Mary Kathryn "Mickey" Wright (February 14, 1935 – February 17, 2020) 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 ...
who played 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 ...
. She became a member of the tour in 1955 and won 82 LPGA Tour career events including 13 major championships. She is a member of the
World Golf Hall of Fame
The World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site honors both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 go ...
.
Early life and amateur career
Wright was born on February 14, 1935, in
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
U.S. Girls' Junior The United States Girls' Junior Championship is one of the thirteen U.S. national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association. It is open to amateur girls who are under 19 on the last day of the competition and have a USGA ha ...
. She attended
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
and played for its golf team, but left before graduation. She lost in the final of the 1954 U.S. Women's Amateur, won the 1954 World Amateur Championship, and turned professional later in 1954.
Professional career
Wright 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 1955. She won 82 events on the LPGA Tour, which puts her second on the all-time win list behind
Kathy Whitworth
Kathrynne Ann Whitworth (September 27, 1939 – December 24, 2022) was an American professional golfer. During her playing career she won 88 LPGA Tour tournaments, more than anyone else on the LPGA or PGA Tours. Whitworth was also a runner-up ...
, who won 88 times. Thirteen of her victories were in major championships, which places her second to
Patty Berg
Patricia Jane Berg (February 13, 1918 – September 10, 2006) was an American professional golfer. She was a founding member and the first president of the LPGA. Her 15 major title wins remains the all-time record for most major wins by a fem ...
, who won fifteen majors. Wright topped the LPGA money list for four consecutive seasons from 1961 to 1964 and made the top ten on the list thirteen times in total between 1956 and 1969. Wright won at least one LPGA title for 14 straight seasons, from 1956 to 1969.
At the inaugural
Tall City Open The Tall City Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1964 to 1968. It was played in Midland, Texas at the Hogan Park Golf Club, except in 1967 when it was played at the Midland Country Club.
At the inaugural Tall City Open, Wright shot a ...
in 1964, Wright shot a 62 in the third and final round. It was the lowest score in LPGA Tour history at that time, at a course (Hogan Park in
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States. A small part of Midland is in Martin County.
At the 2020 census, Midland's population was 132,524. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas metropolitan ...
) on which the men's record, at the time, was 66. Wright's Tall City Open win is also tied for the largest final round comeback (10 shots) in LPGA history. Wright was coached by Harry Pressler.
Ben Hogan
William Ben Hogan (August 13, 1912 – July 25, 1997) was an American professional golfer who is generally considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. He is notable for his profound influence on golf swing theory and ...
said her swing was the best he had ever seen.
Wright retired from full-time golf at age 34 in 1969, because of problems with her feet, but did compete occasionally after that. She won 13 majors between 1958 and 1966, and she is the only player in LPGA Tour history to hold all four major titles at the same time. She lived in
Port St. Lucie, Florida
Port St. Lucie is a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. It is the most populous municipality in the county with a population of 204,851 at the 2020 census. It is located southeast of Orlando and north of Miami. The Port St. Lu ...
, and played recreational golf occasionally. She was a breast cancer survivor.
Death
Wright died on February 17, 2020, from a heart attack at the age of 85. At the time, she had been hospitalized following a fall a few weeks prior.
Legacy
In 2000, Wright was ranked as the ninth greatest golfer of all time, and the top woman golfer, 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 ...
'' magazine. In a major 2009 survey of experts, published by ''
Golf Magazine
''Golf Magazine'' is a monthly golf magazine. It was started in April 1959 by Universal Publishing and Distributing, who sold it to Times Mirror in 1972. Time Inc. acquired it in 2000. It was acquired by Howard Milstein in 2018. It was the world' ...
'', she was chosen as the eighth best player of all time, and the top woman player of all time. She was inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame in 2017.
Notable amateur wins
*1952
U.S. Girls' Junior The United States Girls' Junior Championship is one of the thirteen U.S. national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association. It is open to amateur girls who are under 19 on the last day of the competition and have a USGA ha ...
*1954 World Amateur Championship
Professional wins (90)
LPGA Tour (82)
*
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)
Jacksonville Open
The Greater Jacksonville Open was a PGA Tour event that was played from 1945 until 1976.
Shortly after World War II, the Jacksonville Open began play as a PGA Tour event in Jacksonville, Florida at the Hyde Park Golf Club until it was discontinue ...
*
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 ...
(3)
Sea Island Open The Sea Island Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1954 to 1963. It was played in Sea Island, Georgia at the Sea Island Golf Club from 1954 to 1957 and 1963 and at the Cloister Country Club from 1958 to 1962.
Winners
;Sea Island Women' ...
,
Jacksonville Open
The Greater Jacksonville Open was a PGA Tour event that was played from 1945 until 1976.
Shortly after World War II, the Jacksonville Open began play as a PGA Tour event in Jacksonville, Florida at the Hyde Park Golf Club until it was discontinue ...
,
Wolverine Open The Wolverine Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour, played intermittently from 1955 to 1963. It was played at three courses in the Detroit, Michigan area: Forest Lake Country Club in Bloomfield Hills in 1955, Lochmoor Club in Grosse Pointe W ...
Sea Island Open The Sea Island Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1954 to 1963. It was played in Sea Island, Georgia at the Sea Island Golf Club from 1954 to 1957 and 1963 and at the Cloister Country Club from 1958 to 1962.
Winners
;Sea Island Women' ...
,
LPGA Championship
The Women's PGA Championship (branded as the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for sponsorship reasons) is a women's professional golf tournament. First held in 1955, it is one of five majors on the LPGA Tour. It is not recognized as a major by 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 ...
1959
Events January
* January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
(4)
Jacksonville Open
The Greater Jacksonville Open was a PGA Tour event that was played from 1945 until 1976.
Shortly after World War II, the Jacksonville Open began play as a PGA Tour event in Jacksonville, Florida at the Hyde Park Golf Club until it was discontinue ...
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 ...
1960
It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism.
Events
January
* Ja ...
(6)
Sea Island Open The Sea Island Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1954 to 1963. It was played in Sea Island, Georgia at the Sea Island Golf Club from 1954 to 1957 and 1963 and at the Cloister Country Club from 1958 to 1962.
Winners
;Sea Island Women' ...
LPGA Championship
The Women's PGA Championship (branded as the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for sponsorship reasons) is a women's professional golf tournament. First held in 1955, it is one of five majors on the LPGA Tour. It is not recognized as a major by the ...
Memphis Open
The FedEx St. Jude Classic was a professional golf tournament held in Memphis, Tennessee as a regular event on the PGA Tour. The tournament was held annually from 1958 through 2018, and was played in June at TPC Southwind (since 1989).
In 2019 ...
*
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 ...
Titleholders Championship
The Titleholders Championship was a women's golf tournament played from in 1937 to 1966 and again in 1972. It was later designated a major championship by the LPGA Tour.
History
The Titleholders Championship was founded in 1937. Like the Masters ...
,
Columbus Open
The Columbus Open, also known as the Buckeye Tennis Championships or Buckeye Open, is a defunct affiliated men's tennis tournament played from 1970 to 1984 in Columbus, Ohio, in the United States. The inaugural edition in 1970 was an invitationa ...
,
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 ...
LPGA Championship
The Women's PGA Championship (branded as the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for sponsorship reasons) is a women's professional golf tournament. First held in 1955, it is one of five majors on the LPGA Tour. It is not recognized as a major by the ...
Titleholders Championship
The Titleholders Championship was a women's golf tournament played from in 1937 to 1966 and again in 1972. It was later designated a major championship by the LPGA Tour.
History
The Titleholders Championship was founded in 1937. Like the Masters ...
,
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 ...
,
Milwaukee Open
The Milwaukee Open was a professional golf tournament in Wisconsin on the PGA Tour, played only in 1940. It was held August 2–4 at North Hills Country Club in Menomenee Falls, northwest of Milwaukee. Three-time major winner Ralph Guldahl shot ...
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...
St. Petersburg Women's Open The St. Petersburg Women's Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1954 to 1989. It was played at three different courses in the St. Petersburg, Florida area.
LPGA Hall of Fame member Kathy Whitworth won the tournament five times (1965, 1 ...
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 ...
Idaho Centennial Ladies' Open
The Idaho Centennial Ladies' Open was a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour, played only in 1963 in Boise, Idaho. The 54-hole event was held at Hillcrest Country Club over the Labor Day weekend, Saturday through Monday.
Micke ...
LPGA Championship
The Women's PGA Championship (branded as the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for sponsorship reasons) is a women's professional golf tournament. First held in 1955, it is one of five majors on the LPGA Tour. It is not recognized as a major by the ...
*
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 ...
Lady Carling Eastern Open The Lady Carling Eastern Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1962 to 1966 played at the Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton, Massachusetts, United States.Waldemar Open,
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 ...
Tall City Open The Tall City Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1964 to 1968. It was played in Midland, Texas at the Hogan Park Golf Club, except in 1967 when it was played at the Midland Country Club.
At the inaugural Tall City Open, Wright shot a ...
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
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 ...
Shirley Englehorn Invitational
The Shirley Englehorn Invitational was a women's professional golf tournament in Idaho for three seasons on the LPGA Tour. It was played from 1966 LPGA Tour, 1966 at the Purple Sage Golf Course, north of Caldwell, Idaho, Caldwell. Tour player Sh ...
1967
Events
January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
(4)
Shreveport Kiwanis Club Invitational
The Shreveport Kiwanis Invitational was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1963 to 1970. It was played at three different courses in Louisiana: Alexandria Golf and Country Club in Alexandria in 1963 and 1964, Palmetto Country Club in Benton ...
Lady Carling Open
The Greater Baltimore Golf Classic was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1962 to 1980.LPGA Tourn ...
(Maryland),
Pensacola Ladies Invitational The Pensacola Ladies Invitational was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1965 to 1968. It was played at the Scenic Hills Country Club in Pensacola, Florida.
Winners
;Pensacola Ladies Invitational
*1968 Kathy Whitworth
*1967 Mickey Wright
*1966 ...
Tall City Open The Tall City Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1964 to 1968. It was played in Midland, Texas at the Hogan Park Golf Club, except in 1967 when it was played at the Midland Country Club.
At the inaugural Tall City Open, Wright shot a ...
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
(1)
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 ...
:''Note: Wright won the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle (now known as the
ANA Inspiration
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 ...
) before it became a major championship.''
LPGA
majors
Jonathan Michael Majors (born September 7, 1989)Majors in is an American actor. He rose to prominence after starring in the independent feature film ''The Last Black Man in San Francisco'' (2019). In 2020, he garnered wider notice for portraying ...
Marilynn Smith
Marilynn Louise Smith (April 13, 1929 – April 9, 2019) was an American professional golfer. She was one of the thirteen founders of the LPGA in 1950. She won two major championships and 21 LPGA Tour events in all. She is a member of the World ...
Shell's Wonderful World of Golf
''Shell's Wonderful World of Golf'' was a televised series of golf matches which began in the 1960s. The program was sponsored by Shell Oil. It was a part of the tradition of "challenge matches" between pairs of professional golfers, which were ...
*1966 Ladies World Series of Golf,
Shell's Wonderful World of Golf
''Shell's Wonderful World of Golf'' was a televised series of golf matches which began in the 1960s. The program was sponsored by Shell Oil. It was a part of the tradition of "challenge matches" between pairs of professional golfers, which were ...
*1967 Seven Lakes Invitational
Major championships
Wins (13)
1 In an 18-hole playoff, Wright 69, Jessen 72. 2 Wright won on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff. 3 In an 18-hole playoff, Wright 70, Jessen 72.
See also
*
List of golfers with most LPGA major championship wins
This article lists all the women (134) who have won past and present major championships on the LPGA Tour. They are listed in order of the number of victories. The list is updated through the 2022 season.
*Winning span indicates the years from th ...
*
List of golfers with most LPGA Tour wins
This table lists players with 10 or more wins on the LPGA Tour. It is based on the list on the LPGA Tour's official site, which differs slightly from the main win lists on player's personal profiles on the site. The wins counted here include profes ...