Patty Berg

Patricia Jane Berg (February 13, 1918 – September 10, 2006) [ [http://www.pgatour.com/story/9650624 Golf pioneer Patty Berg passes away at 88] , "pgatour.com", September 10, 2006.] was a founding member and then leading player on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Her fifteen major title wins remains the all-time record for most major wins by a female golfer.

She was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and attended the University of Minnesota where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

She took up golf in 1931 and began her amateur career in 1934, winning her first title that year - the Minneapolis City Championship. She came to national attention by reaching the final of the 1935 U.S. Women's Amateur, losing to Glenna Collett Vare in Vare's final Amateur victory. Berg won the Titleholders in 1937 and won the Amateur in 1938 at Westmoreland.

After winning twenty-nine amateur titles, she turned professional in 1940. During World War II she was a lieutenant in the Marines, 1942-45. [http://www.lpga.com/content_1.aspx?pid=8002&mid=2 "LPGA Bio"] .] In 1948, she helped establish, and became the first president of, the LPGA. She won the inaugural U.S. Women's Open in 1946. Berg won a total of 57 events on the LPGA and WPGA circuit, and was runner-up in the 1957 Open at Winged Foot. She was runner-up in the 1956 and 1959 LPGA Championships. In addition, Berg won the 1953, 1957, and 1958 Western Opens, the 1955 and 1957 Titleholders, both considered majors at the time. Her last victory came in 1962. She was voted the Associated Press Woman Athlete of the Year in 1938, 1942 and 1955.

In 1963, she was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. Berg received the 1986 Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, GCSAA's highest honor. The LPGA established the Patty Berg Award in 1978. In her later years, Berg teamed-up with PGA Tour player and fellow Fort Myers, Florida resident Nolan Henke to establish the "Nolan Henke/Patty Berg Junior Masters" to promote the development of young players.

Patty Berg was sponsored on the LPGA Tour her entire career by public golf patriarch Joe Jemsek, owner of the famous Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Lemont, Illinois, annual site of the PGA Tour's Western Open since 1991. Berg represented another of Jemsek's public facilities, St. Andrews Golf & Country Club in West Chicago, Illinois, on the women’s circuit for over 60 years.

Berg told Chicagoland Golf magazine she taught over 16,000 clinics in her lifetime – many of which were sponsored by Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Goods Company and were called “The Patty Berg Hit Parade.” In that interview Ms. Berg figured she personally indoctrinated to the game of golf over a half-million new players. She was a member of Wilson's Advisory Staff for 66 years, until her death.

She announced in December 2004 that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. She died in Fort Myers from complications of the disease twenty-one months later at the age of 88.

LPGA Tour wins (60)

*1937 (1) Titleholders Championship (as an amateur)
*1938 (1) Titleholders Championship (as an amateur)
*1939 (1) Titleholders Championship (as an amateur)
*1941 (3) Women's Western Open, North Carolina Open, New York Invitational
*1943 (2) Women's Western Open, All-American Open
*1945 (1) All-American Open
*1946 (4) Northern California Open, Northern California Medal Tournament, Pebble Beach Open, U.S. Women's Open
*1947 (3) Northern California Open, Pebble Beach Open, Northern California Medal Tournament
*1948 (3) Titleholders Championship, Women's Western Open, Hardscrabble Open
*1949 (3) Tampa Open, Texas PGA Championship, Hardscrabble Open
*1950 (3) Eastern Open, Sunset Hills Open, Hardscrabble Women's Invitational
*1951 (5) Sandhills Women's Open, Pebble Beach Weathervane, New York Weathervane, Women's Western Open, 144-hole Weathervane
*1952 (3) New Orleans Women's Open, Richmond Open, New York Weathervane
*1953 (7) Jacksonville Open, Titleholders Championship, New Orleans Women's Open, Phoenix Weathervane (tied with Louise Suggs), Reno Open, All-American Tom O'Shanter, World Championship
*1954 (3) Triangle Round Robin Invitational, World Championship, Ardmore Open
*1955 (6) St. Petersburg Open, Titleholders Championship, Women's Western Open, Clock Open, World Championship, All-American Open
*1956 (2) Dallas Open, Arkansas Open
*1957 (5) Havana Open, Titleholders Championship, Women's Western Open, All-American Open, World Championship
*1958 (2) Women's Western Open, American Women's Open
*1960 (1) American Women’s Open
*1962 (1) Muskogee Civitan Open

LPGA Majors are shown in bold.

Other wins (3)

*1944 Pro-Lady Victory National (with Johnny Revolta)
*1950 Orlando Two-Ball (with Earl Stewart)
*1954 Orlando Two-Ball (with Pete Cooper)

Patty Berg Award

Since 1979, the LPGA has given the Patty Berg Award to an individual who "exemplifies diplomacy, sportsmanship, goodwill and contributions to the game of golf."

Award recipients

*1979 Marilynn Smith
*1980 Betsy Rawls
*1981-83 "no award"
*1984 Ray Volpe
*1985 Dinah Shore
*1986 David Foster
*1987 Kathy Whitworth
*1988 John D. Laupheimer
*1989 "no award"
*1990 Patty Berg
*1991 Karsten Solheim
*1992 Judy Dickinson
*1993 Kerry Graham
*1994 Charles S. Mechem Jr.
*1995 "no award"
*1996 Suzanne Jackson
*1997 Judy Bell
*1998 "no award"
*1999 Judy Rankin
*2000 Louise Suggs
*2001 Pat Bradley
*2002 Patty Sheehan
*2003 Annika Sörenstam
*2004 "no award"
*2005 Ty Votaw
*2006 "no award"
*2007 "no award"
*2008 Dolores Hope

ee also

*Golfers with most LPGA Tour wins
*Golfers with most LPGA major championship wins

References

External links

* [http://www.lpga.com/player_results.aspx?id=408 Profile on the LPGA's official site]

*cite web|url=http://www.usga.org/news/2005/february/berg.html
title=Berg Leaves Mark on Game
date=February 11, 2005
author=Rhonda Glenn
publisher=USGA
accessdate=2006-06-20

*cite web|url=http://www.roundtoremember.com/patty.html
title=Honoring a Legend in Golf: Patty "Dynamite" Berg
work=A Round to Remember
publisher=Alzheimer’s Association
accessdate=2006-09-16

*cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/blogs/oldnews/?p=115
title=Sept. 26, 1938: Patty Berg, 20, wins first national title
work=Yesterday's News
publisher=Star Tribune
accessdate=2007-03-17

*cite web|url=http://golf.about.com/od/golferswomen/p/patty_berg.htm
title=Patty Berg
author=Brent Kelley
publisher=About.com
accessdate=2006-11-16