| Mary Lena Faulk | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 15, 1926 Chipley, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | August 3, 1995 (aged 69) Delray Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Sporting nationality | 
United States |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1955 |
| Former tour(s) | LPGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 13 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| LPGA Tour | 10 |
| Other | 3 |
| Best results in LPGA major championships (wins: 1) | |
| Western Open | Won: 1961 |
| Titleholders C'ship | 2nd: 1955 |
| Women's PGA C'ship | T2: 1963 |
| U.S. Women's Open | T2: 1955 |
Mary Lena Faulk (April 15, 1926 – August 3, 1995) was an American professional golfer.
Faulk was born in Chipley, Florida. [1] At the age of 14 she moved to Thomasville, Georgia, where she won three consecutive Georgia Women's Amateur Matchplay Championships from 1946 to 1948.
In 1953, Faulk won the U.S. Women's Amateur. [2] In 1954 she lost in the semi-finals to Mickey Wright. That year she was a member of the U.S. team that defeated Great Britain to win the Curtis Cup and in Georgia, she won the state's 1954 Medal Play Championship.
Faulk turned professional in 1955 and in her rookie year on the LPGA Tour finished second at the U.S. Women's Open. She retired from the pro tour in 1965 having won 10 tournaments including the Women's Western Open which was then one of the women's major golf championships. She taught golf for many years at clubs in Georgia and Colorado Springs, Colorado. For some time she operated a women's apparel store in Southern Pines, North Carolina with fellow golfer Peggy Kirk Bell. [3]
In 1993, Faulk was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame. She was living in Delray Beach, Florida, when she died in 1995. [4]
Professional wins (13)
LPGA Tour wins (10)
- 1956 (1) Kansas City Open
- 1957 (1) St. Petersburg Open
- 1958 (1) Macktown Open
- 1961 (4) Babe Zaharias Open, Women's Western Open, Triangle Round Robin, Eastern Open
- 1962 (2) Peach Blossom Open, Visalia Open
- 1964 (1) St. Petersburg Women's Open Invitational
Other wins (3)
- 1951 Hardscrabble Open
- 1955 Virginia Hot Springs 4-Ball (with Betty Jameson)
- 1958 Homestead 4-Ball (with Betty Jameson)
Major championships
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Women's Western Open | −10 (75-75-67-73=290) | 6 strokes |
Betsy Rawls
|
Team appearances
Amateur
- Curtis Cup (representing the United States): 1954 (winners)
See also
References
- ^ Watt, Will (April 14, 2016). "The Life of Mary Lena Faulk". Thomasville Times-Enterprise. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ Companiotte, John (2016). A History of Golf in Georgia. The History Press. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-4671-1790-6.
- ^ Schlosser, Jim (2009). Remembering Greensboro. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5402-2079-0.
- ^ Stewart, Mark (May 6, 1996). "Fading Fame: A Charter Member of the Hall of Fame, Betty Jameson Could End up Homeless". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- American female golfers
- LPGA Tour golfers
- Winners of LPGA major golf championships
- Winners of ladies' major amateur golf championships
- Golfers from Florida
- Golfers from Georgia (U.S. state)
- People from Chipley, Florida
- Sportspeople from Delray Beach, Florida
- Sportspeople from Thomasville, Georgia
- 1926 births
- 1995 deaths
- 20th-century American women