Lauri Merten (born July 6, 1960) is an American

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 also competed under the names Lauri Peterson (1983–87) and Lauri Merten-Peterson (1988). Merten was born in

Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha ( ) is the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Its population was 71,158 at the 2020 census. The city is adjacent to the Village of Waukesha. History The area that ...

. She attended

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

and joined 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 ...

in 1983. Merten's three wins on the LPGA Tour came at the 1983

Rail Charity Golf Classic The LPGA State Farm Classic was a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour. It was played annually from 1976 to 2011 in the Springfield, Illinois metropolitan area. From 1976 through 2006, the tournament was held at The Rail Golf Cours ...

, the 1984

Jamie Farr Toledo Classic The Dana Open Presented By Marathon, is a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1984 and has been played yearly, except in 1986 and 2011, in Sylvania, Ohio, a suburb northwest of Toledo. The tournament is tele ...

and the 1993 U.S. Women's Open, which is one of the LPGA's major championships. When she retired, Merten claimed burnout was the cause. Another factor was undoubtedly the unwanted attention surrounding the murder conviction of her brother-in-law

Thomas Capano Thomas Joseph Capano (October 11, 1949 – September 19, 2011) was a disbarred American lawyer and former Delaware deputy attorney general who was convicted of the 1996 murder of Anne Marie Fahey, his former lover. Background Thomas Capano, a p ...

in 1996.

Professional wins

LPGA Tour wins (3)

LPGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

Major championships

Wins (1)

References

External links

* American female golfers LPGA Tour golfers Winners of LPGA major golf championships Golfers from Wisconsin Sportspeople from Waukesha, Wisconsin 1960 births Living people 21st-century American women {{US-golf-bio-stub