Catherine Lacoste (born 27 June 1945) is a French amateur golfer and the only player who has won the U.S. Women's Open as an amateur.
Early life
She was born and grew up in Paris, France, with her parents, René Lacoste and Simone de la Chaume and three older brothers.
French golfer Jean Garaïalde and his father Raymond were her golf teachers when she learned the game at a young age. When she was 13 years old, Jean gave her a putter that she used through her entire career. Lacoste came to be part of the European team repeating that victory in 1967 and 1969, to take three trophies in a row.
At the 1966 Espirito Santo Trophy at Mexico City GC, Mexico, the French team finished bronze-medalists and Lacoste was third individually. Lacoste's victory came on the same day as her famous father's birthday.
Playing on this occasion – as an amateur – in just her third professional golf tournament, she was the first European and only the second non-U.S.-citizen to win an LPGA major after Fay Crocker of Uruguay (whose father was American), and she remained the only French woman to have done so until Patricia Meunier-Lebouc won the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship. Lacoste was the youngest woman ever and remains the only amateur ever to win the U.S. Women's Open. It was also the first win by an amateur on the LPGA Tour.
Trying to defend her U.S. Open title in 1968, she finished tied 13th and never again entered the U.S. Women's Open.
Dominating amateur tournaments in late 1960's
Lacoste won the 1968 Women's Western Amateur, one of the most prestigious amateur tournaments in the United States. At the 1968 Espirito Santo Trophy at Victoria Golf Club, Melbourne, Australia, Lacoste was again the individual winner and the French team bronze-medalists.
In 1969, Lacoste won the two most important amateur tournaments in the world, the U.S. Women's Amateur and the British Ladies Amateur, becoming the third woman in golfing history to achieve that feat in the same year. Only one other player has done that since. Lacoste and her mother are the only mother and daughter to have both won the British Ladies Amateur. This year Lacoste became the only women to have held the open amateur titles of United States, Great Britain, France and Spain at the same time. The same year, Lacoste made her first appearance at the European Ladies' Team Championship and led the French team to victory.
Early retirement from tournament golf
At the age of 25, having won several of the most prestigious tournaments in the world, Lacoste retired from tournament golf, except a few appearances in France and Spain, and never turned professional.
The following years, Lacoste continued to play for her country's team at the Espirito Santo Trophy, where she finished second individually in 1970 and in 1976, and the European Ladies' Team Championship, being part of the winning team again in 1975. After her competitive career, she served as a non-playing captain of the French women's senior amateur team.
Personal life
Lacoste is the daughter of French tennis player René Lacoste (1904–1996), winner of seven Grand Slam singles titles, and his wife Simone de la Chaume (1908–2001), in 1927, first French winner of the British Ladies Amateur. They married in 1930.
Until 1978, Lacoste competed under the name Catherine Lacoste de Prado. After divorcing from her first husband, she married Angel Piñero, a classical guitar player, in 2000. Besides living in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the two of them have a home in Madrid, Spain.
Amateur wins
- 1964 French International Lady Juniors Amateur Championship
- 1965 French International Ladies Amateur Stroke-play Championship
- 1966 Astor Prince's Trophy, French International Lady Juniors Amateur Championship, French International Ladies Amateur Stroke-play Championship
- 1967 Worplesdon Mixed Foursomes (with José Gancedo), French Open Amateur Match-play Championship, French International Ladies Amateur Stroke-play Championship
- 1968 Women's Western Amateur, French Ladies Close Amateur Championship
- 1969 British Ladies Amateur, U.S. Women's Amateur, French Open Amateur Match-play Championship, Hovis International, French Ladies Close Amateur Championship, Spanish International Ladies Amateur Championship
- 1970 French Open Amateur Match-play Championship
- 1972 French Open Amateur Match-play Championship, Spanish International Ladies Amateur Championship
- 1975 French International Ladies Amateur Stroke-play Championship
- 1976 Spanish International Ladies Amateur Championship
- 1984 French International Ladies Amateur Stroke-play Championship
Sources:
Professional wins (1)
LPGA Tour wins (1)
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! Legend
|-style="background:#e5d1cb;"
|LPGA Tour major championships (1)
|-
|Other LPGA Tour (0)
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.
!Date
!Tournament
!Winning score
!Margin of<br>victory
!Runners-up
|-style="background:#e5d1cb;"
|1
|2 Jul 1967
|U.S. Women's Open<br>(as an amateur)
| +10 (71-70-74-79=294)
|2 strokes
| Susie Maxwell<br> Beth Stone
|}
Source:
Major championships
Wins (1)
{|class="wikitable"
!Year!!Championship!!Winning score!!Margin!!Runners-up
|-style="background:#FBCEB1;"
| 1967 ||U.S. Women's Open<br>(as an amateur) ||+10 (71-70-74-79=294)||2 strokes|| Susie Maxwell, Beth Stone
|}
Results timeline
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"
! Tournament
!1965!! 1966 !! 1967 !! 1968
|-
|align="left" |U.S. Women's Open
|T14
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:lime;"|1 <small>LA</small>
|T13
|}
Note: Lacoste only played in the U.S. Women's Open.
<small>LA</small> = Low amateur<br>
T = tied
Team appearances
Amateur
- Espirito Santo Trophy (representing France): 1964 (winners, tied individual winner), 1966, 1968 (individual winner), 1970, 1974, 1976, 1978
- Vagliano Trophy (representing Continent of Europe): 1965 (winners), 1967 (winners), 1969 (winners), 1973
- European Ladies' Team Championship (representing France): 1969 (winners), 1975 (winners), 1979