Golf Network News ← Back to the clubhouseClubhouse

Betsy King

United States · born , Reading, Pennsylvania, United States

6major championships, LPGA count

Summary

  • First major 1987 The Chevron Championship
  • Last major 1997 The Chevron Championship
  • Runner-up in majors 2 times
  • Other titles 1985 Women's Open

Wins

  1. 1985 AIG Women's Open Moor Park Golf Club · 300
  2. 1987 The Chevron Championship Mission Hills Country Club · 283 (-5) · Playoff – sudden death, won on 2nd extra hole (16th) with a par; Sheehan three-putted from Patty Sheehan
  3. 1989 U.S. Women's Open Indianwood G. & C.C. (Old Course) · 278 (-6) · by 4 strokes from Nancy Lopez
  4. 1990 The Chevron Championship Mission Hills Country Club · 283 (-5) · 2 strokes from Shirley Furlong and Kathy Postlewait
  5. 1990 U.S. Women's Open Atlanta Athletic Club (Riverside Course) · 284 (-4) · by 1 stroke from Patty Sheehan
  6. 1992 KPMG Women's PGA Championship Bethesda Country Club · 267 (-17) · 11 strokes from JoAnne Carner, Liselotte Neumann and Karen Noble
  7. 1997 The Chevron Championship Mission Hills Country Club · 276 (-12) · 2 strokes from Kris Tschetter

Near misses

  1. 1987 KPMG Women's PGA Championship runner-up to Jane Geddes
  2. 1993 The Chevron Championship runner-up to Helen Alfredsson

Rivals

Beat her

Helen AlfredssonBeat Betsy King to the 1993 Chevron Championship

Next in the chain: Jane Geddes' rivals →

Moments

  1. 1989 U.S. Women's Open Seven under through 14 holes on Saturday, King drove into the heather at the par-5 15th and played the last four holes in four over (bogey, double bogey at the par-3 17th, bogey at 18) to fall into a tie with Patty Sheehan.
  2. 1989 U.S. Women's Open King birdied three of the first four holes on Sunday, shot 68 and won by four, while Sheehan hit out of bounds at the 8th for a triple bogey and closed with 79.
  3. 1990 U.S. Women's Open Sheehan, 10 under after a then-record 36-hole 134, reached the 36-hole Sunday with a big lead but double-bogeyed the 18th in a third-round 75, then after birdies at 14 and 15 tied King in the final round, bogeyed the 17th and lost by one with a 76.
  4. 1990 U.S. Women's Open Starting the final round five strokes behind Sheehan, King closed with a 70 for 284, tying the championship record for the largest final-round comeback by a winner.

Records and firsts

  1. 1989 U.S. Women's Open Wire-to-wire U.S. Women's Open winner: with ties

Results by championship

    Best day

    1989 U.S. Women's Open

    Indianwood G. & C.C. (Old Course), Lake Orion, MI · 278 (-6) · by 4 strokes from Nancy Lopez

    Seven under through 14 holes on Saturday, King drove into the heather at the par-5 15th and played the last four holes in four over (bogey, double bogey at the par-3 17th, bogey at 18) to fall into a tie with Patty Sheehan.

    King birdied three of the first four holes on Sunday, shot 68 and won by four, while Sheehan hit out of bounds at the 8th for a triple bogey and closed with 79.

    Record: with ties

    Chosen by rule: the major win our record tables single out. Year page: 1989.

    Career line, 1985–1997

    U.S. Women's Open
    1989 U.S. Women's Open: won1990 U.S. Women's Open: won
    Chevron Championship
    1987 Chevron Championship: won1990 Chevron Championship: won1993 Chevron Championship: runner-up to Helen Alfredsson1997 Chevron Championship: won
    Women's PGA
    1987 Women's PGA: runner-up to Jane Geddes1992 Women's PGA: won
    Women's Open
    1985 Women's Open: won
    198519901995

    9 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.

    • Major win
    • Other win
    • Runner-up

    Betsy King was born on August 13, 1955, in Reading, Pennsylvania, United States. King won 6 major championships by the LPGA's official count: 3 Chevron Championships (1987, 1990, 1997), 2 U.S. Women's Opens (1989, 1990) and 1 Women's PGA Championship (1992).

    See Betsy King in our rooms: Every Ground.

    Cards you pull this visit stack here. Tap one to go back to it.

    The record

    Wins in the majors (6)

    Count and list are the LPGA official major-championship record as given in our U.S. Women's Open champions table.

    1. 1985 AIG Women's Open Moor Park Golf Club · 300
    2. 1987 The Chevron Championship Mission Hills Country Club · 283 (-5) · Playoff – sudden death, won on 2nd extra hole (16th) with a par; Sheehan three-putted from Patty Sheehan
    3. 1989 U.S. Women's Open Indianwood G. & C.C. (Old Course), Lake Orion, MI · 278 (-6) · by 4 strokes from Nancy Lopez
    4. 1990 The Chevron Championship Mission Hills Country Club · 283 (-5) · 2 strokes from Shirley Furlong and Kathy Postlewait
    5. 1990 U.S. Women's Open Atlanta Athletic Club (Riverside Course), Duluth, GA · 284 (-4) · by 1 stroke from Patty Sheehan
    6. 1992 KPMG Women's PGA Championship Bethesda Country Club · 267 (-17) · 11 strokes from JoAnne Carner, Liselotte Neumann and Karen Noble
    7. 1997 The Chevron Championship Mission Hills Country Club · 276 (-12) · 2 strokes from Kris Tschetter

    Near misses

    1. 1987 KPMG Women's PGA Championship runner-up to Jane Geddes
    2. 1993 The Chevron Championship runner-up to Helen Alfredsson

    Other wins in championships we cover

    1. 1985 AIG Women's Open Moor Park Golf Club · 300

    Records and firsts

    Rows from our record tables that name this player, worded as the tables word them.

    1. 1989 U.S. Women's Open Wire-to-wire U.S. Women's Open winner: with ties

    Sources

    Elsewhere: Wikipedia.

    Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.

    1. usga.org: 26USWomensOpen
    2. lpga.com: major championship records
    3. lpga.com: betsy king
    4. lpga.com: overview
    5. lpga.com: bio
    6. Wikipedia: Betsy King
    7. open-api.lpga.or.jp: schedule.json
    8. open-api.lpga.or.jp: schedule.json
    9. open-api.lpga.or.jp: schedule.json
    10. open-api.lpga.or.jp: schedule.json
    11. web.archive.org: pastchamps 1989
    12. si.com: a king is crowned queen betsy king reigned supreme at the us womens op
    13. latimes.com: la xpm 1989 07 14 sp 3786 story
    14. latimes.com: la xpm 1989 07 15 sp 2919 story
    15. latimes.com: la xpm 1989 07 16 sp 5999 story
    16. latimes.com: la xpm 1989 07 17 sp 2862 story
    17. Wikipedia: 1989 U.S. Women's Open
    18. lpga.com: betsy king
    19. Wikipedia: 1990 U.S. Women's Open
    20. golfcompendium.com: 1990 us womens open
    21. where2golf.com: betsy king
    22. washingtonpost.com: fd4ec083 109d 4d57 8d0f 152888487d06
    23. Wikipedia: Chevron Championship
    24. Wikipedia: 1987 Nabisco Dinah Shore
    25. Wikipedia: 1990 Nabisco Dinah Shore
    26. Wikipedia: Women's PGA Championship
    27. Wikipedia: 1992 LPGA Championship
    28. Wikipedia: 1997 Nabisco Dinah Shore
    29. Wikipedia: Women's British Open
    30. Wikipedia: 1985 Ladies European Tour
    31. aigwomensopen.com: records
    32. aigwomensopen.com: 50th year magic moments 21 30
    33. golfmonthly.com: 9 forgotten aig womens open venues
    34. Wikipedia: Moor Park Golf Club