Liselotte Neumann

Liselotte Maria "Lotta" Neumann (born 20 May 1966) is a Swedish professional golfer. When she recorded her first LPGA Tour win, by claiming the 1988 U.S. Women's Open title, Neumann also became the first Swedish golfer, male or female, to win a major championship.[1]

Liselotte Neumann
Neumann in 2008
Personal information
Full nameLiselotte Maria Neumann
NicknameLotta
Born (1966-05-20) 20 May 1966
Finspång, Sweden
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Nationality Sweden
ResidenceSolana Beach, California, U.S.
PartnerEvelyn Orley
Career
Turned professional1985
Current tour(s)Legends Tour
Former tour(s)LPGA Tour (1988–2010)
Ladies European Tour (Lifetime Member)
Professional wins36
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour13
Ladies European Tour11
LPGA of Japan Tour5
ALPG Tour1
Other9
Best results in LPGA major championships
(wins: 1)
ANA Inspiration2nd: 2002
Women's PGA C'ship2nd/T2: 1992, 1999
U.S. Women's OpenWon: 1988
du Maurier Classic2nd: 1995, 1997
Women's British OpenT5: 2005
Achievements and awards
LPGA Tour
Rookie of the Year		1988
Ladies European Tour
Order of Merit		1994
Vivien Saunders Trophy
(LET scoring ave.)		1994
Swedish Golfer of the Year1985, 1988, 1994

Early years

Neumann was born and grew up in Finspång, Sweden. Her father Rune was a former football player and coach of a local girls football team. After practicing different sports and supported by her father, her mother Ingegerd and her brother Mats, Neumann began playing golf at the local 9-hole course at Finspång Golf Club. She showed early promise and won the unofficial national youth championships, Colgate Cup, at three different levels, as a 12, 14, and 16-year-old. Neumann has later given a lot of credit, for her successful career, to her local coach since her early years, Pierre Karlström. Neumann also has showed her loyalty to her first golf club by, three times during the peak of her career in the 1990s, inviting some of the female golf stars of the world, Laura Davies, Karrie Webb, Kelly Robbins and Jane Geddes among others, for exhibition matches in Finspång.[2]

Amateur career

In 1981, only 15 years of age, she sensationally won the Swedish International Amateur Stroke-Play Championship, one of three major amateur tournaments in Sweden at the time, at Jönköping Golf Club, with a record aggregate of 282 and a 9-stroke margin. She bettered her personal 72-hole best with 30 strokes and beat the whole Swedish amateur national team, of which some did not even had heard of Neumann before the tournament. At the time of her triumph, she wasn't even qualified for the Swedish national junior team, which, the same summer, won the European Lady Junior's Team Championship.[3]

The year after, she successfully defended her stroke-play title and,16 years old, was a member of the national team at the Espirito Santo Trophy in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1983, she finished second in Orange Bowl International Junior Championship in Coral Gables, Florida. In 1984, she was the Swedish Match Play champion (tournament for first time open for professionals), member of the winning Swedish team at the European Lady Junior's Team Championship at Campo de Golf El Saler, Valencia, Spain, and medalist at the 36-hole qualifying competition in the European Ladies Team Championship, in Waterloo, Belgium. After another appearance at the Espirito Santo Trophy in Hong Kong in late 1984, she turned professional at the beginning of 1985, not yet 19 years old.[4]

Professional career

She collected her first professional win at the Pierre Robert Cup, over 54 holes at Falsterbo Golf Club, in Sweden in May 1985 and played on the Ladies European Tour (at the time named the WPGA Tour) the second half of the year, were she won twice. At the Höganäs Ladies' Open at Mölle Golf Club in Sweden, she became the youngest ever winner on the WPGA Tour.

She led the 1986 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit for most of the season, with eight straight top three finishes, but lost the lead to Laura Davies at the last tournament, the Spanish Open. While Davies won the tournament, Neumann finished 27th, her worst of the season. In the rankings, Neumann finished second, just £494 worse than Davies. The same year the ladies' Swedish Golf Tour get started with seven tournaments and Neumann was its first Order of Merit winner.

Neumann became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1988, after tying fourth at the LPGA Tour Final Qualifying Tournament in late 1987.

At the 1988 U.S. Women's Open at Baltimore Country Club, Five Farms, Baltimore, Maryland, July 21-24, at 22 years of age, Neumann led wire-to-wire in just her 16th LPGA Tour tournament, setting a new tournament first-round record 67 and 72-hole record 277, becoming the first Swedish major winner, male or female, as well as the first Swedish tournament winner on the LPGA Tour or the PGA Tour. She became the fifth non-U.S.-winner and the second youngest (by two months to Catherine Lacoste in 1967) in the 43-year history of the championship.[5] She was voted 1988 LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year and earned her second Swedish Golfer of the Year award. She was also appointed 1988 Swedish Sportswomen of the Year by Aftonbladet and the Swedish Sports Confederation.

In total she won thirteen times on the LPGA Tour. The 1988 U.S. Women's Open remains her only LPGA major, but she won the Women's British Open in 1994, when it was recognised as a major championship by the Ladies European Tour, but not by the LPGA Tour. She also finished second five times in three other major championships.

Her best finish on the LPGA Tour money list is third in 1994. She also finished top ten in 1996, 1997 and 1998.

Throughout her career on the LPGA Tour, she continued to play on the Ladies European Tour, as well as in Asia and Australia. She won five times in Japan and the 1995 Women's Australian Open. Her victory in the 1994 Women’s British Open made her the fifth player to win both British and U.S. Open titles, joining Laura Davies, Jane Geddes, Betsy King and Patty Sheehan. This accomplishment was later also achieved by Alison Nicholas, Pak Se-ri, Karrie Webb, Inbee Park and Ariya Jutanugarn. In 1994 Neumann topped the LET Order of Merit, was voted Golf World's Most Improved Golfer and awarded Swedish Golfer of the Year for the third time.

Neumann played in the European Solheim Cup team against United States, six times in a row, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, and 2000. She captained the team to victory in August, 2013 at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colorado, the first time team Europe won the cup on foreign soil, and the first time Europe won consecutive cups. Neumann won the Women's World Cup of Golf for Sweden in 2006 with Annika Sörenstam.

Awards and honors

Besides being awarded Swedish Golfer of the Year three times, Neumann received the Golden Club by the Swedish Golf Federation in 1998, as the tenth person, for great contributions to Swedish golf.[4]

In 1998, she also became an honorary member of the PGA of Sweden.[4]

She was recognized during the LPGA’s 50th Anniversary in 2000 as one of the LPGA’s top 50 players and teachers.

On June 7, 2006, the Ladies European Tour announced that Neumann has earned Lifetime Membership of the LET, at the time a feat achieved by six other golfers, Helen Alfredsson, Laura Davies, Marie-Laure de Lorenzi, Alison Nicholas, Dale Reid and Annika Sorenstam.

Amateur wins
  • 1981 Swedish International Stroke-play Championship[3]
  • 1982 Swedish Junior Stroke-play Championship, Swedish International Stroke-play Championship, Scandinavian Foursome (with Signe Lindfeldt), Dunlop Open

Professional wins (36)

LPGA Tour wins (13)
Legend
LPGA Tour major championships (1)
Other LPGA Tour (12)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin
of victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 24 Jul 1988 U.S. Women's Open −7 (67-72-69-69=277) 3 strokes Patty Sheehan
2 10 Nov 1991 Mazda Japan Classic1 −5 (70-72-69=211) 2 strokes Caroline Keggi
Dottie Pepper
3 12 Jun 1994 Minnesota LPGA Classic −11 (68-71-66=205) 2 strokes Hiromi Kobayashi
4 12 Aug 1994 Weetabix Women's British Open −14 (71-67-70-72=280) 3 strokes Dottie Pepper
Annika Sörenstam
5 2 Oct 1994 GHP Heartland Classic −10 (70-71-67-70=278) 3 strokes Elaine Crosby
Pearl Sinn
6 14 Jan 1996 Chrysler-Plymouth Tournament of Champions −13 (67-66-72-70=275) 11 strokes Karrie Webb
7 17 Mar 1996 PING/Welch's Championship (Tucson) −12 (68-71-69-68=276) 1 stroke Cathy Johnston-Forbes
8 6 Jun 1996 Edina Realty LPGA Classic −9 (67-73-67=207) Playoff Brandie Burton
Carin Koch
Suzanne Strudwick
9 21 Sep 1997 Welch's Championship −12 (67-70-69-70=276) 3 strokes Nancy Harvey
10 9 Nov 1997 Toray Japan Queens Cup1 −11 (68-70-67=205) 1 sttroke Lorie Kane
11 22 Mar 1998 Standard Register PING −13 (69-67-69-74=279) Playoff Rosie Jones
12 26 Apr 1998 Chick-fil-A Charity Championship −14 (67-65-70=202) 3 strokes Lori Kane
Dottie Pepper
13 10 Oct 2004 Asahi Ryokuken International Championship −15 (68-68-69-68=273) 3 strokes Grace Park

LPGA Tour playoff record (2–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1988 Mazda Japan Classic1 Patty Sheehan Lost to birdie on third extra hole
2 1996 Oldsmobile Classic Michelle McGann Lost to birdie on third extra hole
3 1996 Edina Realty LPGA Classic Brandie Burton
Carin Koch
Suzanne Strudwick		 Won with birdie on third extra hole
4 1998 Standard Register PING Rosie Jones Won with birdie on third extra hole

1Co-sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour
LPGA major is shown in bold.

Ladies European Tour wins (11)
Legend
LET major championships (1)
Other LET (10)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin
of victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 25 Aug 1985 Höganas Ladies' Open[6] −1 (67-74-71-71=283) 1 stroke Laura Davies
2 7 Sep 1985 IBM Ladies' European Open[6] −2 (73-70-75-72=290) 2 strokes Susan Moorcraft
Cathy Panton
3 10 Aug 1986 BMW Ladies' German Open (1)[7] −6 (71-72-72-67=282) 2 strokes Alison Nicholas
4 17 May 1987 Letting French Open[8] −7 (71-77-72-73=293) 5 strokes Laura Davies
5 29 May 1988 BMW Ladies' German Open (2)[9] +2 (74-71-71-71=290) 1 stroke Marie-Laure de Lorenzi
6 18 Aug 1991 IBM Ladies' Open (1)[10] −10 (69-70-69-74=282) 3 strokes Marie-Laure de Lorenzi
7 4 Jul 1993 Hennessy Ladies' Cup (1)[11] −8 (72-71-69-68=280) Playoff Laura Davies
8 3 Jul 1994 Hennessy Ladies' Cup (2)[12] −11 (69-71-72-65=277) 1 stroke Alison Nicholas
9 12 Aug 1994 Weetabix Women's British Open1 −14 (71-67-70-72=280) 3 strokes Dottie Pepper
Annika Sörenstam
10 21 Aug 1994 Trygg Hansa Ladies' Open (2)[13] −18 (69-67-71-67=274) 4 strokes Corinne Dibnah
11 10 Sep 1995 Trygg Hansa Ladies' Open (3) −11 (70-71-68-72=281) 1 stroke Annika Sörenstam

1Co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour and recognized as a major championship by the Ladies European Tour, but not by the LPGA Tour until 2001

Ladies European Tour playoff record (1–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1993 Hennessy Ladies Cup Laura Davies Won with birdie on first extra hole
2 1996 Hennessy Cup Helen Alfredsson
Trish Johnson		 Lost after eliminated on first extra hole
Alfredsson won with birdie on second extra hole

LPGA of Japan Tour wins (5)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin
of victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 10 Nov 1991 Mazda Japan Classic1 −5 (70-72-69=211) 2 strokes Caroline Keggi
Dottie Pepper
2 10 Oct 1993 Treasure Invitational[14] −10 (69-70-70-69=278) 5 strokes Juli Inkster
3 12 Oct 1997 Takara World Invitational[15] −6 (69-68-73-72=282) 2 strokes Yuko Motoyama
4 9 Nov 1997 Toray Japan Queens Cup1[15] −11 (68-70-67=205) 1 stroke Lorie Kane
5 10 May 1998 Gunze Cup World Ladies Golf Tournament[16] −6 (75-70-65-72=282) Playoff Ko Woo-soon
Lee Young-mee

LPGA of Japan Tour playoff record (1–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1988 Mazda Japan Classic1 Patty Sheehan Lost to birdie on third extra hole
2 1998 Gunze Cup World Ladies Golf Tournament[17] Ko Woo-soon
Lee Young-mee		 Won with par on third extra hole

1Co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour

ALPG Tour wins (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runners-up
1 12 Nov 1995 Holden Women's Australian Open[18] −9 (67-74-71-71=283) Playoff Jane Geddes
Annika Sörenstam

ALPG Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1995 Holden Women's Australian Open Jane Geddes
Annika Sörenstam		 Won with birdie on third extra hole
Geddes eliminated on second extra hole

Other wins (5)

Legends Tour wins (4)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1 May 4, 2014 Walgreens Charity Classic −7 (69-68=137) Playoff Danielle Ammaccapane
2 Nov 7, 2015 Walgreens Charity Championship −8 (68-68=136) 3 strokes Nicole Jeray
3 May 21, 2017 Red Nose Day Walgreens Charity Championship −4 (68) 1 stroke Juli Inkster
4 Mar 25, 2018 ANA Inspiration Legends Day
(with Kynadie Adams and Hailey Borja)		 −10 (62) 1 stroke Patricia Meunier-Lebouc
(with Ashley Menne and Yujeong Son)

Major championships

Wins (1)
YearChampionshipWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
1988U.S. Women's Open−7 (67-72-69-69=277)3 strokes Patty Sheehan

Results timeline
Tournament198719881989
Kraft Nabisco Championship CUT T28
LPGA Championship T10
U.S. Women's Open CUT 1 T20
du Maurier Classic CUT CUT
Tournament19901991199219931994199519961997199819992000
Kraft Nabisco Championship CUT T30 T26 T40 T11 T32 T10 T16 T5 T58 72
LPGA Championship T27 T11 T2 T25 T3 T38 T41 CUT T37 2 CUT
U.S. Women's Open T54 T15 15 62 3 T21 T8 T14 3 T17 CUT
du Maurier Classic 4 T19 T20 CUT 3 2 T6 2 T48 T34 CUT
Tournament2001200220032004200520062007200820092010
Kraft Nabisco Championship T18 2 T42 T55 T45 T61 T15 CUT
LPGA Championship T12 T52 T67 CUT T31 T29 68 T29 CUT WD
U.S. Women's Open T39 T37 CUT T20 T19 CUT CUT CUT
Women's British Open ^ 55 T35 CUT CUT T5 T31 CUT

^ The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001.

  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut.
WD = withdrew
"T" tied.

Summary
  • Starts – 85
  • Wins – 1
  • 2nd-place finishes – 5
  • 3rd-place finishes – 4
  • Top 3 finishes – 10
  • Top 5 finishes – 13
  • Top 10 finishes – 17
  • Top 25 finishes – 34
  • Missed cuts – 21
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 14
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 3

LPGA Tour career summary
YearWins (Majors)Earnings ($)Money list rankAverage
1988 1 (1) 188,729 12 72.44
1989 0 119,915 30 72.66
1990 0 82,323 51 73.74
1991 1 151,367 27 72.91
1992 0 225,667 21 72.00
1993 0 90,776 57 72.54
1994 3 505,701 3 71.46
1995 0 305,157 16 71.79
1996 3 625,633 4 70.94
1997 2 497,841 7 71.28
1998 2 665,069 5 71.15
1999 0 405,142 20 71.70
2000 0 185,309 48 72.96
2001 0 159,719 61 72.40
2002 0 295,225 32 72.37
2003 0 108,379 71 72.39
2004 1 275,352 43 72.13
2005 0 607,474 22 71.47
2006 0 197,785 64 72.44
2007 0 103,486 84 73.55
2008 0 53,285 134 74.58
2009 0 0 76.24
2010 0 0 78.27

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional career

Professional

Solheim Cup record
YearTotal
matches		Total
W–L–H		Singles
W–L–H		Foursomes
W–L–H		Fourballs
W–L–H		Points
won		Points
%
Career 21 6–10–5 2–2–2 1–6–1 3–2–2 8.5 40.5%
1990 3 1–2–0 0–1–0 lost to B. Daniel 7&6 0–1–0 lost w/P. Wright 6&5 1–0–0 won w/P. Wright 4&2 1 33.3%
1992 3 2–0–1 1–0–0 def B. King 2&1 1–0–0 won w/H. Alfredsson 2&1 0–0–1 halved H. Alfredsson 2.5 83.3%
1994 3 1–2–0 0–1–0 lost to D. Andrews 3&2 0–1–0 lost w/H. Alfredsson 3&2 1–0–0 won w/H. Alfredsson 1up 1 33.3%
1996 5 1–2–2 0–0–1 halved w/B. Daniel 0–1–1 lost w/H. Alfredsson 2&1, halved w/K. Marshall 1–1–0 lost w/C. Nilsmark 1dn, won w/C. Nilsmark 3&1 2 40.0%
1998 4 1–3–0 1–0–0 def B. Burton 1up 0–2–0 lost w/L. Hackney 1dn, lost w/C. Nilsmark 3&1 0–1–0 lost w/C. Sörenstam 2&1 1 25.0%
2000 3 0–1–2 0–0–1 halved w P. Hurst 0–1–0 lost w/H. Alfredsson 1dn 0–0–1 halved w/P. Meunier-Lebouc 1 33.3%

See also

References
  1. Hellsten, CM (18 September 2017). "Här är alla svenska majorvinnare" [Here are all Swedish major winners]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  2. Lotta Neumann Finspångs Golfklubb Historia
  3. "Jösse Lotta, vilken skräll". Svensk Golf (in Swedish). July 1981. pp. 25–27, 64.
  4. "Golf - Den Stora Sporten'" [Golf - the Great Sport] (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation 100 Years. pp. 71, 95 192, 198, 211, 220, 221, 224, 283.
  5. "Det otroliga är ett faktum!" [The incredible thing is a fact!]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). August 1988. pp. 6–11.
  6. "Resultat" [Results]. Svensk Golf. October 1985. p. 63.
  7. "Resultat" [Results]. Svensk Golf. September 1986. p. 76.
  8. "Resultat" [Results]. Svensk Golf. July 1987. p. 89.
  9. "Lotta snopen med glad". Svensk Golf. June 1988. p. 91.
  10. "Tävling" [Competition]. Svensk Golf. No. 10. 1991. pp. 58–63, 75.
  11. "Grattis sa Lotta - och vann!" [Congratulations said Lotta - and won!]. Svensk Golf. No. 8. 1993. pp. 46, 57.
  12. "Tävling" [Competition]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). August 1987. pp. 55, 63.
  13. "Lotta sticker upp" [Lotta turns up]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). September 1994. pp. 42–50.
  14. "1993 Japan LPGA Tour Schedule". Japan LPGA Tour.
  15. "1997 Japan LPGA Tour Schedule". Japan LPGA Tour.
  16. "1998 Japan LPGA Tour". Japan LPGA Tour.
  17. "Internationellt, Japan-touren damer" [International, Japan Tour Ladies]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). July 1998. p. 138.
  18. "Tävling" [Competition]. Svensk Golf. No. 1. 1996. pp. 68, 74.
  19. "Pierre Robert Cup". Svensk Golf (in Swedish). July 1985. pp. 55, 62, 69.
  20. "Bäst i världen". Svensk Golf (in Swedish). December 1992. pp. 62, 63.
  21. "European Team Championships". European Golf Association.
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