Maureen Orcutt facts for kids
Maureen Orcutt (born April 1, 1907 – died January 9, 2007) was an amazing American golfer. She was also a reporter for The New York Times. Maureen Orcutt was known for her long and successful career in golf. She won many tournaments over several decades.
Born in New York City, Maureen Orcutt became a top amateur golfer. In 1927, she reached the finals of the U.S. Women's Amateur tournament. She played well but lost to Miriam Burns Horn. She also showed her skill by having the lowest qualifying score in 1928, 1931, and 1932. In 1936, she made it to the finals again but lost to Pam Barton from England.
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Maureen Orcutt's Golf Achievements
Maureen Orcutt won many important golf tournaments. She was one of the best golfers of her time. Her career lasted for a very long time.
Winning the Women's Eastern Amateur
Maureen Orcutt won the Women's Eastern Amateur tournament seven times. This was a record! Her first win was in 1925. Her last win was in 1949, which was 24 years later. This shows how talented and consistent she was.
Playing in the Curtis Cup
She was part of the Curtis Cup team four times. The Curtis Cup is a special golf competition. It is played between amateur women golfers from the United States and Great Britain & Ireland. Maureen's team won three times and tied once. This means they never lost when she was on the team!
Other Major Wins
Maureen Orcutt also won the Canadian Women's Amateur twice. She won the North and South Women's Amateur three times in a row. These wins happened between 1931 and 1933 at the Pinehurst Resort. Years later, she returned to Pinehurst. She won the North and South Senior Woman's Amateur three times. These wins were in 1960, 1961, and 1962. In 2002, she was honored as the chairwoman for the tournament's 100th anniversary.
Metropolitan Golf Association Champion
Maureen Orcutt won the New York Metropolitan Golf Association title a record 10 times. Her first win was in 1926. Her tenth win was in 1968, 42 years later. She was even named the Association's Player of the Century for the 20th century. This shows how much she achieved in golf.
A Career in Journalism
Besides being a great golfer, Maureen Orcutt was also a sportswriter. She started writing about golf in the 1920s. She became only the second female sports reporter for The New York Times. She took over from another famous golfer, Maribel Vinson. Maureen finished her golf career with over 65 tournament victories. She played golf until she was 87 years old. She only stopped because of knee problems.
Life and Legacy
Maureen Orcutt was inducted into The Hall of Fame of Women's Golf in 1966. In 1991, she was inducted into the New York State Hall of Fame. People said that "Perhaps no competitor in any major sport has been a significant factor for so long in top level play." She truly won tournaments across seven different decades.
Maureen Orcutt lived in Englewood, New Jersey, for a long time. She even ran for a political office once. She sought the Democratic Party nomination for the New Jersey General Assembly in 1934. She wanted to represent Bergen County.
Later in life, she lived in Durham, North Carolina. She passed away there in 2007 at the age of 99. She was just 12 weeks shy of her 100th birthday.
Significant Golf Wins
- Women's Eastern Amateur - 1925, 1928, 1929, 1934, 1938, 1947, 1949
- North and South Women's Amateur - 1931, 1932, 1933
- Canadian Women's Amateur - 1930, 1931
- Metropolitan Women's Amateur - 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1934, 1938, 1940, 1946, 1959, 1968
- U.S. Senior Women's Amateur - 1962, 1966
- North and South Women's Senior Amateur - 1960, 1961, 1962
Team Appearances
Amateur
- Curtis Cup (representing the United States): 1932 (winners), 1934 (winners), 1936 (tie, Cup retained), 1938 (winners)
