1977 LPGA Tour
The 1977 LPGA Tour was the 28th season since the LPGA Tour officially began in 1950. The season ran from February 11 to November 13. The season consisted of 32 official money events. Debbie Austin and Judy Rankin won the most tournaments, five each. Rankin led the money list with earnings of $122,890, becoming the first player to win $100,000 in a season.
There were six first-time winners in 1977: Debbie Austin, Silvia Bertolaccini, Vivian Brownlee, Bonnie Lauer, Debbie Massey, and Hollis Stacy.
The tournament results and award winners are listed below.
Tournament results
The following table shows all the official money events for the 1977 season.[1] "Date" is the ending date of the tournament. The numbers in parentheses after the winners' names are the number of wins they had on the tour up to and including that event. Majors are shown in bold.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Winner | Score | Purse ($) | 1st prize ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 13 | American Cancer Society Classic | Florida |  | 212 (-4) | 50,000 | 7,500 |
| Feb 20 | Orange Blossom Classic | Florida | | 208 (-8) | 50,000 | 7,500 |
| Feb 27 | Bent Tree Classic | Florida | | 209 (-7) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Mar 27 | Kathryn Crosby/Honda Civic Classic | California | | 281 (-7) | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| Apr 3 | Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle | California | | 289 (+1) | 240,000 | 36,000 |
| Apr 17 | Women's International | South Carolina | | 281 (-7) | 80,000 | 12,000 |
| Apr 24 | American Defender Classic | North Carolina | | 206 (-10) | 50,000 | 7,500 |
| May 1 | Birmingham Classic | Alabama | | 207 (-9) | 60,000 | 9,000 |
| May 8 | Lady Tara Classic | Georgia | | 209 (-10) | 50,000 | 7,500 |
| May 15 | Greater Baltimore Golf Classic | Maryland | | 209 (-10) | 55,000 | 8,250 |
| May 22 | LPGA Coca-Cola Classic | New Jersey | | 202 (-11) | 77,000 | 11,500 |
| May 29 | Lady Keystone Open | Pennsylvania | | 201 (-9) | 50,000 | 7,500 |
| Jun 5 | Talk Tournament '77 | New York | | 284 (-4) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Jun 12 | LPGA Championship | South Carolina |  | 279 (-9) | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| Jun 19 | Mayflower Classic | Indiana | | 212 (-4) | 50,000 | 7,500 |
| Jun 26 | Hoosier Classic | Indiana | | 207 (-9) | 50,000 | 7,500 |
| Jul 3 | Peter Jackson Classic | Canada | | 212 (-4) | 80,000 | 12,000 |
| Jul 10 | Bankers Trust Classic | New York | | 213 (-6) | 75,000 | 11,000 |
| Jul 17 | Borden Classic | Ohio | | 207 (-9) | 80,000 | 12,000 |
| Jul 24 | U.S. Women's Open | Minnesota | | 292 (+4) | 75,000 | 11,040 |
| Jul 31 | Pocono Northeast Classic | Pennsylvania | | 213 (-6) | 75,000 | 11,000 |
| Aug 6 | Colgate European Women's Open | England | | 281 (-15) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Aug 14 | Long Island Charity Classic | New York | | 279 (-9) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Aug 21 | Wheeling Classic | West Virginia | | 209 (-7) | 50,000 | 7,500 |
| Aug 28 | Patty Berg Classic | Minnesota | | 212 (-7) | 55,000 | 8,250 |
| Sep 4 | Rail Muscular Dystrophy Classic | Illinois | | 271 (-17) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Sep 11 | National Jewish Hospital Open | Colorado | | 210 (-6) | 50,000 | 7,500 |
| Sep 25 | The Sarah Coventry | California | | 282 (-10) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Oct 2 | Dallas Civitan Open | Texas | | 217 (+1) | 50,000 | 7,500 |
| Oct 9 | Houston Exchange Clubs Classic | Texas | | 208 (-8) | 50,000 | 7,500 |
| Nov 3 | Mizuno Japan Classic | Japan | | 220 (-2) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Nov 13 | Colgate Far East Open | Singapore |  | 214 (-2) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
Awards
| Award | Winner | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Money winner | Judy Rankin (2) | |
| Scoring leader (Vare Trophy) | Judy Rankin (3) | |
| Player of the Year | Judy Rankin (2) | |
| Rookie of the Year | Debbie Massey | |
References
- LPGA Tournament Chronology 1970-1979 Archived 2010-01-02 at the Wayback Machine