1979 LPGA Tour
The 1979 LPGA Tour was the 30th season since the LPGA Tour officially began in 1950. The season ran from February 15 to November 3 and consisted of 35 official money events. Nancy Lopez won the most tournaments, eight, and led the money list with earnings of $197,489.
There were five first-time winners in 1979: Jerilyn Britz, Beth Daniel, Vicki Fergon, Pat Meyers, and Penny Pulz. This was the first year that the Peter Jackson Classic (now called the Canadian Women's Open) was classified as an LPGA major.
Hall of famer Judy Rankin gained her 26th victory in August, which was her final tour win.
The Women's Kemper Open saw the first ever five-way playoff in LPGA Tour history.[1] It was won by JoAnne Carner. Later in the year, The Coca-Cola Classic, was also decided in a five-way playoff.
The tournament results and award winners are listed below.
Tournament results
The following table shows all the official money events for the 1979 season.[2] "Date" is the ending date of the tournament. The numbers in parentheses after the winners' names are the number of wins they had on the tour up to and including that event. Majors are shown in bold.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Winner | Score | Purse ($) | Winner's share ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 18 | Elizabeth Arden Classic | Florida |  Amy Alcott (6) |
285 (–3) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Feb 25 | Orange Blossom Classic | Florida | Jane Blalock (21) |
205 (–11) | 75,000 | 11,250 |
| Mar 4 | Bent Tree Classic | Florida |  Sally Little (3) |
278 (–10) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Mar 11 | Sunstar Classic | California | Nancy Lopez (10) |
280 (–8) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Mar 18 | Honda Civic Classic | California | JoAnne Carner (23) |
281 (–7) | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| Mar 25 | Sahara National Pro-Am | Nevada | Nancy Lopez (11) |
274 (–12) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Apr 1 | Women's Kemper Open | California | JoAnne Carner (24) |
286 (+2) | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| Apr 8 | Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle | California |  Sandra Post (4) |
276 (–12) | 250,000 | 37,500 |
| Apr 22 | Florida Lady Citrus | Florida | Jane Blalock (22) |
286 (–6) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Apr 29 | Otey Crisman Classic | Alabama | Jane Blalock (23) |
205 (–11) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| May 6 | Women's International | South Carolina | Nancy Lopez (12) |
282 (–6) | 80,000 | 12,000 |
| May 13 | Lady Michelob | Georgia | Sandra Post (5) |
210 (–6) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| May 20 | Coca-Cola Classic | New Jersey | Nancy Lopez (13) |
216 (–3) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| May 27 | Corning Classic | New York |  Penny Pulz (1) |
284 (+4) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Jun 3 | Golden Lights Championship | New York | Nancy Lopez (14) |
280 (–8) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Jun 10 | LPGA Championship | Ohio | Donna Caponi (14) |
279 (–9) | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| Jun 17 | The Sarah Coventry | New York | Jane Blalock (24) |
280 (–12) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Jun 24 | Lady Keystone Open | Pennsylvania | Nancy Lopez (15) |
212 (–4) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Jul 1 | Lady Stroh's Open | Michigan | Vicki Fergon (1) |
284 (–4) | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| Jul 8 | Mayflower Classic | Indiana | Hollis Stacy (6) |
213 (–3) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Jul 15 | U.S. Women's Open | Connecticut | Jerilyn Britz (1) |
284 (E) | 125,000 | 19,000 |
| Jul 22 | Greater Baltimore Classic | Maryland | Pat Meyers (1) |
210 (–9) | 75,000 | 11,250 |
| Jul 29 | Peter Jackson Classic | Canada | Amy Alcott (7) |
285 (–7) | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| Aug 5 | Colgate European Open | England | Nancy Lopez (16) |
282 (–14) | 110,000 | 15,000 |
| Aug 13 | WUI Classic | New York | Judy Rankin (26) |
288 (–4) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Aug 19 | Barth Classic | Indiana | Sally Little (4) |
208 (-8) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Aug 26 | Patty Berg Classic | Minnesota | Beth Daniel (1) |
208 (–11) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Sep 3 | Rail Charity Classic | Illinois | Jo Ann Washam (3) |
275 (–13) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Sep 9 | Columbia Savings Classic | Colorado | Sally Little (5) |
209 (–7) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Sep 23 | ERA Real Estate Classic | Kansas | Sandra Post (6) |
284 (–8) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Sep 30 | Mary Kay Classic | Texas | Nancy Lopez (17) |
274 (–14) | 130,000 | 19,500 |
| Oct 7 | Wheeling Classic | West Virginia | Debbie Massey (2) |
219 (+3) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Oct 14 | United Virginia Bank Classic | Virginia | Amy Alcott (8) |
286 (–2) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Oct 29 | Colgate Far East Open | Philippines |  Silvia Bertolaccini (3) |
213 (–6) | 110,000 | 16,500 |
| Nov 3 | Mizuno Japan Classic | Japan | Amy Alcott (9) |
211 (–11) | 125,000 | 18,750 |
Awards
| Award | Winner | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Money winner | Nancy Lopez (2) | United States |
| Scoring leader (Vare Trophy) | Nancy Lopez (2) | United States |
| Player of the Year | Nancy Lopez (2) | United States |
| Rookie of the Year | Beth Daniel | United States |
