Gerda Boykin (née Schleeh) is Germany's first female

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

. She competed full time on the LPGA Tour from 1968 to 1977, where she was runner-up three times and finished 3rd at the

1968 LPGA Championship The 1968 LPGA Championship was the fourteenth LPGA Championship, held June 20–24 at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton, Massachusetts, southeast of Worcester. In an 18-hole Monday playoff, Sandra Post won her only major title, defeating d ...

Early life

Boykin grew up in Baden-Baden in the aftermath of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After becoming interested in the sport while caddying for American military personnel, she started practicing golf at age 10 under Paul Henkel. At 19, she became the first female German professional golfer. She worked as a golf instructor assisting Henkel, and at 21 she became head pro. Forced to enter men's tournaments, she finished fourth in the German PGA Championship. She also captained the German amateur teams in European competition. In 1961, she married American golf instructor Dan Whalen and moved to

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

LPGA Tour

Boykin started playing on the LPGA Tour in 1961 but played a very limited schedule until 1968. Encouraged by her solo third finish at the

, one stroke away from joining the playoff between

Sandra Post Sandra Post, (born June 4, 1948) is a retired professional golfer, the first Canadian to play on the LPGA Tour. In 1968 at age 20 in her rookie professional year, she won a women's major – the LPGA Championship, and was the youngest playe ...

and Kathy Whitworth, she joined the tour full time. Later that year, she finished 8th at the 1968 U.S. Women's Open. At the 1969 U.S. Women's Open she aced the 165-yard 7th hole with a five-wood, a shot that five weeks earlier would have earned her the Janet Olson Hole-in-One Award and $1,000, instead the check went to a foundation for the blind. It was only the third ace in the tournament's history. She was named "most improved" golfer in 1968 by ''

Golf Digest ''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit under its Warner Bros. Discovery Golf division. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competiti ...

'', alongside

Bob Lunn Robert J. Lunn (born April 24, 1945) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s. Lunn was born in San Francisco, California. He was the 1963 U.S. Amateur Public Links champion. He turned pro in 1965 and w ...

. In 1970, she tied for 8th place at the

1970 LPGA Championship The 1970 LPGA Championship was the 16th LPGA Championship, held June 11–15 at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton, Massachusetts, southeast of Worcester. In an 18-hole Monday playoff, Shirley Englehorn won her only major title, defeating 1 ...

, and in 1972 was one of the 40 players in the inaugural

Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle The Chevron Championship is a professional women's golf tournament. An event on the LPGA Tour, it is one of the tour's five major championships, and has traditionally been the first of the season since its elevation to major status in 1983. Fou ...

, now the

Chevron Championship The Chevron Championship is a professional women's golf tournament. An event on the LPGA Tour, it is one of the tour's five major championships, and has traditionally been the first of the season since its elevation to major status in 1983. Fou ...

. At the 1976 LPGA Championship, she shared the lead at the halfway point. Boykin lost a playoff to

Judy Rankin Judy Rankin ( Torluemke; born February 18, 1945) is an American professional golfer and golf broadcaster. A member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, she joined the LPGA Tour in 1962 at age 17 and won 26 tour events. Since 2010, Rankin has served a ...

at the 1973 GAC Classic in Tucson. She posted three-second place finishes during her LPGA career, including at the 1973 and 1975 Southgate Ladies Open in Prairie Village, Kansas, both times behind Kathy Whitworth. 1977 was her last season of full-time competition, and she started cutting back her schedule again. A fourth place tie in the 1984

Potamkin Cadillac Classic The Potamkin Cadillac Classic was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1968 to 1984 sponsored by Victor Potamkin. It was played at three different courses in the Atlanta, Georgia area. At the 1982 Lady Michelob, Joan Joyce set a tour record by o ...

marked her best showing after 1977.

Personal life

Boykin was born Gerda Schleeh and competed as Gerda Whalen until she married Bill Boykin in 1970.

Playoff record

LPGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boykin, Gerda German female golfers LPGA Tour golfers People from Baden-Baden Living people 20th-century German women Year of birth missing (living people)