ONE of the greatest female golfers of all time has died aged 95.
Betsy Rawls was a pioneer for the game and racked up a stunning 55 tournament wins and eight majors.
APBetsy Rawls, pictured in 1969, has died aged 95[/caption]
GettyRawls was an inaugural inductee into the Hall of Fame for women’s golf[/caption]
She passed away at her Delaware home on Saturday.
Tributes from the golfing world poured in for the legendary figure.
Mike Whan, the CEO of the USGA and former LPGA Tour commissioner, said: “There are simply not many careers that can compare to Betsy’s.
“She was a legend in the game who would have been successful in anything she pursued, so we are all lucky she made golf her passion.”
Born in South Carolina in 1928, Rawls studied physics at university but picked up golf aged 17, enjoying a successful amateur career.
She turned professional in 1951, joining the LPGA Tour and collected her first trophy at the Sacramento Women’s Invitational Open.
Her eight majors came between 1951 and 1969, starting with the first of her four US Women’s Opens.
Rawls was the LPGA’s leading money earner in 1952 and 1959 and went on to be president of the Tour and later an inaugural inductee into the Hall of Fame.
She is sixth on the list of women’s major wins and tournament wins.
Following her retirement, she spent 17 years as tournament director of the LPGA Championship.
Rawls was also the first woman to be a rules official in the men’s US Open in 1980.
Reflecting on her career, she once said: “I played golf for fun and never considered turning professional. Then I decided it would be more fun to be in golf than physics.
“Anybody who can make a living in golf is lucky.
“Then to receive all the benefits accorded to me in the process, well, it makes me feel fortunate. It’s more than I could possibly deserve.”
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