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Marilynn Smith
Smith follows the flight of her ball
Personal information
Full name Marilynn Louise Smith
Nickname Miss Personality
Born (1929-04-13)April 13, 1929
Topeka, Kansas
Died April 9, 2019(2019-04-09) (aged 89)
Goodyear, Arizona
Nationality  United States
Career
College University of Kansas
Turned professional 1950
Former tour(s) LPGA Tour (Founder)
Professional wins 23
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour 21
Other 2
Best results in LPGA Major Championships
(Wins: 2)
Western Open 3rd: 1963
Titleholders C'ship Won: 1963, 1964
Kraft Nabisco C'ship CUT: 1984, 1987
LPGA Championship 5th/T5: 1961, 1966, 1972
U.S. Women's Open 3rd/T3: 1964, 1965, 1968
du Maurier Classic DNP
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame 2006
LPGA Most Improved Player 1963
LPGA Patty Berg Award 1979
Commissioner's Award
(LPGA Founders)
2000

Marilynn Louise Smith (April 13, 1929 – April 9, 2019) was an American professional golfer. She was one of the thirteen founders of the LPGA in 1950. She won two major championships and 21 LPGA Tour events in all. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Amateur career

Smith was born in Topeka, Kansas. She started playing golf at age 12. She was a three-time winner of the Kansas State Amateur from 1946-48. She won the 1949 national individual intercollegiate golf championship while attending the University of Kansas.

Professional career

Smith turned pro in 1949 and joined the Spalding staff. She was one of the thirteen women who founded the LPGA in 1950. She won her first tournament in 1952 at the Fort Wayne Open. She would go on to win a total of 21 events on the LPGA Tour, including two major championships, the 1963 and 1964 Titleholders Championships. She finished in the top ten on the money list nine times between 1961 and 1972, with her best finishes being fourth places in 1963, 1968 and 1970. She was named the LPGA Most Improved Player in 1963. She was the LPGA's president from 1958 to 1960. She was selected for membership of the World Golf Hall of Fame in the Lifetime Achievement category in June 2006 and was inducted in October 2006.

While playing at a tournament in Florida, Smith escaped uninjured when a sniper fired several shots at her and Margie Masters. The perpetrator was never identified. Both Masters and Smith ultimately made the cut.

In 1973 she became the first woman to work on a men's golf television broadcast.

She died on April 9, 2019, four days before her 90th birthday, from complications of an infection due to a fall during the week of The Founders Cup in Phoenix.

Professional wins (23)

LPGA Tour wins (21)

LPGA majors are shown in bold.

Other wins (2)

  • 1957 Hot Springs 4-Ball (with Fay Crocker)
  • 1962 Naples Pro-Am (with Mickey Wright)

Major championships

Wins (2)

Year Championship Winning score Margin Runner-up
1963 Titleholders Championship E (72-75-69-76=292) Playoff 1 United States Mickey Wright
1964 Titleholders Championship +1 (73-66-77-73=289) 1 stroke United States Mickey Wright

1 In an 18-hole playoff, Smith 72, Wright 73

See also

  • List of golfers with most LPGA Tour wins
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