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LPGA Tour legend Betsy Rawls passed away at the age of 95 at her house in Lewes, Delaware on Saturday, October 21. The 1960 World Golf Hall of Fame golfer won 55 titles competing on the Tour and had been victorious in eight major championships, including four US Women's Open.
Rawls was born on May 4, 1928, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to Robert Miller and Mary Earle Rawls. Sometime in 1940, her parents moved to Arlington, Texas. She completed higher education at Lovelady High School and later went to North Texas Agricultural College in 1946 and pursued graduation with physics as her major subject.
However, after being brilliant in her studies, Betsy Rawls transferred to the University of Texas at Austin and got a degree in physics in 1950.
After a successful career as an amateur golfer, she decided to turn professional in 1951. Rawls joined the LPGA Tour and in her very first season, she clinched her first title after winning the Sacramento Women's Invitational Open. In the same year, she also won her first major title at the U.S. Women's Open.
Betsy Rawls was loved by all the golfers who played alongside her during her career. Late American golfer Mickey Wright, who is 82 times winner on the Tour, once spoke about the legacy of the recently passed golfer.
She was quoted by Golf Digest as saying:
"Winning the Women's Open four times and tying Betsy at four is the most important statistic in my resume. I can think of only two women who have achieved as much, not only as players but for their lifetime contributions, and that’s Betsy and Patty Berg."
Betsy Rawls: A legendary golfer on the LPGA Tour
Between 1951 and 1972, the legendary golfer recorded 55 wins on the leading American women's golf tour. She is the sixth most successful golfer in the all-time winners list of the LPGA Tour.
Betsy Rawls was the first golfer to win the US Women's Open four times in her career. Only Mickey Wright achieved that record in 1964 and tied as the most successful player in this major tournament.
She was rewarded with the LPGA Vare Trophy, an award given to a player for the lowest scoring average in a season, in 1959. In 1952 and 1959, she was the leading money earner on the Tour. In fact, she finished nine times inside the top 10 money earners of the season.
From 1961 to 1962, Betsy Rawls served as president of the LPGA Tour. She was also the first six inductees of the Hall of Fame that was created in 1967.
Even though she retired from golf in 1975, Rawls remained close to the game of golf. She served as the tournament director for multiple events. Her most notable term was from 1987 to 2004 in the same position for the LPGA Championship at the DuPont Country Club.
Other accolades that Betsy Rawls received were the Patty Berg Award in 1980, the Bob Jones Award in 1996, and the LPGA 50th Anniversary Commissioner's Award in 2000.
