1977 LPGA Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 9–12, 1977 |
| Location | North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina |
| Course(s) | Bay Tree Golf Plantation Gold Course |
| Tour(s) | LPGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play – 72 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,074 yards (5,554 m) [1] |
| Field | 99 players, 64 after cut |
| Cut | 154 (+10) |
| Prize fund | $150,000 |
| Winner's share | $22,500 |
| Champion | |
 Chako Higuchi | |
| 287 (−5) | |
North Myrtle Beach
Location in the United States
Bay Tree GP
Location in South Carolina
The 1977 LPGA Championship was the 23rd LPGA Championship, played June 9–12, 1977 at the Gold Course of Bay Tree Golf Plantation in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Chako Higuchi won her only major title, three strokes ahead of runners-up Pat Bradley, Sandra Post, and Judy Rankin.[2][3]
The purse was nearly tripled this year to $150,000, up from $55,000 in 1976.[4]
It was the first golf major to be held in South Carolina. The Bay Tree Golf Plantation courses were closed and abandoned in 2006. Since then, the Senior PGA Championship (2007), PGA Championship (2012, 2021), and the U.S. Women's Open (2019) have been held or are scheduled to be conducted in the state, with all four in the Charleston market.[5][6]
Final leaderboard
[edit]Sunday, June 12, 1977
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chako Higuchi |
71-67-72-69=279 | −9 | 22,500 |
| T2 |  Pat Bradley |
71-71-68-72=282 | −6 | 10,953 |
 Sandra Post |
72-72-69-69=282 | |||
| Judy Rankin |
68-73-69-72=282 | |||
| T5 | JoAnne Carner |
71-77-70-65=283 | −5 | 5,715 |
| Joyce Kazmierski |
69-76-71-67=283 | |||
| T7 |  Silvia Bertolaccini |
75-69-70-70=284 | −4 | 4,376 |
| Donna Caponi Young |
77-67-73-67=284 | |||
| Sandra Palmer |
72-71-71-70=284 | |||
| 10 | Kathy Whitworth |
73-70-71-72=286 | E | 3,170 |
References
[edit]- ^ Timms, Leslie (June 10, 1977). "Little, Kazmierski tied at the top". Spartanburg Herald. (South Carolina). p. D1.
- ^ a b Timms, Leslie (June 13, 1977). "Higuchi has 69 to rule LPGA". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. (South Carolina). p. B1.
- ^ a b "All Japan cheers for Chako Higuchi". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. June 13, 1977. p. 20.
- ^ Gaillard, Luther (October 30, 1976). "LPGA Championship officially announced with $150,000 purse". Spartanburg Herald. South Carolina. p. B3.
- ^ Leslie, Jacques (March 13, 2014). "Fairway to heaven: What happens to an abandoned golf course". Salon. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ^ Spring, Jake (April 4, 2010). "Golf courses caught in crossfire after real estate goes bust". Myrtle Beach Online. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2015.