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Margie Masters

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Margaret Ann Masters (24 October 1934 – 9 October 2022) was an Australian professional golfer. She won one title on the LPGA Tour in 1967, having been named Rookie of the Year two years earlier.[5][6]

Margie Masters
Masters in 1967
Personal information
Full nameMargaret Ann Masters
Born(1934-10-24)24 October 1934
Swan Hill, Victoria, Australia
Died9 October 2022(2022-10-09) (aged 87)
Tucson, Arizona, US
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Sporting nationality Australia
Career
Turned professional1965
Former tour(s)LPGA Tour
Professional wins2
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour1
Other1
Best results in LPGA major championships
Western OpenT2: 1966[1]
Titleholders C'shipT21: 1972[2]
Women's PGA C'shipT11: 1965[3]
U.S. Women's Open7th: 1967[4]
Achievements and awards
LPGA Tour
Rookie of the Year		1965

Early life

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Masters was born in Swan Hill, Victoria, on 24 October 1934.[7][8] Her family later relocated to the Mornington Peninsula,[8] where she started playing golf at the age of thirteen under her parents' influence.[9] She attended Frankston High School outside Melbourne, where she set records in swimming.[9] Masters won the inaugural Australian Girls' Amateur in 1953 and the Victorian Junior Championship four years in a row from 1951 to 1954.[10][11] At senior level she won the New Zealand Women's Amateur in 1956, the South African Women's Amateur the following year, and the 1958 Australian Women's Amateur. She also won the Victorian Amateur five times between 1957 and 1963.[11] After winning the Canadian Women's Amateur in 1964, she moved to the United States.[7] In international competition she represented Australia in the Tasman Cup five successive times from 1954 to 1962 and played in the first two Commonwealth Trophy contests in 1959 and 1963.[12][13][14]

Professional career

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Masters turned professional in 1965, becoming the first Australian to join the LPGA Tour, and was conferred the tour's Rookie of the Year Award.[15][16] She finished runner-up at the Women's Western Open the following year,[1] a major championship.[15] Masters won her first and only LPGA title in 1967 at the Quality Chek'd Classic.[9][15] She also won the Yankee Ladies' Team Championship with Clifford Ann Creed that same year,[17] and finished second at the Supertest Ladies Open, losing to Carol Mann by two strokes.[18] She lost a playoff by a single stroke to Shirley Englehorn at the 1970 O'Sullivan Ladies Open,[19] before losing again by one stroke to Judy Kimball at the same tournament the following year.[20] Masters had another runner-up finish at the Colgate Far East Open in December 1974.[21] She retired from the tour five years later.[16]

While playing at a tournament in Florida, Masters escaped uninjured when a sniper fired several shots at her and Marilynn Smith, one of the founders of the LPGA. Although the incident left her agitated, she continued playing and ultimately made the cut.[15] The perpetrator was never identified.[15]

Outside of golf, Masters was noted for successfully applying for a green card under the category of individuals with "exceptional ability in sciences or arts who would substantially benefit prospectively the national economy, cultural interest or welfare of the United States".[16][22] Her petition resulted in the decision in January 1969 – the Matter of Masters – that regarded her as an entertainer in the arts, paving the way for other professional athletes to settle in the US via the same route.[15][16]

Later life

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After retiring from competitive golf, Masters became a teacher. She resided in Tucson, Arizona, during her later years.[16] Masters was inducted into Victoria's Golf Industry Hall of Fame in 2013.[15][23] She was also honoured in the halls of fame at Woodlands, the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, as well as the Ottawa Valley Golf Association.[16] The Woodlands championship trophy bears her name.[15]

Masters died on 9 October 2022 in Tucson. She was 87 years old.[16]

Amateur wins

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Professional wins

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LPGA Tour wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runners-up Ref
1 13 Nov 1967 Quality Chek'd Classic −2 (70-71-73=214) 1 stroke   Carol Mann
  Kathy Whitworth
  Mickey Wright 		[8][9]

LPGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result Ref
1 1970 O'Sullivan Ladies Open   Shirley Englehorn Lost to birdie on first extra hole [19]

Other wins

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Team appearances

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Amateur

References

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  1. ^ a b "Miss Wright Wins In Western Open By Stroke at 302". The New York Times. Associated Press. 22 August 1966. p. 45. ProQuest 117630209. Retrieved 12 October 2022 – via ProQuest.
  2. ^ "Sandra Palmer Runs Away With Titleholders". The Spartansburg Herald. South Carolina. Associated Press. 30 May 1972. p. A7 – via Google News Archives.
  3. ^ "Sandra Haynie wins at Vegas". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. 27 September 1965. p. 11 – via Google News Archives.
  4. ^ "Misses Maxwell, Stone Tie for 2D – Victor, First Foreigner and Amateur to Win, Soars to 79 in Final Round". The New York Times. Associated Press. 3 July 1967. p. 21. ProQuest 117389592. Retrieved 12 October 2022 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ LPGA All-Time Winners List Archived 29 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ LPGA Tournament Chronology 1960–69 Archived 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ a b c d e f Elliott, Len; Kelly, Barbara (1976). Who's Who in Golf. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House. p. 128. ISBN 0-87000-225-2.
  8. ^ a b c "The Matter of Margie Masters". Australian Senior Golfer. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g "Margie Masters – Bio". LPGA Tour. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  10. ^ a b "History & Honour Roll – Australian Girls' Amateur" (PDF). Golf Australia. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "VIC Honour Rolls" (PDF). Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Women's Tasman Cup" (PDF). Golf Australia. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Commonwealth title for Britain – Wins in All four Matches". The Glasgow Herald. 8 June 1959. p. 4.
  14. ^ a b "Astor Trophy" (PDF). Golf Australia. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h Vaughan, Roger (10 October 2022). "Aussie golf trailblazer Margie Masters – who was once targeted by a sniper when on the tee – dies in Arizona". Seven News. Australian Associated Press. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Vale Margie Masters, pioneering professional". Golf Australia. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  17. ^ a b "Miss Creed's Team Takes Yankee Golf By 2 Shots With 202". The New York Times. United Press International. 31 July 1967. p. 36. ProQuest 117555130. Retrieved 12 October 2022 – via ProQuest.
  18. ^ "Miss Mann Wins by Two Strokes – Cards 71 for 54-Hole Total of 210 in Ontario Golf". The New York Times. United Press International. 23 July 1967. p. 146. ProQuest 117839943. Retrieved 12 October 2022 – via ProQuest.
  19. ^ a b "Shirley Englehorn Wins Golf Playoff". The New York Times. United Press International. 1 June 1970. p. 46. ProQuest 118999357. Retrieved 12 October 2022 – via ProQuest.
  20. ^ "Miss Kimball Wins Virginia Golf For First Victory in Nine Years". The New York Times. United Press International. 26 July 1971. p. 19. ProQuest 119280644. Retrieved 12 October 2022 – via ProQuest.
  21. ^ "Miss Post's Golf Victory Ends a 6-Year Dry Spell". The New York Times. United Press International. 9 December 1974. p. 48. ProQuest 120081681. Retrieved 12 October 2022 – via ProQuest.
  22. ^ "EB-2: Employment-Based Immigration – Advanced Degree or Exceptional Ability". United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  23. ^ "Hall of Fame". Golf Australia. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  24. ^ a b "Section 5 Tournaments and Events" (PDF). New Zealand Golf. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
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