1977 LPGA Championship

1977 LPGA Championship
Tournament information
DatesJune 9–12, 1977
LocationNorth Myrtle Beach,
South Carolina
Course(s)Bay Tree Golf Plantation
Gold Course
Tour(s)LPGA Tour
FormatStroke play – 72 holes
Statistics
Par72
Length6,074 yards (5,554 m) [1]
Field99 players, 64 after cut
Cut154 (+10)
Prize fund$150,000
Winner's share$22,500
Champion
Japan Chako Higuchi
287 (−5)
← 1976
1978 →
North Myrtle Beach  is located in the United States
North Myrtle Beach 
North Myrtle Beach 
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Location in the United States
Bay Tree GP is located in South Carolina
Bay Tree GP
Bay Tree GP
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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

Sunday, June 12, 1977

Place Player Score To par Money ($)
1 Japan Chako Higuchi 71-67-72-69=279 −9 22,500
T2 United States Pat Bradley 71-71-68-72=282 −6 10,953
Canada Sandra Post 72-72-69-69=282
United States Judy Rankin 68-73-69-72=282
T5 United States JoAnne Carner 71-77-70-65=283 −5 5,715
United States Joyce Kazmierski 69-76-71-67=283
T7 Argentina Silvia Bertolaccini 75-69-70-70=284 −4 4,376
United States Donna Caponi Young 77-67-73-67=284
United States Sandra Palmer 72-71-71-70=284
10 United States Kathy Whitworth 73-70-71-72=286 E 3,170

Source:[2][3]

References

  1. ^ Timms, Leslie (June 10, 1977). "Little, Kazmierski tied at the top". Spartanburg Herald. (South Carolina). p. D1.
  2. ^ a b Timms, Leslie (June 13, 1977). "Higuchi has 69 to rule LPGA". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. (South Carolina). p. B1.
  3. ^ a b "All Japan cheers for Chako Higuchi". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. June 13, 1977. p. 20.
  4. ^ Gaillard, Luther (October 30, 1976). "LPGA Championship officially announced with $150,000 purse". Spartanburg Herald. South Carolina. p. B3.
  5. ^ Leslie, Jacques (March 13, 2014). "Fairway to heaven: What happens to an abandoned golf course". Salon. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  6. ^ 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.

33°52′19″N 78°39′40″W / 33.872°N 78.661°W / 33.872; -78.661