Grace Lenczyk Cronin (September 12, 1927 – December 13, 2013) was an American amateur golfer who won the 1947

All American Open The All American Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour in the 1940s and 1950s. It was played at the Tam O'Shanter Country Club in Niles, Illinois. It was run by George S. May and was originally known as the Tam O'Shanter National Open. From 1 ...

. During her career, Lenczyk was the winner of the

Canadian Women's Amateur The Canadian Women's Amateur is Canada's annual national amateur golf tournament for women. It is open to women from all countries and is played at a different course each year. History The first championship was held from October 14 to 17, 1901 at ...

from 1947 to 1948 and the

U.S. Women's Amateur The U.S. Women's Amateur is the leading golf tournament in the United States for female amateur golfers. It is played annually and is one of the 13 United States national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association (USGA). F ...

in 1948. In team events, she was a member of the winning American team at the 1948 and 1950

Curtis Cup The Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match. It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and The R&A and is contested by teams representing the United States and " ...

. Lenczyk was inducted into the

Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame The Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame honours people with connections to the state of Connecticut for their achievements and contributions in the sport of golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into ...

in 1969.

Early life and education

Lenczyk was born on September 12, 1927, in

Newington, Connecticut Newington is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. Located south of downtown Hartford, Newington is an older, mainly residential suburb located in Greater Hartford. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,536. The Connecticu ...

. At the age of eleven, she started playing golf with her siblings at the

Indian Hill Country Club Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

. For her post-secondary education, Lenczyk went to

Arnold College The University of Bridgeport (UB) is a private university in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. In 2021, the university was purchased by Goodwin University; it retain its own n ...

to study

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

Career

As an amateur golfer, Lenczyk competed at the

consecutively between 1946 and 1949 and was the 1948 championship winner. Outside of the United States, Lenczyk won the 1947 and 1948

and appeared at the 1948 and 1949

British Ladies Amateur The Women's Amateur Championship, previously known as the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship, was founded in 1893 by the Ladies' Golf Union. It is organised by The R&A, which merged with the Ladies' Golf Union in 2017. Until the dawn of th ...

. Apart from her amateur competitions, Lenczyk had her first professional win at the 1947

. In major championships, she had a top eight finish at the 1948 Titleholders Championship and 1948 U.S. Women's Open. In team events, she was a member of the American team that won the 1948 and 1950

Awards and honors

Lenczyk was inducted into the

in 1969 and the

Stetson University Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I–4 corridor in Central Florida with the primary undergraduate campus in DeLand. The university was founded in 1883 and was later established in 1887 ...

Hall of Fame in 1980. She has been honored by The Pebble Beach Company by having the 5th hole of the Tiger Woods designed course, The Hay, named "Grace" in recognition of her U.S. Women's Amateur win hosted by Pebble Beach in 1948, when she was 21.

Death

On December 13, 2013, Lenczyk died in

Walpole, Massachusetts Walpole is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Walpole Town, as the Census refers to it, is located about south of downtown Boston and north of Providence, Rhode Island. The population of Walpole was 26,383 at the 2020 censu ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenczyk, Grace American female golfers Amateur golfers Winners of ladies' major amateur golf championships 1927 births 2013 deaths 21st-century American women