1978 LPGA Tour
The 1978 LPGA Tour was the 29th season since the LPGA Tour officially began in 1950. The season ran from February 10 to November 12. The season consisted of 34 official money events. Nancy Lopez won the most tournaments, nine. She also led the money list with earnings of $189,814.
There were four first-time winners in 1978: Janet Coles, Shelley Hamlin, Nancy Lopez, and Michiko Okada. Lopez was the first (and as of 2011, only) player to be named LPGA Rookie of the Year and LPGA Player of the Year in the same year. She won 48 LPGA events in her career.
The tournament results and award winners are listed below.
Tournament results
The following table shows all the official money events for the 1978 season.[1] "Date" is the ending date of the tournament. The numbers in parentheses after the winners' names are the number of wins they had on the tour up to and including that event. Majors are shown in bold.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Winner | Score | Purse ($) | 1st prize ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 12 | American Cancer Society Classic | Florida |  | 212 (-4) | 50,000 | 7,500 |
| Feb 20 | Orange Blossom Classic | Florida | | 212 (-4) | 60,000 | 9,000 |
| Feb 26 | Bent Tree Classic | Florida | | 289 (-1) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Mar 12 | Sunstar Classic | California | | 285 (-3) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Mar 19 | Kathryn Crosby/Honda Civic Classic | California | .svg.png){kind=small} | 282 (-6) | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| Apr 2 | Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle | California | .svg.png){kind=small} | 283 (-5) | 240,000 | 36,000 |
| Apr 16 | Birmingham Classic | Alabama | | 207 (-9) | 60,000 | 9,000 |
| Apr 23 | American Defender Classic | North Carolina | | 206 (-10) | 55,000 | 8,250 |
| Apr 30 | Natural Light Lady Tara Classic | Georgia | | 211 (-8) | 75,000 | 11,250 |
| May 8 | Women's International | South Carolina | .svg.png){kind=small} | 283 (-5) | 80,000 | 12,000 |
| May 14 | Greater Baltimore Classic | Maryland | | 212 (-7) | 65,000 | 9,750 |
| May 21 | Coca-Cola Classic | New Jersey | | 210 (-3) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| May 29 | Golden Lights Championship | New York | | 277 (-11) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Jun 4 | Peter Jackson Classic | Canada | | 278 (-14) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Jun 11 | LPGA Championship | Ohio | | 275 (-13) | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| Jun 18 | Bankers Trust Classic | New York | | 214 (-5) | 75,000 | 11,250 |
| Jun 25 | Lady Keystone Open | Pennsylvania | | 206 (-10) | 50,000 | 7,500 |
| Jul 3 | Mayflower Classic | Indiana | | 209 (-7) | 75,000 | 11,250 |
| Jul 9 | Wheeling Classic | West Virginia | | 207 (-9) | 75,000 | 11,250 |
| Jul 16 | Borden Classic | Ohio | | 209 (-7) | 85,000 | 12,750 |
| Jul 23 | U.S. Women's Open | Indiana | | 289 (+5) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Jul 30 | Hoosier Classic | Indiana | | 206 (-10) | 60,000 | 9,000 |
| Aug 6 | Colgate European Open | England | | 289 (-7) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Aug 13 | WUI Classic | New York | | 283 (-9) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Aug 20 | Lady Stroh's Open | Michigan | | 286 (-2) | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| Aug 27 | Patty Berg Classic | Minnesota | | 208 (-11) | 75,000 | 11,250 |
| Sep 4 | Rail Charity Classic | Illinois | | 276 (-12) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Sep 10 | National Jewish Hospital Open | Colorado | | 211 (-5) | 60,000 | 9,000 |
| Sep 17 | The Sarah Coventry | California | | 282 (-10) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Oct 1 | Golden Lights Championship | California | | 276 (-12) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Oct 15 | Civitan Open | Texas |  | 213 (-3) | 75,000 | 11,250 |
| Oct 22 | Houston Exchange Clubs Classic | Texas | | 207 (-9) | 50,000 | 7,500 |
| Nov 3 | Mizuno-Japan Classic | Japan |  | 216 (-6) | 125,000 | 18,750 |
| Nov 12 | Colgate Far East Open | Malaysia | | 216 (E) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
* - non-member at time of win
Awards
| Award | Winner | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Money winner | Nancy Lopez | |
| Scoring leader (Vare Trophy) | Nancy Lopez | |
| Player of the Year | Nancy Lopez | |
| Rookie of the Year | Nancy Lopez | |
References
- LPGA Tournament Chronology 1970-1979 Archived 2010-01-02 at the Wayback Machine