Jennifer Constance Lee Smith (born 2 December 1948) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

golfer, known for winning the inaugural

Women's British Open The Women's Open (originally known as the Women's British Open, and still widely referred to by that name outside the UK) is a women's major golf championships, major championship in Professional golf tours#Women's tours, women's professional go ...

in 1976 at Fulford Golf Club, York, England and later winning the Order of Merit on the Women's Professional Golf Association tour (now

Ladies European Tour The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1978. It is based at Buckinghamshire Golf Club near London in England. Like many UK-based sports organisations it is a company limited by guarantee, a legal stru ...

) in 1981 and 1982. Lee-Smith was born and raised in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

and started playing golf at a relatively young age. After some success in regional tournaments in the late 1960s and early 1970s, she began to play in international tournaments. She was a member of the Great Britain

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 " ...

team in both 1974 and 1976, represented England in the 1975 European Team Championships, and played for Great Britain & Ireland in the 1976

Espirito Santo Trophy The Espirito Santo Trophy (World Women's Amateur Team Championships) is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for women organised by the International Golf Federation. The inaugural event was held in 1964. It was instituted by the Fren ...

. In 1976, while still an amateur, Lee-Smith won the inaugural Ladies' British Open (now the

).Women's British Open – Info and History of Women's British Open Golf Tournament
/ref> There were only a handful of professional women golfers in the United Kingdom at the time, and the field was mostly made up of amateurs. At the end of the year, she was voted Daks Woman Golfer of the Year along with Tegwen Perkins. Lee-Smith turned professional in 1977, and qualified for the

LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekl ...

that year. The Women's Professional Golf Association was formed in 1978, and Lee-Smith joined the tour for its first year in 1979. She finished 8th on the money list that year, third in 1980, and won the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

as the leading money winner in both 1981 and 1982. She was voted the 1982 North East Sports Personality Of The Year. Lee-Smith now resides in

Tenterden Tenterden is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. It stands on the edge of the remnant forest the Weald, overlooking the valley of the River Rother. It was a member of the Cinque Ports Confederation. Its riverside today is not ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

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, with her family. She has three children (Katie, Josh, and Ben) and is married to Sam Lucas. In 2012, Lee-Smith discovered that she had a twin sister living in Northumberland. Together they co-authored a book ''My Secret Sister'' about their experience under her married name of Jenny Lucas with Helen Edwards.

Amateur wins

*1974 Wills Women's International Match Play *1976

Newmark International The Hovis International was a women's amateur 72-hole stroke-play event. It was held from 1964 to 1972. The event continued as the Newmark International. Some of the later events were open to professionals. Winners References {{Reflist Amateu ...

Professional wins (12)

Ladies European Tour wins (10)

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

Carlsberg Championship – Arcot Hall *

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

Volvo International Tournament The Volvo Ladies Invitational was a women's professional golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour held in Sweden. It was played in 1980 and 1981 at Albatross Golf Club near Gothenburg. The tournament was the first LET event held in Sweden a ...

, Carlsberg Championship – Shifnal, Robert Winsor Productions Championship, Manchester Evening News Pro-Am Classic *

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

Sposts Space Championship,

McEwan's Lager Welsh Classic The McEwan's Lager Welsh Classic was a women's professional golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour held in Wales. It was played at Dinas Powys in 1979 and Whitchurch, Cardiff in 1980 and 1981. Winners Source: See also *Women's Welsh Open ...

, Lambert & Butler Matchplay *

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

Ford Ladies Classic *

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

British Olivetti Tournament The British Olivetti Tournament was a women's professional golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour held in England. It was first played in 1983 in Liphook, East Hampshire and held annually until 1988, the last four installments in Sutton Cold ...

Other wins (2)

*1974 Wills International Matchplay Tournament *1976 Ladies' British Open (as an amateur)

Team appearances

Amateur *

(representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1974, 1976 *

(representing Great Britain & Ireland):

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

Commonwealth Trophy The Astor Trophy is a women's team golf tournament between teams of amateurs golfers from Great Britain and Ireland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. It has been played every four years since 1959. From its foundation until 2007 it ...

(representing Great Britain): 1975 (winners) *

European Ladies' Team Championship The European Ladies' Team Championship is a European amateur team golf championship for women organised by the European Golf Association. The inaugural event was held in 1959. It was played in odd-numbered years from 1959 to 2007 and has been pla ...

(representing England):

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

Women's Home Internationals The Women's Home Internationals were an amateur team golf championship for women contested between the four Home Nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, where Ireland was represented by the whole island of Ireland on an All-Ireland basi ...

(representing England): 1973 (winners), 1974, 1975 (winners), 1976 (winners)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee Smith, Jenny English female golfers Ladies European Tour golfers LPGA Tour golfers Sportspeople from Newcastle upon Tyne People from Tenterden 1948 births Living people