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Louise Suggs

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Louise Suggs
Suggs in 1958
Personal information
Full nameMae Louise Suggs
Born(1923-09-07)September 7, 1923
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
DiedAugust 7, 2015(2015-08-07) (aged 91)
Sarasota, Florida, U.S.
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceDelray Beach, Florida, U.S.
Career
Turned professional1948
Former tourLPGA Tour (co-founder)
Professional wins61
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour61 (4th all time)
Best results in LPGA major championships
(wins: 11)
Western OpenWon: 1946, 1947, 1949, 1953
Titleholders C'shipWon: 1946, 1954, 1956, 1959
Chevron ChampionshipCUT: 1983
Women's PGA C'shipWon: 1957
U.S. Women's OpenWon: 1949, 1952
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame1951 (member page)
LPGA Tour
Money Winner		1953, 1960
LPGA Vare Trophy1957
Patty Berg Award2000
Bob Jones Award2007

Mae Louise Suggs (September 7, 1923 – August 7, 2015) was an American professional golfer, as well as one of the founders of the LPGA Tour and thus modern ladies' golf.[1][2]

Amateur career

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Born in Atlanta, Suggs had a very successful amateur career, beginning as a teenager. She won the Georgia State Amateur in 1940 at age 16 and again in 1942,[3] was the Southern Amateur Champion in 1941 and 1947,[4] and won the North and South Women's Amateur three times (1942, 1946, 1948).[5] She won the 1946 and 1947 Women's Western Amateur,[6]

She also won a number of professional tournaments during this era. These include the 1946 and 1947 Women's Western Open, which was designated as a major championship when the LPGA was founded.[7] She also won the 1946 Titleholders Championship which was also subsequently designated as a women's major.

She won the 1947 U.S. Women's Amateur and the next year won the British Ladies Amateur.[5] She finished her amateur career representing the United States on the 1948 Curtis Cup Team.[8]

Professional career

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In 1948, she turned professional. She went on to win 58[9] additional professional tournaments, with a total of 11 majors. Her prowess on the golf course is reflected in the fact that from 1950 to 1960 she was only once out of the top 3 in the season-ending money list. Suggs' victory in the 1957 LPGA Championship made her the first LPGA player to complete a career Grand Slam.[10]

She was one of the co-founders of the LPGA in 1950, which included her two great rivals of the time, Patty Berg and Babe Zaharias. Suggs served as the organization's president from 1955 to 1957.

Personal life

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Suggs never married; she often said, "All the women golfers are my children."[11] She was a member of Cherokee Town and Country Club, located north of Atlanta.[12]

Awards and honors

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Amateur wins

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Professional wins (61)

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LPGA Tour wins (61)

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LPGA majors are shown in bold.

Major championships

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Wins (11)

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YearChampionshipWinning scoreMarginRunner(s)-up
1946Titleholders Championship+14 (80-77-77-80=314)2 strokesUnited States Eileen Stulb
1946Women's Western Open2 upUnited States Patty Berg
1947Women's Western Open4 & 2United States Dorothy Kirby (a)
1949U.S. Women's Open−9 (69-75-77-70=291)14 strokesUnited States Babe Zaharias
1949Women's Western Open5 & 4United States Betty Jameson
1952U.S. Women's Open+8 (70-69-70-75=284)7 strokesUnited States Marlene Hagge, United States Betty Jameson
1953Women's Western Open6 & 5United States Patty Berg
1954Titleholders Championship+5 (73-71-76-73=293)7 strokesUnited States Patty Berg
1956Titleholders Championship+14 (78-75-75-74=302)1 strokeUnited States Patty Berg
1957LPGA Championship+5 (69-74-74-68=285)3 strokesUnited States Wiffi Smith
1959Titleholders Championship+9 (78-73-75-71=297)1 strokeUnited States Betsy Rawls

(a)=Amateur

Team appearances

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Amateur

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "LPGA Founder Louise Suggs Passes Away at Age 91". LPGA. August 6, 2015.
  2. ↑ "About the LPGA - Our Founders". LPGA.
  3. ↑ "History of the GWGA". Georgia Women's Golf Association. Archived from the original on June 12, 2007. Retrieved April 15, 2007.
  4. ↑ "WSGA Champions 1911–2004". Women's Southern Golf Association. Archived from the original on September 20, 2007. Retrieved April 15, 2007.
  5. 1 2 "Louise Suggs Full Career Bio" (PDF). LPGA. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 29, 2007. Retrieved April 15, 2007.
  6. ↑ "Amateur Championship Winners 1901–2003". Women's Western Golf Association. Archived from the original on September 18, 2007. Retrieved April 15, 2007.
  7. ↑ "Women's Western Open - Winners". About Golf. Archived from the original on March 23, 2006. Retrieved April 15, 2007.
  8. ↑ "Previous Curtis Cup Matches 1932–2002". United States Golf Association. Retrieved April 15, 2007.
  9. ↑ Nichols, Beth Ann (July 23, 2013). "Biographer adds 3 missing titles to Suggs' resume". Golfweek.
  10. ↑ Litsky, Frank (August 7, 2015). "Louise Suggs, Golf Pioneer, Dies at 91; Helped Found the Women's Pro Tour". The New York Times. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  11. ↑ Davison, Phil (August 12, 2015). "Obituary: Mae Louise Suggs, golfer". The Scotsman. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  12. ↑ "World Hall of Fame Legend and Cherokee Member Louise Suggs, by Victoria Spieller". Cherokee Art Endowment. Cherokee Town and Country Club. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Members by Year" (PDF). Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 5, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Princess Royal among first women to join St Andrews". BBC Sport. February 10, 2015.
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