The 1954 U.S. Women's Open was the ninth

U.S. Women's Open The U.S. Women's Open is 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, ...

, held July 1–3 at Salem Country Club in

Peabody, Massachusetts Peabody () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 54,481 at the time of the 2020 United States census. Peabody is located in the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore region of Massachusetts, and is known ...

. It was the second conducted by the

United States Golf Association The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rule ...

(USGA).

Babe Zaharias Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias (; Didrikson; June 26, 1911 – September 27, 1956) was an American athlete who excelled in golf, basketball, baseball, and track and field. She won two gold medals and a silver in track and field at the ...

won her third U.S. Women's Open, twelve strokes ahead of runner-up

Betty Hicks Elizabeth M. Hicks (November 16, 1920 – February 20, 2011) was an American professional golfer, golf coach and teacher, aviator, and author. She also competed under her married name, Betty Hicks Newell. Hicks was born in Long Beach, Californ ...

, a record victory margin which still stands. It was the last of her ten major championships and her final U.S. Women's Open as a competitor. Zaharias missed the event in

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

while recovering from surgery for

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

. She did not defend in

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

due to back surgery, which discovered that cancer had recurred near her

sacrum The sacrum (: sacra or sacrums), in human anatomy, is a triangular bone at the base of the spine that forms by the fusing of the sacral vertebrae (S1S5) between ages 18 and 30. The sacrum situates at the upper, back part of the pelvic cavity, ...

and she died in September 1956 at age 45. Future four-time champion

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 champions ...

, age 19, was the low

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

and tied for fourth place. She was paired with Zaharias on Saturday for the final two rounds and impressed the three-time champion.

Final leaderboard

''Saturday, July 3, 1954'' Source:

References

External links

USGA final leaderboardU.S. Women's Open Golf Championship
– past champions – 1954 {{coord, 42.531, -70.963, type:event, display=title U.S. Women's Open Golf tournaments in Massachusetts Sports in Essex County, Massachusetts Events in Peabody, Massachusetts Women's sports in Massachusetts