1974

Miss Sandra Haynie birdied the last two holes at the LaGrange Country Club, LaGrange, Ill., to win the Championship by one stroke over Miss Carol Mann and Miss Beth Stone. Miss Haynie played consistent rounds of 73-73-74-75—295. Mrs. JoAnne Carner, the 1971 Champion, and Miss Kathy Whitworth tied for fourth place at 297, a stroke behind Miss Mann and Miss Stone.

With nine holes to play in the last round, Mrs. Carner led the field by two strokes. She lost two strokes to par with a 5 on the 13th hole, and by then five players had the Championship within reach. They were Mrs. Carner, Miss Haynie, Miss Whitworth, Miss Stone, and Miss Mann. All but Miss Stone made two-over-par 6s on the 16th, Miss Stone was first to complete the 72 holes; she finished with 296. Miss Mann birdied the 18th to match her and Miss Haynie was then one stroke behind with two holes to play. She holed a 70-foot putt for a birdie on the 17th, and came to the 18th needing another birdie to win. She holed a putt of about 15 feet for her 295, and this left only Mrs. Carner with a chance to catch her.

Mrs. Carner, however, needed an eagle 3 on the 18th, and her pitch from off the green did not fall. She made a par 5 and dropped to fourth place. It is interesting to note that while Miss Haynie birdied the last two holes, she had only three other birdies through the first 70 holes of the Championship. Miss Debbie Massey was low amateur with 299, good for a tie for seventh place with Mrs. Donna Caponi Young, Champion in 1969 and 1970. Miss Massey was among 14 amateurs, including the entire 1974 Curtis Cup Team, to survive the 36-hole cut. Miss Kathy Ahern equalled the first round record with 68 and held a three-stroke lead over Miss Massey and Mrs. Young, with 71s. Miss Ahern, however, played the next three rounds in 76, 81, and 82 and finished in 28th place at 307. Her second round 76 was still good enough to earn a tie for first place with Miss Mann and Miss Massey at 144.

Miss Haynie was then two strokes behind at 146, tied with Bonnie Lauer, another amateur. Ruth Jessen had 77 in the opening round, added 71 in the second, and when she shot a second 71 in the third round she took the 54-hole lead at 219. Miss Haynie was then second at 220, tied with Sandra Spuzich and Mrs. Carner. Miss Jessen, troubled by physical problems throughout her career, was playing in only her second tournament of the year. She slipped from contention in the final round by shooting 81. The single round record for the Women's Open was matched in the last round by Miss Bonnie Bryant, a left-hander. Miss Bryant shot 67, matching the record set by Miss Judy Bell, an amateur, in 1964. A total of 155 players entered the Championship and 150 started. Prize money totalled $40,000.