Nancy Lopez

Nancy Lopez
— Golfer —
Personal information
Full name	Nancy Marie Lopez
Born	(1957-01-06) January 6, 1957 Torrance, California, U.S.
Height	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Nationality	United States
Residence	The Villages, Florida, U.S.
Spouse	Tim Melton (1979–82) Ray Knight (1982–2009)
Children	Ashley, Erinn, Torri
Career
College	University of Tulsa (two years)
Turned professional	1977
Retired	2003, unretired 2007
Current tour(s)	LPGA Tour
Professional wins	52
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour	48
Other	4
Best results in LPGA Major Championships (Wins: 3)
Kraft Nabisco C'ship	T3: 1995
LPGA Championship	Won: 1978, 1985, 1989
U.S. Women's Open	2nd/T2: 1975, 1977, 1989, 1997
du Maurier Classic	2nd/T2: 1979, 1981, 1996
Women's British Open	DNP
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame	1987 (member page)
LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year	1978
LPGA Tour Money Winner	1978, 1979, 1985
LPGA Tour Player of the Year	1978, 1979, 1985, 1988
LPGA Tour Vare Trophy	1978, 1979, 1985
GWAA Female Player of the Year	1978, 1979, 1985
Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year	1978, 1985
LPGA William and Mousie Powell Award	1987
Flo Hyman Memorial Award	1992
USGA Bob Jones Award	1998
Old Tom Morris Award	2000

Nancy Marie Lopez^[1] (born January 6, 1957) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1977 and won 48 LPGA Tour events during her LPGA career, including three major championships.

Amateur career

She won the New Mexico Women's Amateur at age 12, and the U.S. Girls' Junior in 1972 and 1974, at ages 15 and 17, respectively. Playing in the U.S. Women's Open as an 18-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 U.S. Women's Open.^[2]

Professional career

In 1978, her first full season on the LPGA Tour, Lopez won nine tournaments, including at one stretch, five tournaments in a row. She appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, won the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average, LPGA Rookie of the Year, LPGA 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.^[2]

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 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 1990s when her third daughter was born. 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 half dozen or fewer events a year.^[2]

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 and never won the U.S. Women's Open. She finished second at the U.S. Women's Open four times, the last coming in 1997 when she became the first golfer to score in the 60s for all four rounds, yet she still lost to Alison Nicholas. Her three major championships all came at the LPGA Championship, in 1978, 1985, and 1989.^[2]

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 and 2008. 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.^[2] In 2008 she played in three events, with a low score of 76, never making the cut.

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.

Personal

Lopez was married to former Major League All-Star baseball player Ray Knight for 27 years, from 1982 to 2009. They have three daughters. She was previously married for three years to sportscaster Tim Melton.^[3] She currently resides in The Villages, Florida^[4] where she hosts an annual golf tournament to benefit the charity AIM (Adventures in Movement), an organization that helps mentally challenged, visually impaired, hearing impaired, physically handicapped and other children and adults with special needs. She has hosted the tournament since 1981 and also serves as a National Ambassador with AIM, along with Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Morgan.^[5]

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. Girls' Junior, Women's Western Junior
• 1973 Women's Western Junior
• 1974 U.S. Girls' Junior, Women's Western Junior
• 1975 Mexican Amateur
• 1976 AIAW National Championship, Women's Western Amateur, Women's Trans National Amateur

Professional wins

LPGA Tour wins (48)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Feb 26, 1978	Bent Tree Classic	+1 (71-72-73-73=289)	1 stroke	Jo Ann Washam
2	Mar 12, 1978	Sunstar Classic	−3 (72-72-70-71=285)	1 stroke	Debbie Austin, Debbie Massey
3	May 14, 1978	Greater Baltimore Classic	−7 (67-73-72=212)	3 strokes	Donna Caponi
4	May 21, 1978	Coca-Cola Classic	−3 (69-71-70=210)	Playoff	JoAnne Carner
5	May 29, 1978	Golden Lights Championship	−11 (67-72-73-65=277)	1 stroke	Jane Blalock
6	Jun 11, 1978	LPGA Championship	−13 (71-65-69-70=275)	6 strokes	Amy Alcott
7	Jun 18, 1978	Bankers Trust Classic	−5 (72-73-69=214)	2 strokes	Jane Blalock, Debbie Massey
8	Aug 6, 1978	Colgate European Open	−7 (73-71-72-73=289)	3 strokes	JoAnne Carner, Mary Dwyer, Sally Little
9	Nov 12, 1978	Colgate Far East Open	E (75-69-72=216)	2 strokes	Silvia Bertolaccini, Kathy Whitworth
10	Mar 11, 1979	Sunstar Classic	−8 (70-71-70-69=280)	1 stroke	Hollis Stacy
11	Mar 25, 1979	Sahara National Pro-Am	−16 (72-67-66-69=274)	2 strokes	Donna Caponi
12	May 6, 1979	Women's International	−6 (72-71-71-68=282)	3 strokes	Donna White
13	May 20, 1979	Coca-Cola Classic	−3 (73-70-73=216)	Playoff	Bonnie Bryant, Hollis Stacy, Jo Ann Washam, Mickey Wright
14	Jun 3, 1979	Golden Lights Championship	−8 (67-70-73-70=280)	4 strokes	Pat Bradley
15	Jun 24, 1979	Lady Keystone Open	−4 (72-68-72=212)	2 strokes	Sally Little, Kathy Whitworth
16	Aug 5, 1979	Colgate European Open	−6 (68-69-70-75=282)	4 strokes	Joyce Kazmierski
17	Sep 30, 1979	Mary Kay Classic	−14 (71-66-67-70=274)	2 strokes	Sandra Post
18	Mar 30, 1980	Women's Kemper Open	E (72-66-77-69=284)	2 strokes	Debbie Massey, Jo Ann Washam
19	Jun 29, 1980	The Sarah Coventry	−9 (73-67-72-71=283)	1 stroke	Pat Bradley
20	Sep 1, 1980	Rail Charity Golf Classic	−13 (65-71-71-68=275)	1 stroke	JoAnne Carner
21	Mar 8, 1981	Arizona Copper Classic	−14 (70-72-68-68=278)	4 strokes	Pat Bradley
22	Apr 5, 1981	Colgate-Dinah Shore	−11 (71-73-69-64=277)	2 strokes	Carolyn Hill
23	Jun 28, 1981	The Sarah Coventry	−3 (74-69-71-71=285)	2 strokes	Pat Bradley
24	Mar 21, 1982	J&B Scotch Pro-Am	−5 (70-67-69-73=279)	5 strokes	Sandra Haynie
25	Nov 7, 1982	Mazda Japan Classic	−9 (66-70-71=207)	6 strokes	Amy Alcott
26	Feb 6, 1983	Elizabeth Arden Classic	−3 (71-71-70-73=285)	1 stroke	Pat Bradley, JoAnne Carner, Stephanie Farwig, Betsy King
27	Apr 10, 1983	J&B Scotch Pro-Am	−6 (71-69-69-74=283)	1 stroke	Laura Baugh
28	Mar 4, 1984	Uniden LPGA Invitational	E (70-74-66-74=284)	3 strokes	Pat Bradley
29	Aug 19, 1984	Chevrolet World Championship of Women's Golf	−7 (69-74-65-73=281)	1 stroke	JoAnne Carner
30	May 19, 1985	Chrysler-Plymouth Classic	−9 (69-69-72=210)	3 strokes	Pat Bradley
31	Jun 7, 1985	LPGA Championship	−15 (65-71-72-65=273)	8 strokes	Alice Miller
32	Jul 7, 1985	Mazda Hall of Fame Championship	−7 (71-70-72-68=281)	3 strokes	JoAnne Carner, Allison Finney
33	Aug 11, 1985	Henredon Classic	−20 (66-67-69-66=268)	10 strokes	Val Skinner
34	Sep 8, 1985	Portland Ping Championship	−1 (69-76-70=215)	Playoff	Lori Garbacz
35	Feb 8, 1987	Sarasota Classic	−7 (73-66-68-74=281)	3 strokes	Kathy Guadagnino, Anne Marie Palli
36	Sep 13, 1987	Cellular One-Ping Golf Championship	−6 (72-67-71=210)	1 stroke	Kelly Leadbetter, Muffin Spencer-Devlin, Jan Stephenson
37	Feb 7, 1988	Mazda Classic	−5 (69-68-71-75=283)	2 strokes	Marta Figueras-Dotti
38	Apr 17, 1988	AI Star/Centinela Hospital Classic	−6 (71-72-67=210)	Playoff	Marta Figueras-Dotti
39	May 15, 1988	Chrysler-Plymouth Classic	−12 (68-70-66=204)	8 strokes	Jan Stephenson
40	May 21, 1989	Mazda LPGA Championship	−14 (71-69-68-66=274)	3 strokes	Ayako Okamoto
41	Jul 30, 1989	Atlantic City Classic	−10 (67-70-69=206)	1 stroke	Christa Johnson, Vicki Fergon
42	Sep 24, 1989	Nippon Travel-MBS Classic	−11 (73-69-65-70=277)	2 strokes	Alice Ritzman, Pamela Wright
43	Sep 23, 1990	MBS LPGA Classic	−7 (69-70-74-68=281)	Playoff	Cathy Gerring
44	May 5, 1991	Sara Lee Classic	−10 (65-70-71=206)	2 strokes	Kris Monaghan
45	Sep 7, 1992	Rail Charity Golf Classic	−17 (67-68-64=199)	Playoff	Laura Davies
46	Sep 13, 1992	Ping-Cellular One LPGA Golf Championship	−7 (70-70-69=209)	Playoff	Jane Crafter
47	Jul 11, 1993	Youngstown-Warren LPGA Classic	−13 (68-68-67=203)	Playoff	Deb Richard
48	Apr 27, 1997	Chick-fil-A Charity Championship	−7 (71-66=137)	2 strokes	Tina Barrett, Deb Richard, Karrie Webb

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

LPGA Tour playoff record (8–7)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1978	Kathryn Crosby/Honda Civic Classic	Sally Little	Lost to par on first extra hole
2	1978	Coca-Cola Classic	JoAnne Carner	Won with par on first extra hole
3	1978	Mizuno-Japan Classic	Michiko Okada, Ai-Yu Tu	Okada won with birdie on fifth extra hole Tu eliminated with birdie on second hole
4	1979	Women's Kemper Open	Donna Caponi, JoAnne Carner, Chako Higuchi, Jan Stephenson	Carner won with par on second extra hole Caponi, Lopez, and Stephenson eliminated with par on first hole
5	1979	Coca-Cola Classic	Bonnie Bryant, Hollis Stacy, Jo Ann Washam, Mickey Wright	Won with birdie on second extra hole Bryant, Stacy, and Washam eliminated with birdie on first hole
6	1980	Mary Kay Classic	Jerilyn Britz	Lost to birdie on second extra hole
7	1985	Portland Ping Championship	Lori Garbacz	Won with birdie on third extra hole
8	1988	AI Star/Centinela Hospital Classic	Marta Figueras-Dotti	Won with par on second extra hole
9	1988	Crestar Classic	Juli Inkster, Rosie Jones, Betsy King	Inkster won with eagle on first extra hole
10	1988	Rochester International	Mei-Chi Cheng, Patty Sheehan	Cheng won with birdie on second extra hole Sheehan eliminated with par on first hole
11	1990	MBS LPGA Classic	Cathy Gerring	Won with birdie on first extra hole
12	1992	Rail Charity Classic	Laura Davies	Won with par on first extra hole
13	1992	Ping-Cellular One LPGA Golf Championship	Jane Crafter	Won with par on second extra hole
14	1993	Youngstown-Warren LPGA Classic	Deb Richard	Won with birdie on first extra hole
15	1998	Sara Lee Classic	Donna Andrews, Jenny Lidback, Barb Mucha	Mucha won with birdie on second extra hole

Other wins

• 1979 Portland Ping Team Championship (with Jo Ann Washam)
• 1980 JCPenney Mixed Team Classic (with Curtis Strange)
• 1987 Mazda Champions (with Miller Barber)
• 1992 Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Dottie Mochrie and Patty Sheehan)

Major championships

Wins (3)

Year	Championship	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
1978	LPGA Championship	−13 (71-65-69-70=275)	6 strokes	Amy Alcott
1985	LPGA Championship	−15 (65-71-72-65=273)	8 strokes	Alice Miller
1989	Mazda LPGA Championship	−14 (71-69-68-66=274)	3 strokes	Ayako Okamoto

Results timeline

^ 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.

Team appearances

Amateur

• Curtis Cup (representing the United States): 1976 (winners)
• Espirito Santo Trophy (representing the United States): 1976 (winners)

Professional

• Solheim Cup (representing the United States): 1990 (winners)
• Handa Cup (representing the United States): 2011 (winners), 2012 (tie, Cup retained), 2013

See also

• List of golfers with most LPGA Tour wins
• List of golfers with most LPGA major championship wins

References

Further reading

• 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.

External links

• Official website
• Nancy Lopez at the LPGA Tour official site
• Nancy Lopez (biography in the New Georgia Encyclopedia)
• Nancy Lopez bio
• Nancy Lopez on Latino sports legends

v t e United States Solheim Cup team – 1990 Pat Bradley Beth Daniel Cathy Gerring Rosie Jones Betsy King Nancy Lopez Dottie Mochrie Patty Sheehan Kathy Whitworth (non-playing captain) Won: 11.5 – 4.5

v t e United States Solheim Cup team – 2005 Paula Creamer Beth Daniel Laura Diaz Natalie Gulbis Pat Hurst Juli Inkster Rosie Jones Cristie Kerr Christina Kim Meg Mallon Michele Redman Wendy Ward Donna Caponi (non-playing assistant captain) Nancy Lopez (non-playing captain) Won: 15.5 – 12.5