Sandra Palmer (golfer)
Sandra Palmer (born March 10, 1943) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1964 and won 19 LPGA Tour events, including two major championships, during her career. She was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2023 and will be inducted in 2024.[1]
| Sandra Palmer | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Full name | Sandra Palmer | ||||||||
| Born | March 10, 1943 Fort Worth, Texas | ||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 1.5 in (1.56 m) | ||||||||
| Sporting nationality |  United States | ||||||||
| Residence | Sammamish, Washington | ||||||||
| Career | |||||||||
| College | North Texas State University | ||||||||
| Turned professional | 1964 | ||||||||
| Former tour(s) | LPGA Tour (1964–1997) | ||||||||
| Professional wins | 28 | ||||||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||||||
| LPGA Tour | 19 | ||||||||
| LPGA of Japan Tour | 2 | ||||||||
| Other | 7 | ||||||||
| Best results in LPGA major championships (wins: 2) | |||||||||
| Western Open | T18: 1967 | ||||||||
| Titleholders C'ship | Won: 1972 | ||||||||
| Chevron Championship | T10: 1986 | ||||||||
| Women's PGA C'ship | 3rd: 1970, 1974 | ||||||||
| U.S. Women's Open | Won: 1975 | ||||||||
| du Maurier Classic | T9: 1982 | ||||||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Amateur career
Palmer was born in Fort Worth, Texas, but grew up (and first played golf) in Bangor, Maine. She attended North Texas State University where she was a cheerleader and Homecoming Queen.[2] Palmer attended North Texas State University, where she was runner-up in the 1961 National Collegiate Championship. While at North Texas State, Palmer joined Alpha Delta Pi sorority. She was a four-time winner of the West Texas Amateur and won the Texas State Amateur in 1963.
Professional career
Palmer turned professional and became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1964. She won 19 events on the Tour, and also several other professional events, including some as a senior. Her two wins in major championships came at the 1972 Titleholders Championship and the 1975 U.S. Women's Open. She topped the money list for 1975 and was awarded the LPGA Player of the Year title. Her ten top-10 finishes on the money list came in ten straight years from 1968 to 1977. She played her last event on the Tour in 1997.
Professional wins
LPGA Tour wins (19)
| Legend |
| LPGA Tour major championships (2) |
| Other LPGA Tour (17) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 16, 1971 | Sealy LPGA Classic | −3 (77-69-72-71=289) | 2 strokes | Donna Caponi |
| 2 | Jun 20, 1971 | Heritage Open | −8 (71-70-70=211) | 1 stroke |  Chako Higuchi |
| 3 | May 29, 1972 | Titleholders Championship | −1 (71-68-72-72=283) | 10 strokes | Judy Rankin Mickey Wright |
| 4 | Feb 18, 1973 | Pompano Beach Classic | −1 (72-73-70=215) | Playoff | Betty Burfeindt |
| 5 | May 19, 1973 | St. Paul Open | −7 (70-68-71=209) | 1 stroke | Jane Blalock Judy Rankin |
| 6 | Aug 26, 1973 | National Jewish Hospital Open | −3 (73-69-68=210) | 1 stroke | Betty Burfeindt |
| 7 | Sep 30, 1973 | Cameron Park Open | −7 (73-72-67=212) | 2 strokes | Susie Maxwell Gail Toushin |
| 8 | Feb 4, 1974 | Burdine's Invitational | −3 (70-69-76=215) | Playoff | Kathy Whitworth |
| 9 | Oct 21, 1974 | Cubic Corporation Classic | −1 (72-72-71=215) | 1 stroke | Kathy McMullen |
| 10 | Apr 20, 1975 | Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle | −5 (70-70-70-73=283) | 1 stroke | Kathy McMullen |
| 11 | Jul 20, 1975 | U.S. Women's Open | +7 (78-74-71-72=295) | 4 strokes | JoAnne Carner Nancy Lopez (a).svg.png.webp){kind=small} Sandra Post |
| 12 | Jul 4, 1976 | Bloomington Bicentennial Classic | −7 (71-67-71=209) | 1 stroke | Laura Baugh JoAnne Carner |
| 13 | Aug 29, 1976 | National Jewish Hospital Open | −10 (69-70-67=206) | 2 strokes | Pat Bradley |
| 14 | Sep 5, 1976 | Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Classic | −3 (71-68-74=213) | Playoff | JoAnne Carner Mary Lou Crocker Michelle Walker |
| 15 | Mar 27, 1977 | Kathryn Crosby/Honda Civic Classic | −7 (70-68-69-74=281) | 4 strokes | Hollis Stacy |
| 16 | Apr 17, 1977 | Women's International | −7 (70-72-69-70=281) | 2 strokes | Jane Blalock |
| 17 | Feb 1, 1981 | Whirlpool Championship of Deer Creek | −8 (66-69-74-75=284) | 2 strokes | Amy Alcott |
| 18 | Aug 8, 1982 | Boston Five Classic | −7 (74-67-71-69=281) | 1 stroke | Terri Moody |
| 19 | Jun 29, 1986 | Mayflower Classic | −8 (68-68-72-72=280) | Playoff | Christa Johnson.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Jan Stephenson |
LPGA Tour playoff record (4–5)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1972 | Corpus Christi Civitan Open | JoAnn Prentice Kathy Whitworth |
Prentice won with birdie on tenth extra hole Whitworth eliminated by birdie on third hole |
| 2 | 1972 | Lady Errol Classic | Jane Blalock Kathy Whitworth |
Blalock won with birdie on third extra hole |
| 3 | 1973 | Pompano Beach Classic | Betty Burfeindt |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 4 | 1973 | GNA Classic |  Gerda Boykin Judy Rankin |
Rankin won with par on third extra hole Boykin eliminated by par on first hole |
| 5 | 1974 | Burdine's Invitational | Kathy Whitworth |
Won with birdie on fifth extra hole |
| 6 | 1976 | Orange Blossom Classic | JoAnne Carner |
Lost to par on fourth extra hole |
| 7 | 1976 | U.S. Women's Open | JoAnne Carner |
Lost 18-hole playoff (Carner:76, Palmer.:78) |
| 8 | 1976 | Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Classic | JoAnne Carner Mary Lou Crocker Michelle Walker |
Won with birdie on third extra hole Crocker and Walker eliminated by par on first hole |
| 9 | 1986 | Mayflower Classic | Christa Johnson Jan Stephenson |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
LPGA majors are shown in bold.
Note: Palmer won the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle (now known as the Kraft Nabisco Championship) before it became a major championship.
LPGA of Japan Tour wins (2)
- 1970 Tokai Classic
- 1973 TV Shizuoka Central Ladies
Other wins (7)
- 1972 Angelo's Four-Ball Championship (with Jane Blalock)
- 1973 Angelo's Four-Ball Championship (with Jane Blalock)
- 1991 Centel Senior Challenge
- 1992 Centel Senior Challenge
- 1993 Sprint Senior Challenge
- 1994 Sprint Senior Challenge
- 1995 Sprint Senior Challenge
Major championships
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Titleholders Championship | −1 (71-68-72-72=283) | 10 strokes | Judy Rankin, Mickey Wright |
| 1975 | U.S. Women's Open | +7 (78-74-71-72=295) | 4 strokes | JoAnne Carner, Nancy Lopez (a), Sandra Post |
References
- "Padraig Harrington, LPGA founders join '24 Golf Hall of Fame class". ESPN. Associated Press. March 9, 2023.
- Sandra Palmer is new Open champ
External links
- Sandra Palmer at the LPGA Tour official site (archived)
- Sandra Palmer at the Legends Tour official site (also at former site)
- Sandra Palmer at golf.about.com at the Wayback Machine (archived February 14, 2007)