Elizabeth Earle Rawls (May 4, 1928 – October 21, 2023) was an American professional golfer who played on LPGA Tour. She won eight major championships and 55 LPGA Tour career events. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Early life
In 1928, Rawls was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She was the daughter of Robert Miller and Mary Earle Rawls. In 1940, her family moved to Arlington, Texas.
Rawls did not start playing golf until the age of 17. She went on to graduate from Lovelady High School in Lovelady, Texas.
Amateur career
In 1946, Rawls enrolled in North Texas Agricultural College (now UT-Arlington) as a physics major. As a freshman, she was recognized by faculty and department heads as a "Who's Who" in Physics, and was selected for the Phi Kappa Theta honor society.
In 1947, Rawls transferred to the University of Texas at Austin. She won the Texas Amateur in 1949 and 1950. She also won the 1949 Trans-National and the 1950 Broadmoor Invitational. She graduated from with a degree in physics in 1950.
Professional career
In 1951, Rawls turned professional. She joined the LPGA Tour. She won her first tournament that year at the Sacramento Women's Invitational Open. She would go on to win a total of 55 events on the LPGA Tour, including eight major championships. In 1959, she earned the LPGA Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average. She was the tour's leading money winner in 1952 and 1959 and finished in the top ten on the money list a total of nine times. She led the tour in wins three times: in 1952, 1957, and 1959.
In 1961 and 1962, Rawls was the LPGA's president. Following her retirement from tournament play in 1975, she became a tournament director for the LPGA Tour. From 1987 until 2004, she was the tournament director for the McDonald's LPGA Championship at the DuPont Country Club.
Personal life
Rawls died in Lewes, Delaware, on October 21, 2023, at the age of 95.
Awards and honors
- Rawls was the LPGA's money winner twice: in 1952 and 1959.
- In 1959, Rawls earned the Vare Trophy, given to the LPGA golfer with the lowest scoring average.
- In 1960, the LPGA recognized her induction year into the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf as her official induction year into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame and the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Other wins (3)
- 1951 Hollywood Four-Ball (with Betty Dodd)
- 1954 Inverness Four-Ball (with Betty MacKinnon)
- 1962 Babe Zaharias Open (tie with Kathy Cornelius)
Major championships
Wins (8)
{|class="wikitable"
!Year!!Championship!!Winning score!!Margin!!Runner(s)-up
|-style="background:#FBCEB1;"
| 1951 ||U.S. Women's Open ||+5 (73-71-74-75=293)||5 strokes|| Louise Suggs
|-style="background:#FFCC99;"
| 1952 ||Women's Western Open ||colspan=2 align=center|1 up|| Betty Jameson
|-style="background:#FBCEB1;"
| 1953 ||U.S. Women's Open ||+6 (75-78-74-75=302)||Playoff<sup>1</sup>|| Jackie Pung
|-style="background:#FBCEB1;"
| 1957 ||U.S. Women's Open ||+7 (74-74-75-76=299)||6 strokes|| Patty Berg
|-style="background:#D8BFD8;"
| 1959 ||LPGA Championship ||+8 (76-68-69-75=288)||1 stroke|| Patty Berg
|-style="background:#FFCC99;"
| 1959 ||Women's Western Open ||−1 (70-76-76-71=293)||6 strokes|| JoAnne Gunderson (a), Patty Berg
|-style="background:#FBCEB1;"
| 1960 ||U.S. Women's Open ||+4 (76-73-68-75=292)||1 stroke|| Joyce Ziske
|-style="background:#D8BFD8;"
| 1969 ||LPGA Championship ||+1 (71-72-79-71=293)||4 strokes|| Susie Berning, Carol Mann
|}
<sup>1</sup> In an 18-hole playoff, Rawls 70, Pung 77.
See also
- List of golfers with most LPGA Tour wins
- List of golfers with most LPGA major championship wins