Mary Lena Faulk (April 15, 1926 – August 3, 1995) was 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 ...

. Faulk was born in

Chipley, Florida Chipley is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Florida, Washington County, Florida, United States, located between Tallahassee, Florida, Tallahassee and Pensacola, Florida, Pensacola. Its population was 3,605 in the 2010 U.S. Census ...

. At the age of 14 she moved to

Thomasville, Georgia Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,413 at the 2010 United States Census, making it the second largest city in southwest Georgia after Albany, Georgia, Albany. The city deems itself the "C ...

, where she won three consecutive Georgia Women's Amateur Matchplay Championships from 1946 to 1948. In 1953, Faulk won the U.S. Women's Amateur. In 1954 she lost in the semi-finals to

Mickey Wright Mary Kathryn "Mickey" Wright (February 14, 1935 – February 17, 2020) was an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour. She became a member of the tour in 1955 and won 82 LPGA Tour career events including 13 major champion ...

. That year she was a member of the U.S. team that defeated

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

to win the

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 ...

and in Georgia, she won the state's 1954 Medal Play Championship. Faulk turned professional in 1955 and in her rookie year on 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 ...

finished second at the

U.S. Women's Open The U.S. Women's Open, one of 15 national golf championships conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA), is the oldest of the LPGA Tour's five major championships, which includes the Chevron Championship, Women's PGA Championship, W ...

. She retired from the pro tour in 1965 having won 10 tournaments including the

Women's Western Open The Women's Western Open was an American professional golf tournament founded in 1930. The LPGA was established in 1950, and it recognized the Western Open as one of its major championships through 1967. All of the events back to 1930 have been ...

which was then one of the

women's major golf championships Women's golf has a set of major championships which parallels that in men's golf, with the women's system newer and less stable than the men's. As of 2013, five tournaments are designated as majors in women's golf by the LPGA Tour. LPGA majors ...

. She taught golf for many years at clubs in Georgia and

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

. For some time she operated a women's apparel store in

Southern Pines, North Carolina Southern Pines is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 12,334 as of the 2010 United States Census. History Southern Pines was founded as a winter health resort for Northeastern U ...

with fellow golfer Peggy Kirk Bell. In 1993, Faulk was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame. She was living in

Delray Beach, Florida Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020 was 66,846 according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 United States Census. Located 52 miles ...

, when she died in 1995.

Professional wins (13)

LPGA Tour wins (10)

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

(1)

Kansas City Open The Kansas City Open Invitational, which played as the Kansas City Open for most of its history, was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour that was played in the greater Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City area in the late 1940s and 1950s. A total of ...

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...

(1) St. Petersburg Open * 1958 (1) Macktown Open *

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

(4)

Babe Zaharias Open The Babe Zaharias Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1953 to 1967.LPGA Tournament Chronol ...

Triangle Round Robin The Triangle Round Robin was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1953 to 1962. It was played at several different courses on the East Coast of the United States. For its first nine years it was played using a "round robin" format, similar to t ...

, Eastern Open * 1962 (2)

Peach Blossom Open The Peach Blossom Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1953 to 1966. It was played at the Spartanburg Country Club in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Betsy Rawls, Spartanburg native, hosted the event. Winners ;Peach Blossom Invitational *1 ...

, Visalia Open *

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

(1) St. Petersburg Women's Open Invitational

Other wins (3)

*1951

Hardscrabble Open The Hardscrabble Open, also known as the Hardscrabble Women's Invitation, was a golf tournament played at the Hardscrabble Golf Club in Fort Smith, Arkansas, from 1945 to 1953. It was an official LPGA Tour event from 1948 to 1950. Winners *1953 B ...

*1955 Virginia Hot Springs 4-Ball (with

Betty Jameson Elizabeth May Jameson (May 9, 1919 – February 7, 2009) was an American professional golfer. She was one of the thirteen founders of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) in 1950. She won three major championships and a total of thi ...

) *1958 Homestead 4-Ball (with

)

Major championships

Wins (1)

Team appearances

Amateur *

(representing the United States): 1954 (winners)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Faulk, Mary Lena American female golfers LPGA Tour golfers Winners of LPGA major golf championships Winners of ladies' major amateur golf championships Golfers from Florida Golfers from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Chipley, Florida Sportspeople from Delray Beach, Florida People from Thomasville, Georgia 1926 births 1995 deaths 20th-century American women