Close Eye On The Ball Barry McDermott https://www.si.com/vault/1972/06/19/613598/keeping-a-close-eye-on-the-ball Sports Illustrated June 19, 1972 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 affidavits accuse Jane Blalock of cheating https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lIAsAAAAIBAJ&pg=2657,2927239&dq=lpga+affidavits+accuse+blalock+of+cheating&hl=en The Spartanburg Herald June 15, 1972 Associated Press D1 Google News Archive LPGA Executive Director Bud Erickson asked Blalock to feign a back injury so to avoid bad publicity but she refused.LPGA needs flamboyancy https://news.google.com/newspapers?d=Eq0cAAAAIBAJ&pg=7442,5075088&dq=jane+blalock+back+suspended+erickson&hl=en Sarasota Herald-Tribune May 13, 1973 4-C Google News Archive 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."Sandra Palmer sides with Jane Blalock in latter's battle with LPGA Officials Ralph Bernstein https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZnhbAAAAIBAJ&pg=7073,552472&dq=sandra+palmer+suspend+jane+blalock&hl=en The Gettysburg Times July 8, 1972 Associated Press 9 Google News Archive The LPGA executive went on to warn Palmer in regards to her statements.Sandra Palmer warned https://news.google.com/newspapers?d=FYA0AAAAIBAJ&pg=6875,4486871&dq=jane+blalock+lawsuit&hl=en Sarasota Journal June 28, 1972 Associated Press 2-C Google News Archive 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.Sandra Palmer put on probation https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19720803&id=-vsjAAAAIBAJ&pg=2660,736964&hl=en Sarasota Herald-Tribune August 3, 1972 United Press International 3-D Google News Archive 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.Blalock files LPGA lawsuit https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GyMqAAAAIBAJ&pg=5602,182018&dq=jane+blalock+lawsuit&hl=en Daily News Associated Press June 1, 1972 9 Google News Archive U.S. District Court Judge Charles A. Moye Jr. granted the motion.Court order for Blalock https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iDhgAAAAIBAJ&pg=2141,657023&dq=jane+blalock+order&hl=en The Star-Phoenix Associated Press June 3, 1972 24 Google News Archive Moye did however rule that any money Blalock earned while her case was being resolved would be placed in a court trust.LPGA Lashes Out - Ruling in favor of Jane Blalock https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tZkrAAAAIBAJ&pg=6071,4207858&dq=jane+blalock+erickson+suspended+rankin&hl=en Nashua Telegraph June 29, 1972 Associated Press 14 Google News Archive Blalock went on to win two more times in 1972, at the Dallas Civitan Openhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/1009651869/?match=1&terms=jane%20blalock%20dallas Jane Blalock wins at Dallas Daily Advance Associated Press September 11, 1972 25 newspapers.com subscription and the Lady Errol Classic.Blalock captures playoff https://www.newspapers.com/image/23251816/?match=1&terms=jane%20blalock%20Lady%20Errol%20Classic Tucson Daily Citizen Associated Press November 6, 1972 53 newspapers.com subscription Awards AwardWinnerCountry 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 External links LPGA Tour official site 1972 season coverage at golfobserver.com Category:LPGA Tour seasons LPGA Tour