- Mickey Wright
-
Mickey Wright Personal information Full name Mary Kathryn Wright Nickname Mickey Born February 14, 1935
San Diego, CaliforniaHeight 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Nationality 
United StatesResidence Port St. Lucie, Florida Career College Stanford University
(one year)Turned professional 1954 Retired 1969 Former tour(s) LPGA Tour (joined 1955) Professional wins 91 Number of wins by tour LPGA Tour 82 (2nd all time) Other 9 Best results in LPGA Major Championships
(Wins: 13)Western Open Won: 1962, 1963, 1966 Titleholders C'ship Won: 1961, 1962 Kraft Nabisco C'ship T66: 1984 LPGA Championship Won: 1958, 1960, 1961, 1963 U.S. Women's Open Won: 1958, 1959, 1961, 1964 Achievements and awards World Golf Hall of Fame 1964 (member page) LPGA Tour
Money Winner1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 LPGA Vare Trophy 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 Associated Press
Female Athlete of the Year1963, 1964 Mary Kathryn "Mickey" Wright (born February 14, 1935) is an American professional golfer. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early life
Wright was born in San Diego, California. Her first important title was the 1952 U.S. Girls' Junior. She attended Stanford University and played for its golf team, but left before graduation.[1] She lost in the final of the 1954 U.S. Women's Amateur, won the 1954 World Amateur Championship, and turned professional later in 1954.
Joins LPGA Tour
Wright joined the LPGA Tour in 1955. She won 82 events on the LPGA Tour, which puts her second on the all-time win list behind Kathy Whitworth, who won 88 times. Thirteen of her victories were in major championships, which places her second to Patty Berg, who won fifteen majors. Wright topped the LPGA money list for four consecutive seasons from 1961–1964 and made the top ten on the list thirteen times in total between 1956 and 1969. Wright won at least one LPGA title for 14 straight seasons, from 1956 to 1969.
At the inaugural Tall City Open in 1964, Wright shot a 62 in the third and final round. It was the lowest score in LPGA Tour history at that time.[2] Wright's Tall City Open win is also tied for the largest final round comeback in LPGA history.[3]
Wright was coached by Harvey Penick. Ben Hogan said Wright's swing was the best he had ever seen.[4] Wright retired from full-time golf at age 34 in 1969, because of problems with her feet, but did compete occasionally after that. Wright won 12 majors between 1958 and 1966, and she is the only player in LPGA Tour history to hold all four major titles at the same time. She now lives in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and plays recreational golf occasionally.[5]
Legacy
In 2000, Wright was ranked as the ninth greatest golfer of all time, and the top woman golfer, by Golf Digest magazine.[6] In a major 2009 survey of experts, published by Golf Magazine, Wright was chosen the eighth best player of all time, and the top woman player of all time.[7]
Notable amateur wins
- 1952 U.S. Girls' Junior
- 1954 World Amateur Championship
Professional wins (91)
LPGA Tour (82)
- 1956 (1) Jacksonville Open
- 1957 (3) Sea Island Open, Jacksonville Open, Wolverine Open
- 1958 (5) Sea Island Open, LPGA Championship, U.S. Women's Open, Opie Turner Open, Dallas Open
- 1959 (4) Jacksonville Open, Cavalier Open, U.S. Women's Open, Alliance Machine International Open
- 1960 (6) Sea Island Open, Tampa Open, LPGA Championship, Grossinger Open, Eastern Open, Memphis Open
- 1961 (10) St. Petersburg Open, Miami Open, Titleholders Championship, Columbus Open, U.S. Women's Open, Waterloo Open, Spokane Women's Open, Sacramento Valley Open, Mickey Wright Invitational, LPGA Championship
- 1962 (10) Sea Island Women's Invitational, Titleholders Championship, Women's Western Open, Milwaukee Open, Heart of America Invitational, Albuquerque Swing Parade, Salt Lake City Open, Spokane Open, San Diego Open, Carlsbad Cavern Open
- 1963 (13) Sea Island Women's Invitational, St. Petersburg Women's Open, Alpine Civitan Open, Muskogee Civitan Open, Dallas Civitan Open, Babe Zaharias Open, Women's Western Open, Waterloo Women's Open Invitational, Albuquerque Swing Parade, Idaho Centennial Ladies' Open, Visalia Ladies' Open, Mickey Wright Invitational, LPGA Championship
- 1964 (11) Peach Blossom Invitational, Clifford Ann Creed Invitational, Squirt Ladies' Open Invitational, Muskogee Civitan Open, Lady Carling Eastern Open, Waldemar Open, U.S. Women's Open, Milwaukee Jaycee Open, Visalia Ladies' Open, Tall City Open, Mary Mills Mississippi Gulf Coast Invitational
- 1965 (2) Baton Rouge Invitational, Dallas Civitan Open
- 1966 (7) Venice Ladies Open, Shreveport Kiwanis Invitational, Bluegrass Ladies Invitational, Women's Western Open, Pacific Ladies' Classic, Shirley Englehorn Invitational, Mickey Wright Invitational
- 1967 (4) Shreveport Kiwanis Club Invitational, Bluegrass Invitational, Lady Carling Open (Maryland), Pensacola Ladies Invitational
- 1968 (4) Port Malabar Invitational, Palm Beach County Open, Tall City Open, 500 Ladies Classic
- 1969 (1) Bluegrass Invitational
- 1973 (1) Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle
- Note: Wright won the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle (now known as the Kraft Nabisco Championship) before it became a major championship.
LPGA majors are shown in bold.
Other wins (9)
- 1959 Hoosier Celebrity
- 1961 Haig & Haig Scotch Foursome (with Dave Ragan)
- 1962 Naples Pro-Am (with Marilynn Smith), Mickey Wright Invitational
- 1963 Haig & Haig Scotch Foursome (with Dave Ragan), Shell's Wonderful World of Golf
- 1966 Ladies World Series of Golf, Shell's Wonderful World of Golf
- 1967 Seven Lakes Invitational
Major championships
Wins (13)
Year Championship Winning Score Margin Runner(s)-up 1958 LPGA Championship +8 (69-69-76-74=288) 6 strokes 
Fay Crocker1958 U.S. Women's Open -2 (74-72-70-74=290) 5 strokes Louise Suggs1959 U.S. Women's Open +7 (72-75-69-71=287) 2 strokes Louise Suggs1960 LPGA Championship -4 (71-76-74-71=292) 3 strokes Louise Suggs1961 Titleholders Championship +11 (72-75-76-76=299) 1 stroke Patty Berg, Louise Suggs1961 U.S. Women's Open +5 (72-80-69-72=293) 6 strokes Betsy Rawls1961 LPGA Championship +3 (67-77-72-71=287) 9 strokes Louise Suggs1962 Titleholders Championship +7 (73-75-70-77=295) Playoff1 Ruth Jessen1962 Women's Western Open +7 (69-74-76-76=295) Playoff2 Mary Lena Faulk1963 Women's Western Open -4 (78-70-71-73=292) 9 strokes Kathy Whitworth1963 LPGA Championship +10 (72-82-70-70=294) 2 strokes Mary Lena Faulk, Mary Mills, Louise Suggs1964 U.S. Women's Open -2 (71-71-75-73=290) Playoff3 Ruth Jessen1966 Women's Western Open +2 (72-78-76-76=302) 1 stroke Jo Ann Prentice, 
Margie Masters1 In an 18-hole playoff, Wright 69, Jessen 72.
2 Wright won on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff.
3 In an 18-hole playoff, Wright 70, Jessen 72.See also
- Women’s Career Grand Slam Champion
- Golfers with most LPGA Tour wins
- Golfers with most LPGA major championship wins
References
- ^ http://www.sdhoc.com/awards/hall-of-fame/golf/mickey-wright/ San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum - Mary "Mickey" Wright
- ^ Mickey Wright fires 9-under-par 62
- ^ Largest Final-Round Comeback on LPGA Tour
- ^ Mickey Wright profile at about.com
- ^ Mickey Wright undergoes breast cancer surgery
- ^ Yocom, Guy (July 2000). "50 Greatest Golfers of All Time: And What They Taught Us". Golf Digest. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HFI/is_7_51/ai_63015233. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
- ^ Golf Magazine, September 2009.
External links
- Mickey Wright at the LPGA Tour official site
- Mickey Wright bio at about.com
U.S. Women's Open champions 1946 Patty Berg∞ · 1947 Betty Jameson · 1948 Babe Zaharias · 1949 Louise Suggs · 1950 Babe Zaharias · 1951 Betsy Rawls · 1952 Louise Suggs · 1953 Betsy Rawls† · 1954‡ Babe Zaharias · 1955‡ Fay Crocker · 1956 Kathy Cornelius† · 1957 Betsy Rawls 1958‡ Mickey Wright · 1959 Mickey Wright · 1960 Betsy Rawls · 1961 Mickey Wright · 1962 Murle Breer · 1963‡ Mary Mills · 1964 Mickey Wright† · 1965 Carol Mann · 1966 Sandra Spuzich · 1967‡ Catherine LaCoste# · 1968‡ Susie Berning · 1969 Donna Caponi · 1970‡ Donna Caponi · 1971‡ JoAnne Carner · 1972 Susie Berning · 1973 Susie Berning · 1974 Sandra Haynie · 1975 Sandra Palmer · 1976 JoAnne Carner† · 1977 Hollis Stacy · 1978 Hollis Stacy · 1979 Jerilyn Britz · 1980 Amy Alcott · 1981 Pat Bradley · 1982 Janet Anderson · 1983 Jan Stephenson · 1984 Hollis Stacy · 1985 Kathy Baker · 1986 Jane Geddes† · 1987 Laura Davies† · 1988 Liselotte Neumann · 1989 Betsy King · 1990 Betsy King · 1991 Meg Mallon · 1992 Patty Sheehan† · 1993 Lauri Merten · 1994 Patty Sheehan · 1995 Annika Sörenstam · 1996 Annika Sörenstam · 1997 Alison Nicholas · 1998 Se Ri Pak† · 1999 Juli Inkster · 2000 Karrie Webb · 2001 Karrie Webb · 2002 Juli Inkster · 2003 Hilary Lunke† · 2004 Meg Mallon · 2005 Birdie Kim · 2006 Annika Sörenstam† · 2007 Cristie Kerr · 2008 Inbee Park · 2009 Eun-Hee Ji · 2010 Paula Creamer · 2011 So Yeon Ryu†
† event won in a playoff ‡ winner held lead wire-to-wire # event won by an amateur ∞ event won in match-playTitleholders Championship champions 1937 Patty Berg • 1938 Patty Berg • 1939 Patty Berg 1940 Helen Hicks • 1941 Dorothy Kirby • 1942 Dorothy Kirby • 1943-45 No Tournament • 1946 Louise Suggs • 1947 Babe Zaharias • 1948 Patty Berg • 1949 Peggy Kirk# • 1950 Babe Zaharias • 1951 Pat O'Sullivan# • 1952 Babe Zaharias • 1953 Patty Berg • 1954 Louise Suggs • 1955 Patty Berg • 1956 Louise Suggs • 1957 Patty Berg • 1958 Beverly Hanson • 1959 Louise Suggs • 1960 Fay Crocker • 1961 Mickey Wright • 1962 Mickey Wright† • 1963 Marilynn Smith† • 1964 Marilynn Smith • 1965 Kathy Whitworth • 1966 Kathy Whitworth • 1967-71 No Tournament • 1972 Sandra Palmer
† indicates the event was won in a playoff # indicates the event was won by an amateurWomen's Western Open champions Match play era
1930 Mrs. Lee Mida • 1931 June Beebe • 1932 Jane Weiller• 1933 June Beebe • 1934 Marian McDougall • 1935 Opal Hill • 1936 Opal Hill • 1937 Helen Hicks • 1938 Bea Barrett • 1939 Helen Dettweiler 1940 Babe Zaharias • 1941 Patty Berg • 1942 Betty Jameson • 1943 Patty Berg • 1944 Babe Zaharias • 1945 Babe Zaharias • 1946 Louise Suggs • 1947 Louise Suggs • 1948 Patty Berg • 1949 Louise Suggs • 1950 Babe Zaharias • 1951 Patty Berg • 1952 Betsy Rawls • 1953 Louise Suggs • 1954 Betty JamesonStroke play era
1955 Patty Berg • 1956 Beverly Hanson • 1957 Patty Berg • 1958 Patty Berg • 1959 Betsy Rawls • 1960 Joyce Ziske† • 1961 Mary Lena Faulk • 1962 Mickey Wright† • 1963 Mickey Wright • 1964 Carol Mann • 1965 Susie Maxwell • 1966 Mickey Wright • 1967 Kathy Whitworth† indicates the event was won in a playoffWomen's Career Grand Slam Champion Golfers 1957 Louise Suggs (1) • 1962 Mickey Wright (1) • 1963 Mickey Wright (2) • 1986 Pat Bradley (1) • 1999 Juli Inkster (1) • 2001 Karrie Webb (1) • 2003 Annika Sörenstam (1)Female golfers who have won 2 or more major championships in one year 1946 Louise Suggs (2) • 1948 Patty Berg (2) • 1949 Louise Suggs (2) • 1950 Babe Zaharias (3) • 1955 Patty Berg (2) • 1957 Patty Berg (2) • 1958 Mickey Wright (2) • 1959 Betsy Rawls (2) • 1961 Mickey Wright (3) • 1962 Mickey Wright (2) • 1963 Mickey Wright (2) • 1967 Kathy Whitworth (2) • 1974 Sandra Haynie (2) • 1984 Juli Inkster (2) • 1986 Pat Bradley (3) • 1990 Betsy King (2) • 1991 Meg Mallon (2) • 1996 Laura Davies (2) • 1998 Se Ri Pak (2) • 1999 Juli Inkster (2) • 2000 Karrie Webb (2) • 2001 Karrie Webb (2) • 2003 Annika Sörenstam (2) • 2005 Annika Sörenstam (2) • 2010 Yani Tseng (2) • 2011 Yani Tseng (2)Categories:- American female golfers
- Stanford Cardinal women's golfers
- LPGA Tour golfers
- Winners of LPGA major golf championships
- World Golf Hall of Fame inductees
- People from San Diego, California
- 1935 births
- Living people
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
