Jan Stephenson
| Jan Stephenson | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Jan Lynne Stephenson |
| Born |
22 December 1951 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Nationality |
 Australia |
| Residence | Windermere, Florida |
| Career | |
| College | Hales College |
| Turned professional | 1973 |
| Former tour(s) |
LPGA Tour (joined 1974) ALPG Tour (joined 1973) |
| Professional wins | 26 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| LPGA Tour | 16 |
| Ladies European Tour | 1 |
| LPGA of Japan Tour | 2 |
| ALPG Tour | 2 |
| Other | 5 |
| Best results in LPGA major championships (Wins: 3) | |
| ANA Inspiration | 2nd: 1985 |
| Women's PGA C'ship | Won: 1982 |
| U.S. Women's Open | Won: 1983 |
| du Maurier Classic | Won: 1981 |
| Women's British Open | DNP |
| Achievements and awards | |
| LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year | 1974 |
Jan Lynne Stephenson (born 22 December 1951) is an Australian professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1974 and won three major championships and 16 LPGA Tour events in all.
Career
Stephenson was born in Sydney, Australia. While a teenager, she won five consecutive New South Wales Schoolgirl Championships in Australia, beginning in 1964, and followed that up with three straight wins in the New South Wales Junior Championship. She turned professional in 1973 and won the Wills Australian Ladies Open that year. Stephenson joined the LPGA Tour in 1974 and was named LPGA Rookie of the Year.[1]
Stephenson's first LPGA victory was the 1976 Sarah Coventry Naples Classic. Her most productive period was the early 1980s, when she won all of her majors in consecutive years: 1981 Peter Jackson Classic, the 1982 LPGA Championship and the 1983 U.S. Women's Open.[1]
Stephenson was one of the first LPGA stars to openly embrace and champion a sex-sells approach to marketing. Stephenson became as famous for her sex appeal as her golf during the early to mid-1980s, when she posed in a bathtub - covered up only by the golf balls filling the tub - and later in a pinup calendar. She urged the LPGA Tour to fully embrace her approach to marketing.[1]
On the golf course, Stephenson won three times each in 1981, 1983 and 1987, those wins in 1987 being her final ones on the LPGA. Stephenson continued playing LPGA events throughout the 1990s, but was hampered by an injury incurred during a mugging in Miami in 1990. Her left ring finger was broken in two places, an injury that still bothers her play in cold or wet weather.[1]
Stephenson went on to win on the Women's Senior Golf Tour, a tour she helped found. In 2003, she became the first woman to play on the Champions Tour, missing the cut. Stephenson is among the few women in the course design business, and produced an exercise video for people with arthritis. Her many charitable efforts include being an honorary chairman of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.[1]
Stephenson was a contestant in the 2011 season of Dancing with the Stars on Channel Seven.
She was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.[2]
Controversy
She made a controversial remark in 2003 when she said "Asians are killing the (LPGA) Tour", referring to the large number of Korean-born players who were winning on tour, and calling for quotas on international players, which is ironic because she was also an international player. She later apologized, saying that she "did not intend to make it a racial issue."[3]
Professional wins (26)
LPGA Tour (16)
| Legend |
| LPGA Tour major championships (3) |
| Other LPGA Tour (13) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 8, 1976 | Sarah Coventry Naples Classic | +2 (73-69-76=218) | 1 stroke |  Sandra Haynie, Judy Meister |
| 2 | Apr 25, 1976 | Birmingham Classic | −13 (65-70-68=203) | 4 strokes | Kathy Martin |
| 3 | May 8, 1978 | Women's International | −5 (68-72-69-74=283) | 4 strokes | Beth Daniel (a) |
| 4 | Mar 2, 1980 | Sun City Classic | −13 (66-71-67-71=275) | 1 stroke |  M.J. Smith |
| 5 | Jul 5, 1981 | Peter Jackson Classic | −10 (69-66-70-73=278) | 1 stroke | Pat Bradley, Nancy Lopez |
| 6 | Aug 16, 1981 | Mary Kay Classic | −18 (65-69-64=198) | 11 strokes | Sandra Haynie |
| 7 | Sep 13, 1981 | United Virginia Bank Classic | −14 (66-71-68=205) | 3 strokes | Janet Alex,  Sally Little |
| 8 | Jun 13, 1982 | LPGA Championship | −9 (69-69-70-71=279) | 2 strokes | JoAnne Carner |
| 9 | Jun 20, 1982 | Lady Keystone Open | −5 (71-71-69=211) | 1 stroke | Barbara Moxness, Alexandra Reinhardt |
| 10 | Feb 27, 1983 | Tucson Conquistadores LPGA Open | −9 (72-68-67=207) | 5 strokes | Amy Alcott |
| 11 | Jun 19, 1983 | Lady Keystone Open | −11 (69-67-69=205) | 1 stroke | Pat Bradley |
| 12 | Jul 31, 1983 | U.S. Women's Open | +6 (72-73-71-74=290) | 1 stroke | JoAnne Carner, Patty Sheehan |
| 13 | Mar 24, 1985 | GNA Classic | +2 (70-73-72-75=290) | 1 stroke | Amy Alcott, Pat Bradley, Barbara Moxness |
| 14 | Apr 19, 1987 | Santa Barbara Open | −1 (74-68-73=215) | 1 stroke | Jane Geddes,  Ayako Okamoto |
| 15 | Sep 20, 1987 | Safeco Classic | −11 (68-70-71-68=277) | 1 stroke | Nancy Lopez |
| 16 | Sep 27, 1987 | Konica San Jose Classic | −11 (69-71-65=205) | 5 strokes | Amy Alcott |
LPGA Tour playoff record (0–4)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1979 | Women's Kemper Open | Donna Caponi, JoAnne Carner, Chako Higuchi, Nancy Lopez |
Carner won with par on second extra hole Caponi, Lopez, and Stephenson eliminated with par on first hole |
| 2 | 1981 | Inamori Classic | Amy Alcott, Donna Caponi, Hollis Stacy |
Stacy won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1986 | Mayflower Classic | Christa Johnson, Sandra Palmer |
Palmer won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 4 | 1999 | Firstar LPGA Classic | Becky Iverson, Rosie Jones |
Jones won with par on fourth extra hole Stephenson eliminated with par on first hole |
ALPG Tour (2)
- 1973 (1) Wills Australian Ladies Open
- 1977 (1) Wills Qantas Australian Ladies Open
Ladies European Tour (1)
- 1985 (1) Hennessy French Open
LPGA of Japan Tour (2)
- 1981 (1) World Ladies Golf Tournament
- 1985 (1) Nichirei Ladies Cup
Legends Tour (3)
- 2000 HyVee Classic
- 2005 BJ's Charity Championship (with Cindy Rarick; tie with Pat Bradley and Patty Sheehan)
- 2007 Handa Australia Cup
Other (2)
- 1983 JCPenney Mixed Team Classic (with Fred Couples)
- 1990 JCPenney/LPGA Skins Game
Major championships
Wins (3)
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Peter Jackson Classic | −10 (69-66-70-73=278) | 1 stroke | Pat Bradley, Nancy Lopez-Melton |
| 1982 | LPGA Championship | −9 (69-69-70-71=279) | 2 strokes | JoAnne Carner |
| 1983 | U.S. Women's Open | +6 (72-73-71-74=290) | 1 stroke | JoAnne Carner, Patty Sheehan |
Team appearances
Professional
- Handa Cup (representing World team): 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 (tie), 2013 (winners)
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Jan Stephenson at About.com
- ↑ "Jan Stephenson". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ Markus, Don (26 May 2004). "Bridging the gap". ESPN. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
External links
- Jan Stephenson at the LPGA Tour official site
- Jan Stephenson at the ALPG Tour official site
- Jan Stephenson at the Legends Tour official site
- Jan Stephenson bio at about.com
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