1974 LPGA Tour
The 1974 LPGA Tour was the 25th season since the LPGA Tour officially began in 1950. The season ran from February 1 to November 24. The season consisted of 32 official money events. JoAnne Carner and Sandra Haynie won the most tournaments, six each. Carner led the money list with earnings of $87,094.
The season saw the first tournament in Mexico, the Bing Crosby International Classic. There were three first-time winners in 1974: Bonnie Bryant, Gail Denenberg, and Sue Roberts. Bryant was the first,[1] and through 2016 only, left-handed golfer to win on the LPGA Tour.
Kathy Whitworth won the LPGA's annual tour stop in St. Petersburg for a fifth time.[2] Only three other golfers in tour history have won the same event five times.[3]
The tournament results and award winners are listed below.
Tournament results
The following table shows all the official money events for the 1974 season.[4] "Date" is the ending date of the tournament. The numbers in parentheses after the winners' names are the number of wins they had on the tour up to and including that event. Majors are shown in bold.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Winner | Score | Purse ($) | 1st prize ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 3 | Burdine's Invitational | Florida |  | 215 (-4) | 33,000 | 4,950 |
| Feb 10 | Sears Women's Classic | Florida | | 71 (-2) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Feb 17 | Naples Lely Classic | Florida | | 209 (-10) | 38,000 | 5,400 |
| Mar 3 | Orange Blossom Classic | Florida | | 209 (-7) | 30,000 | 4,250 |
| Mar 10 | S&H Green Stamp Classic | Texas | | 219 (+3) | 100,000 | 20,000 |
| Mar 17 | Bing Crosby International Classic | Mexico | | 215 (-1) | 30,000 | 4,250 |
| Apr 21 | Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle | California | | 289 (+1) | 179,000 | 32,000 |
| Apr 28 | Birmingham Classic | Alabama | | 211 (-5) | 35,000 | 5,000 |
| May 5 | Lady Tara Classic | Georgia | | 219 (E) | 35,000 | 5,000 |
| May 12 | American Defender-Raleigh Classic | North Carolina | | 137 (-7)^ | 35,000 | 5,000 |
| May 19 | Bluegrass Invitational | Kentucky | | 215 (-4) | 35,000 | 5,000 |
| May 26 | Hoosier LPGA Classic | Indiana | | 213 (-6) | 35,000 | 5,000 |
| Jun 2 | Baltimore Classic | Maryland | | 144 (-2)^ | 40,000 | 5,700 |
| Jun 9 | Desert Inn Classic | Nevada | | 284 (-4) | 100,000 | 20,000 |
| Jun 16 | Lawson's LPGA Open | Ohio | | 215 (-1) | 40,000 | 5,700 |
| Jun 23 | LPGA Championship | Massachusetts | | 288 (-4) | 50,000 | 7,000 |
| Jun 30 | Peter Jackson Ladies Classic | Canada | | 208 (-11) | 60,000 | 12,000 |
| Jul 7 | Niagara Frontier Classic | New York | | 213 (-6) | 35,000 | 5,000 |
| Jul 14 | LPGA Borden Classic | Ohio | | 211 (-5) | 40,000 | 5,700 |
| Jul 21 | U.S. Women's Open | Illinois | | 295 (+7) | 40,000 | 6,073 |
| Jul 28 | Wheeling Ladies Classic | West Virginia | | 212 (-4) | 35,000 | 5,000 |
| Aug 4 | George Washington Classic | Pennsylvania | | 213 (-6) | 40,000 | 5,700 |
| Aug 18 | St. Paul Open | Minnesota | | 212 (-7) | 35,000 | 5,000 |
| Aug 24 | National Jewish Hospital Open | Colorado | | 213 (-6) | 35,000 | 5,000 |
| Sep 1 | Southgate Ladies Open | Kansas | | 142 (-2)^ | 35,000 | 4,375 each |
| Sep 8 | Dallas Civitan Open | Texas | | 217 (+1) | 40,000 | 5,700 |
| Sep 15 | Charity Golf Classic | Texas | | 208 (-11) | 40,000 | 5,700 |
| Sep 29 | Portland Ladies Classic | Oregon | | 211 (-5) | 35,000 | 5,000 |
| Oct 6 | Sacramento Union Ladies Classic | California | | 213 (-6) | 35,000 | 5,000 |
| Oct 21 | Cubic Corporation Classic | California | | 215 (-1) | 35,000 | 5,000 |
| Nov 17 | Bill Branch LPGA Classic | Florida | | 209 (-7) | 40,000 | 5,700 |
| Nov 24 | Lady Errol Classic | Florida | | 215 (-1) | 35,000 | 5,000 |
^ - weather-shortened tournament
Awards
| Award | Winner | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Money winner | JoAnne Carner | |
| Scoring leader (Vare Trophy) | JoAnne Carner | |
| Player of the Year | JoAnne Carner | |
| Rookie of the Year | Jan Stephenson | .svg.png){kind=small} |