The Sarah Coventry facts for kids
The Sarah Coventry was a professional golf tournament for women. It was part of the LPGA Tour, which is a series of golf competitions for top female golfers. This tournament ran from 1976 to 1981.
The very first Sarah Coventry tournament happened in February 1976 in Naples, Florida. It was played at the Lely Country Club. After that, the tournament moved to northern California. For two years, 1977 and 1978, it was held in September at the Round Hill Country Club in Alamo.
In 1979, the tournament moved again, this time to western New York. It was later renamed the Rochester International in 1982. This event eventually became known as the Wegmans LPGA, which continued until 2009. After that, it was replaced by the Wegman's LPGA Championship.
Tournament History and Names
The Sarah Coventry tournament had a few different names during its short history. It also moved to different locations.
- 1976: It was called the Sarah Coventry Naples Classic. This event took place in Florida.
- 1977–1978: The tournament was known simply as The Sarah Coventry. During these years, it was held in California.
- 1979–1981: It kept the name The Sarah Coventry but moved to New York. These tournaments are now part of the records for the Wegmans LPGA.
Champions of the Sarah Coventry
Many talented golfers won the Sarah Coventry tournament. Here is a list of the champions:
| Year | Dates | Champion | Country | Score | To par | Prize Money ($) | Winner's Share ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Jun 25–28 | Nancy Lopez (2) |  United States |
285 | –7 | 125,000 | 18,750 |
| 1980 | Jun 26–29 | Nancy Lopez | United States |
283 | –9 | 125,000 | 18,750 |
| 1979 | Jun 14–17 | Jane Blalock (2) | United States |
280 | –12 | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| 1978 | Sep 14–17 | Donna Caponi | United States |
282 | –10 | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| 1977 | Sep 22–25 | Jane Blalock | United States |
282 | –10 | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| 1976 | Feb 6–8 | Jan Stephenson |  Australia |
218 | +2 | 60,000 | 8,500 |
Note: "To par" shows how many strokes a golfer was above or below the expected score for the course. "Purse" is the total prize money for the tournament, and "Winner's share" is how much the champion received.
Connection to the Wegmans LPGA
After 1978, the Sarah Coventry tournament moved from California to New York. It was played at the Locust Hill Country Club near Rochester from 1979 to 1981.
In 1979, the tournament organizers considered the 1976-1978 Sarah Coventry events as the start of their tournament. However, today, the Wegmans LPGA tournament (which continued the tradition) counts the Bankers Trust Classic as its earlier history, not the first three Sarah Coventry events. This change meant that Nancy Lopez was credited with three wins in the event, because she had won the Bankers Trust Classic at Locust Hill in 1978.
