Year Honored: 2006
Birth: 1928
Born in: Spartanburg, South Carolina
Biography
Elizabeth Earle “Betsy” Rawls began playing golf at the age of 17. She attended North Texas Agricultural College, studying physics, before transferring to the University of Texas where she graduated in 1950. That year she finished second at the U.S Women’s Open as an amateur. After graduating, she joined the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour sponsored by Wilson Sporting and began touring the country, playing in tournaments and conducting about 120 golf clinics each year.
Overall, Rawls won 55 LPGA tournaments, dominating women’s golf for more than 25 years. Rawls was in it for the love of the game, as “money purses were small or non-existent, recognition limited, and the players themselves were responsible for scheduling, planning, and competing for every event on the tour.” Throughout her career, Rawls was a driving force in raising the level of play, recognition, and prize money for women’s golf. Before she retired in 1975, Rawls one U.S Women’s Open in 1951, 1953, 1957, and 1960. Afterwards, she worked for six years as the LPGA Tour Director.
Beginning in 1981, Rawls served as the Executive Director of the McDonald’s LPGA Championship for 18 years. As Vice Chairman of the board, she also organized the championship, which at the time was held in Wilmington. It raised $43 million to help children around the world through the Ronald McDonald House, and became one of the LPGA’s most respected tournaments. In 1989, Rawls founded the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational at the University of Texas. The 54-hole event is part of the American Junior Golf Association.
In recognition of her skill, Rawls was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Women’s Golf (1960); inducted into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame (1967); received the Bob Jones Award for distinguished service (1996); was recognized as one of the top players and coaches during the LPGA’s 50th Anniversary (2000); inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame; and was an honoree at the Memorial Tournament, founded by Jack Nicklaus, for having “contributed to the game of golf with conspicuous honor,” (2005).
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Sources and Additional Readings
Betsy Rawls (LPGA golfer). OnThisDay.com. (1950, March 19). Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.onthisday.com/people/betsy-rawls
Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational. Betsy Rawls Longhorn invitational. (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.amateurgolf.com/amateur-golf-tournaments/8101/Betsy-Rawls-Longhorn-Invitational
Bio: LPGA: Ladies Professional Golf Association. LPGA. (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.lpga.com/players/betsy-rawls/81806/bio
Catching up with ... Four-time champion Betsy Rawls. USGA. (2021, February 18). Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/championships/2021/u-s--womens-open/articles/catching-up-with-----four-time-champion-betsy-rawls.html
University of Texas Elizabeth Earle "Betsy" Rawls May 4, 1928–. UTPhysicsHistorySite. (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://web2.ph.utexas.edu/utphysicshistory/ElizabethERawls.html
- Collections: 2006