Nancy Lopez

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Nancy Lopez
Personal Information
Birth January 6, 1957 (1957-01-06) (age 51) Torrance, California, USA
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Nationality Flag of the United States United States
Residence Albany, Georgia, USA
College University of Tulsa
Career
Turned Pro 1977
LPGA wins 48
Career earnings $5,320,877
Best Results in Major Championships
Kraft Nabisco T3: 1995
LPGA Championship Won 1978, 1985, 1989
U.S. Women's Open 2: 1975, 1977, 1989, 1997
du Maurier Classic T2: 1996
Awards
LPGA Tour
Player of the Year		 1978, 1979, 1985, 1988
LPGA Vare Trophy 1978, 1979, 1985
LPGA Tour
Money Winner		 1978, 1979, 1985
Golf Writers Association of America Female Player of the Year 1978, 1979, 1985
LPGA Rookie of the Year 1978
Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year 1978, 1985
Elected to World Golf Hall of Fame 1987
LPGA William and Mousie Powell Award 1987
Flo Hyman Memorial Award 1992
USGA Bob Jones Award 1998
GCSAA Old Tom Morris Award 2000

Nancy Lopez (born January 6, 1957) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1977 and won three major championships and 48 LPGA Tour events in all.

Contents

[edit] Amateur career

Lopez was born in Torrance, California. She won the New Mexico Women's Amateur at age 12, and the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship in 1972 and 1974. Playing the U.S. Women's Open as a 17-year-old amateur in 1975, she finished tied for second. In 1976, Lopez was named All-American and Female Athlete of the Year for her play at the University of Tulsa. She won the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) National Championship and was a member of the U.S. Curtis Cup and World Amateur teams. She left college after her sophomore year and turned pro in 1977. That year she finished second again in the Women's Open.[1]

[edit] Professional career

In her first full season on the LPGA Tour, 1978, Lopez won nine titles total, including five tournaments in a row. She made the cover of Sports Illustrated, won the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average, LPGA Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year and was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year. She won another eight times in 1979. She won multiple times in each year from 1980 to 1984, although she played only half-seasons in 1983 and 1984 due to the birth of her first child.[1]

Playing full time again in 1985, Lopez posted five wins, five seconds and five thirds, won the money title, the scoring title and the Player of the Year Award. She was also named Associate Press Female Athlete of the Year for a second time. She played only four tournaments in 1986, when her second daughter was born. But again, she came back to win multiple times in 1987-89 - three times each in 1988 and 1989 - and once again won Player of the Year honors in 1988. Her schedule was curtailed again in the early '90s when her third daughter was born. But in 1992 she won twice. She continued to play short schedules - from 11 to 18 tournaments - through 2002, then in 2003 cut back to just a couple events a year.[1]

Although considered one of the greats in the history of women's golf, and the best player from the late '70s to late '80s, Lopez did not win many majors. She finished second at the U.S. Women's Open four times, the last coming in 1997 when she became the first golfer to play all four rounds of the Women's Open in the 60s, yet still lost to Alison Nicholas. Her three major championships all came at the LPGA Championship, in 1978, 1985, and 1989.[1]

Lopez was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1987. She was a member of the United States Solheim Cup team in 1990 and was captain of the team in 2005. She retired from regular tournament play in 2002, and then attempted a return in 2007. In her return season, she played six tournaments, failed to make the cut in any of the tournaments and only broke 80 in three of the 12 rounds.[1]

Lopez is the only woman to win LPGA Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year, and the Vare Trophy in the same season (1978). Her company, Nancy Lopez Golf, makes a full line of women's clubs and accessories. She also does occasional television commentary. Her husband, Ray Knight, is a former All-Star baseball player.[1]

[edit] Amateur wins

this list may be incomplete

  • 1969 New Mexico Women's Amateur
  • 1970 New Mexico Women's Amateur
  • 1971 New Mexico Women's Amateur
  • 1972 U.S. Girl's Junior, Wonen's Western Junior
  • 1973 Wonen's Western Junior
  • 1974 U.S. Girl's Junior, Wonen's Western Junior
  • 1975 Mexican Amateur
  • 1976 AIAW National Championship, Women's Western Amateur, Women's Trans National Amateur

[edit] LPGA Tour wins (48)

Note: Lopez won the Colgate Dinah Shore (now known as the Kraft Nabisco Championship) before it became a major championship.

LPGA Majors are shown in bold.

[edit] Results in LPGA majors

Tournament 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980
Kraft Nabisco Championship ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
LPGA Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP 1 T10 T19
U.S. Women's Open T18 T2LA CUT 2 T9 T11 T7
du Maurier Classic ... ... ... ... ... 2 T6
Tournament 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Kraft Nabisco Championship ... ... T6 T16 T11 DNP T33 T5 T18 CUT
LPGA Championship T5 T35 T21 T14 1 DNP T28 T24 1 T14
U.S. Women's Open WD T7 DNP T35 T4 DNP T21 T12 2 T14
du Maurier Classic T2 T9 WD T8 DNP DNP T21 T45 9 DNP
Tournament 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Kraft Nabisco Championship T30 CUT T8 T9 T3 T15 T23 T13 T21 T43
LPGA Championship DNP T18 T25 WD T18 T18 T37 T44 WD T65
U.S. Women's Open DNP T16 T7 T35 T28 CUT 2 CUT CUT T46
du Maurier Classic DNP DNP DNP T22 DNP T2 DNP T27 DNP DNP
Tournament 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Kraft Nabisco Championship T63 CUT CUT WD CUT DNP DNP
LPGA Championship CUT CUT CUT CUT DNP DNP DNP
U.S. Women's Open CUT CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Women's British Open ^ DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP

^ The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001.
LA = Low Amateur
DNP = did not play.
CUT = missed the half=way cut.
"T" = tied
WD = withdrew
Green background for a win. Yellow background for a top-10 finish.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Katherine M. Jamieson. “Reading Nancy Lopez: Decoding Representations of Race, Class, and Sexuality”
  • Baca Zinn, Maxine and Bonnie Thornton Dill. “Theorizing Difference from Multiracial Feminism.” Feminist Theory Reader. Carole R. McCann & Seung-Kyung Kim, eds. New York, NY: Routledge Press, 2003.
  1. ^ a b c d e f Nancy Lopez at about.com

[edit] External links

Awards
Preceded by
Chris Evert		 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year
1978		 Succeeded by
Tracy Austin
Preceded by
Mary Lou Retton		 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year
1985		 Succeeded by
Martina Navratilova
Preceded by
Diana Golden-Brosnihan		 Flo Hyman Memorial Award
1992		 Succeeded by
Lynette Woodard
v • d • e
LPGA Champions

1955 Beverly Hanson · 1956 Marlene Hagge · 1957 Louise Suggs 1958 Mickey Wright · 1959 Betsy Rawls · 1960 Mickey Wright · 1961 Mickey Wright · 1962 Judy Kimball · 1963 Mickey Wright · 1964 Mary Mills · 1965 Sandra Haynie · 1966 Gloria Ehret · 1967 Kathy Whitworth · 1968 Sandra Post · 1969 Betsy Rawls · 1970 Shirley Englehorn · 1971 Kathy Whitworth · 1972 Kathy Ahern · 1973 Mary Mills · 1974 Sandra Haynie · 1975 Kathy Whitworth · 1976 Betty Burfeindt · 1977 Chako Higuchi · 1978 Nancy Lopez · 1979 Donna Caponi · 1980 Sally Little · 1981 Donna Caponi · 1982 Jan Stephenson · 1983 Patty Sheehan · 1984 Patty Sheehan · 1985 Nancy Lopez · 1986 Pat Bradley · 1987 Jane Geddes · 1988 Sherri Turner · 1989 Nancy Lopez · 1990 Beth Daniel · 1991 Meg Mallon · 1992 Betsy King · 1993 Patty Sheehan · 1994 Laura Davies · 1995 Kelly Robbins · 1996 Laura Davies · 1997 Christa Johnson · 1998 Se Ri Pak · 1999 Juli Inkster · 2000 Juli Inkster · 2001 Karrie Webb · 2002 Se Ri Pak · 2003 Annika Sörenstam · 2004 Annika Sörenstam · 2005 Annika Sörenstam · 2006 Se Ri Pak · 2007 Suzann Pettersen · 2008 Yani Tseng ·