1957 LPGA Championship explained

1957 LPGA Championship
Dates:June 6–10, 1957
Location:Blackridge, Pennsylvania
Course:Churchill Valley Country Club
Tour:LPGA Tour
Format:Stroke play – 72 holes
Par:70
Yardage:[1]
Field:26 players[2]
Cut:none
Purse:$7,600
Winners Share:$1,316
Champion: Louise Suggs
Score:285 (+5)
Previous:1956
Next:1958

The 1957 LPGA Championship was the third LPGA Championship, held June 6–10 at Churchill Valley Country Club in Blackridge, Pennsylvania, a suburb east of Pittsburgh. It concluded on Monday, after rain washed out play on Saturday.[3]

Louise Suggs, president of the LPGA,[4] shot a final round 68 (−2) to win her only LPGA Championship, three strokes ahead of runner-up Wiffi Smith.[5] Defending champion Marlene Hagge and 1955 winner Beverly Hanson finished two strokes behind Smith, in a tie for third.[6] Smith, age 20, led after each of the first three rounds, but carded a 74 (+4) in the final round on Monday.[5] She won eight events on the LPGA Tour in her career, but no majors. It was the tenth of eleven major titles for Suggs.

The field consisted of 26 professionals; a concurrent event for amateurs was also held.[2] The championship returned to Churchill Valley the next year in 1958 and the course hosted its third major the following year, the U.S. Women's Open in 1959.The club closed in 2013.[7] [8]

Final leaderboard

Monday, June 10, 1957

Place Player Score To par Money ($)
1 Louise Suggs69-74-74-68=285+5 1,316
2 Wiffi Smith68-71-75-74=288+8 921
T3 Marlene Hagge69-75-73-73=290+10698
Beverly Hanson75-73-73-69=290
5 Joyce Ziske71-73-75-74=293+13 557
6 Marilynn Smith76-70-75-73=294+14 473
7 Patty Berg73-72-77-73=295+15 404
T8 Alice Bauer74-71-74-77=296+16 303
Bonnie Randolph76-76-69-75=296
10 Kathy Cornelius77-72-73-75=297+17 228
Source:[6]

References

40.45°N -79.845°W

Notes and References

  1. News: Wiffi Smith cards 71, leads LPGA by four . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Gundelfinger . Phil . June 8, 1957 . 15 .
  2. News: Small, select field opens LPGA tourney . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Gundelfinger . Phil . June 6, 1957 . 27 .
  3. News: Third round of Ladies PGA golf postponed . Reading Eagle . Pennsylvania . Associated Press . June 9, 1957 . 31 .
  4. News: LPGA head had faith in herself . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Jordan . Jimmy . June 11, 1957 . 22.
  5. News: Louise Suggs' 285 wins LPGA . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Gundelfinger . Phil . June 11, 1957 . 20.
  6. News: Suggs wins title in LPGA . Daytona Beach Morning Journal . Florida . Associated Press . June 11, 1957 . 10.
  7. News: Churchill Valley Country Club sinks into financial hole . Pittsburgh Business Times . January 25, 2013 . July 19, 2014.
  8. Web site: Churchill Valley Country Club seeks penalty against creditors . Trib Live . Varine . Patrick . August 14, 2013 . July 19, 2014.