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U.S. Women's Open Records

The Record-Setters at the U.S. Women's Open

By Brent Kelley, About.com

U.S. Women's Open Records

Juli Inkster appears in several U.S. Women's Open records categories, including lowest score in relation to par.

Nick Laham / Getty Images

Here is a selection of records set during competition at the U.S. Women's Open golf tournament:

Four-Time Champions
• Mickey Wright (1958, 1959, 1961, 1964)
• Betsy Rawls (1951, 1953, 1957, 1960)

Three-Time Champions
• Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1948, 1950, 1954)
• Susie Berning (1968, 1972, 1973)
• Hollis Stacy (1977, 1978, 1984)
• Annika Sorenstam (1995, 1996, 2006)

Most Top-5 Finishes
14 - Louise Suggs
10 - Mickey Wright
9 - Joanne Carner
8 - Pat Bradley
8 - Kathy Whitworth
7 - Patty Berg
7 - Sandra Haynie
7 - Betsy Rawls

Most Top-10 Finishes
19 - Louise Suggs
14 - Kathy Whitworth
13 - Patty Berg
13 - Mickey Wright
11 - Joanne Carner
10 - Marlene Hagge
10 - Beverly Hanson
10 - Betsy King
10 - Betsy Rawls
10 - Patty Sheehan

Most consecutive Years Playing U.S. Women's Open
31 - Hollis Stacy, 1970-2000
29 - Kath Whitworth, 1959-1987
29 - Marilynn Smith, 1948-1976
29 - Betsy King, 1976-2004
26 - Betsy Rawls, 1950-1975

Most Total Times Playing U.S. Women's Open
33 - Marlene Hagge
32 - a-Carol Semple Thompson
31 - Kathy Whitworth
31 - Hollis Stacy
30 - Patty Berg
30 - Marilynn Smith
30 - Beth Daniel

Oldest Winners
• Babe Didrikson Zaharias, 1954 - 43 years, 6 days
• Juli Inkster, 2002 - 42 years, 14 days
• Meg Mallon, 2004 - 41 years, 2 months, 20 days

Youngest Winners
• Inbee Park, 2008 - 19 years, 11 months, 17 days
• Se Ri Pak, 1998 - 20 years, 9 months, 8 days
• Catherine Lacoste, 1967 - 22 years, 5 days
• Liselotte Neumann, 1988 - 22 years, 2 months, 4 days

Youngest to Play
• Beverly Klass, 1967 - 10 years, 7 months, 21 days

Youngest to Qualify
• Alexis Thompson, 2007 - 12 years, 4 months
• Morgan Pressel, 2001 - 12 years, 11 months

Lowest Score, 9 Holes
30 - Pamela Wright, second nine of second round, 1994
30 - Juli Inskter, second nine of second round, 1997
30 - Raquel Carriedo, first nine of fourth round, 2002
30 - a-Brittany Lincicome, second nine of first round, 2004

Lowest Score, 18 Holes
63 - Helen Alfredsson, first round, 1994
64 - Kelli Kuehne, first round, 1999
64 - Lorie Kane, second round, 1999
64 - Becky Iverson, second round, 1999

Lowest Score, 72 Holes
272 - Annika Sorenstam (70-67-69-66), 1996
272 - Juli Inster (65-69-67-71), 1999
273 - Karrie Webb (70-65-69-69), 2001
274 - Alison Nicholas (70-66-67-71), 1997
274 - Meg Mallon (73-69-67-65), 2004
275 - Nancy Lopez (69-68-69-69), 1997

Lowest Score in Relation to Par, 72 holes
16-under - Juli Inkster, 1999
11-under - Sherri Turner, 1999
10-under - Alison Nicholas, 1997
10-under - Meg Mallon, 2004

Lowest Score By Non-Winner
275 (9-under) - Nancy Lopez, 1997

Highest Winning Score
302 - Betsy Rawls and Jacqueline Pung, 1953 (Rawls won playoff)
302 - Kathy Cornelius and a-Barbara McIntire, 1956 (Cornelius won playoff)
300 - Babe Didrikson Zaharias, 1948

Largest Margin of Victory
14 strokes - Louise Suggs, 1949
12 strokes - Babe Didrikson Zaharias, 1954

Most Career Rounds Under Par
24 - Betsy King
23 - Beth Daniel
21 - Pat Bradley
21 - Patty Sheehan
21 - Meg Mallon

Most Career Rounds in 60s
14 - Beth Daniel
13 - Patty Sheehan
12 - Juli Inkster
12 - Meg Mallon
11 - Pat Bradley

Wire-to-Wire Winners
(Leading after each round, including ties)
• Babe Didrikson Zaharias, 1954
• Fay Crocker, 1955
• Mickey Wright, 1958
• Mary Mills, 1963
• Mickey Wright, 1965*
• Catherine Lacoste, 1967
• Susie Maxwell Berning, 1968
• Donna Caponi, 1970
• JoAnne Carner, 1971
• Hollis Stacy, 1977
• Amy Alcott, 1980*
• Liselotte Neumann, 1988*
• Betsy King, 1989*
• Annika Sorenstam, 2006*
*includes ties

Best Final-Round Comeback to Win
5 strokes - Murle Lindstrom, 1962
5 strokes - Donna Caponi, 1969
5 strokes - Jane Geddes, 1986
5 strokes - Betsy King, 1990
5 strokes - Lauri Merten, 1993
5 strokes - Annika Sorenstam, 1995

Golfers Who Have Won the U.S. Women's Amateur and U.S. Women's Open
• Patty Berg - 1938 Amateur; 1946 Open
• Betty Jameson - 1939, 1940 Amateurs; 1947 Open
• Babe Didrikson Zaharias - 1946 Amateur; 1948, 1950, 1954 Opens
• Louise Suggs - 1947 Amateur; 1949, 1952 Opens
• Catherine Lacoste - 1969 Amateur; 1967 Open
• JoAnne Carner - 1957, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1968 Amateurs; 1971, 1976 Opens
• Juli Inkster - 1980, 1981, 1982 Amateurs; 1999 Open

Golfers Who Have Won the U.S. Girls Junior, U.S. Women's Amateur and U.S. Women's Open
JoAnne Carner - 1956 Girls Junior; 1957, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1968 Amateurs; 1971, 1976 Opens

Low Finish by an Amateur
• First Place - Catherine Lacoste, 1967
• Solo Second Place - Betsy Rawls, 1950 (lost in playoff); Barbara McIntire, 1956 (lost in playoff); Jenny Chuasiriporn, 1998 (lost in playoff)
• Tied Second Place - Polly Riley, 1947; Sally Sessions, 1947; Nancy Lopez, 1975; Brittany Lang, 2005; Morgan Pressel, 2005

Low Score by an Amateur
283 - Grace Park, 1999
285 - Aree Song, 2003
285 - Paula Creamer, 2004
285 - Michelle Wie, 2004

U.S. Women's Open golf tournament homepage

(Source: USGA Media Guide)

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