Mary Lena Faulk

Mary Lena Faulk
Personal information
Born(1926-04-15)April 15, 1926
Chipley, Florida, U.S.
DiedAugust 3, 1995(1995-08-03) (aged 69)
Delray Beach, Florida, U.S.
Sporting nationality United States
Career
Turned professional1955
Former tour(s)LPGA Tour
Professional wins13
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour10
Other3
Best results in LPGA major championships
(wins: 1)
Western OpenWon: 1961
Titleholders C'ship2nd: 1955
Women's PGA C'shipT2: 1963
U.S. Women's OpenT2: 1955

Mary Lena Faulk (April 15, 1926 – August 3, 1995) was an American professional golfer.

Faulk was born in Chipley, Florida.[1] At the age of 14 she moved to Thomasville, Georgia, 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.[2] In 1954 she lost in the semi-finals to Mickey Wright. That year she was a member of the U.S. team that defeated Great Britain to win the Curtis Cup 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 finished second at the U.S. Women's Open. She retired from the pro tour in 1965 having won 10 tournaments including the Women's Western Open which was then one of the women's major golf championships. She taught golf for many years at clubs in Georgia and Colorado Springs, Colorado. For some time she operated a women's apparel store in Southern Pines, North Carolina with fellow golfer Peggy Kirk Bell.[3]

In 1993, Faulk was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame. She was living in Delray Beach, Florida, when she died in 1995.[4]

  1. ^ Watt, Will (April 14, 2016). "The Life of Mary Lena Faulk". Thomasville Times-Enterprise. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  2. ^ Companiotte, John (2016). A History of Golf in Georgia. The History Press. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-4671-1790-6.
  3. ^ Schlosser, Jim (2009). Remembering Greensboro. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5402-2079-0.
  4. ^ Stewart, Mark (May 6, 1996). "Fading Fame: A Charter Member of the Hall of Fame, Betty Jameson Could End up Homeless". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 18, 2020.