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Donna Caponi

United States · born , Detroit, Michigan, United States

4major championships, LPGA count

Summary

  • First major 1969 U.S. Women's Open
  • Last major 1981 KPMG Women's PGA Championship
  • Other titles 1980 Chevron Championship

Wins

  1. 1969 U.S. Women's Open Scenic Hills Country Club · 294 (+2) · by 1 stroke from Peggy Wilson
  2. 1970 U.S. Women's Open Muskogee C.C. · 287 (+3) · by 1 stroke from Sandra Haynie and Sandra Spuzich
  3. 1979 KPMG Women's PGA Championship Jack Nicklaus Sports Center · 279 (-9) · 3 strokes from Jerilyn Britz
  4. 1980 The Chevron Championship Mission Hills Country Club · 275
  5. 1981 KPMG Women's PGA Championship Jack Nicklaus Sports Center · 280 (-8) · 1 stroke from Jerilyn Britz and Pat Meyers

Moments

  1. 1969 U.S. Women's Open Five strokes behind Ruth Jessen entering the final round, Caponi took the lead with an eagle on the 15th hole on her way to a 69 (book p.16 record-tying comeback).
  2. 1969 U.S. Women's Open A thunderstorm suspended play after Caponi's tee shot on the 72nd hole; on returning she laid up, hit a 60-yard sand wedge to seven feet and holed the birdie putt to win by one over Peggy Wilson.
  3. 1970 U.S. Women's Open On the 72nd hole Caponi, two strokes ahead, needed a four-foot putt for a double-bogey 6 to win outright; the putt hung on the lip before dropping, and she later said she never saw it fall because she had looked up thinking she had missed.
  4. 1970 U.S. Women's Open Just before that, Sandra Spuzich missed a six-foot par putt on the 18th green that would have guaranteed her at least a tie, leaving her and Sandra Haynie one stroke back at 288.

Records and firsts

  1. 1970 U.S. Women's Open Wire-to-wire U.S. Women's Open winner: USGA says no ties; GC has her tied with Mann after rounds 1-2

Results by championship

    Best day

    1970 U.S. Women's Open

    Muskogee C.C., Muskogee, OK · 287 (+3) · by 1 stroke from Sandra Haynie and Sandra Spuzich

    On the 72nd hole Caponi, two strokes ahead, needed a four-foot putt for a double-bogey 6 to win outright; the putt hung on the lip before dropping, and she later said she never saw it fall because she had looked up thinking she had missed.

    Just before that, Sandra Spuzich missed a six-foot par putt on the 18th green that would have guaranteed her at least a tie, leaving her and Sandra Haynie one stroke back at 288.

    Record: USGA says no ties; GC has her tied with Mann after rounds 1-2

    Chosen by rule: the major win our record tables single out. Year page: 1970.

    Career line, 1969–1981

    U.S. Women's Open
    1969 U.S. Women's Open: won1970 U.S. Women's Open: won
    Chevron Championship
    1980 Chevron Championship: won
    Women's PGA
    1979 Women's PGA: won1981 Women's PGA: won
    197019751980

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

    • Major win
    • Other win

    Donna Caponi was born on January 29, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Caponi won 4 major championships by the LPGA's official count: 2 U.S. Women's Opens (1969, 1970) and 2 Women's PGA Championships (1979, 1981).

    See Donna Caponi in our rooms: Every Ground.

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    The record

    Wins in the majors (4)

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

    1. 1969 U.S. Women's Open Scenic Hills Country Club, Pensacola, FL · 294 (+2) · by 1 stroke from Peggy Wilson
    2. 1970 U.S. Women's Open Muskogee C.C., Muskogee, OK · 287 (+3) · by 1 stroke from Sandra Haynie and Sandra Spuzich
    3. 1979 KPMG Women's PGA Championship Jack Nicklaus Sports Center · 279 (-9) · 3 strokes from Jerilyn Britz
    4. 1980 The Chevron Championship Mission Hills Country Club · 275
    5. 1981 KPMG Women's PGA Championship Jack Nicklaus Sports Center · 280 (-8) · 1 stroke from Jerilyn Britz and Pat Meyers

    Other wins in championships we cover

    1. 1980 The Chevron Championship Mission Hills Country Club · 275

    Records and firsts

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

    1. 1970 U.S. Women's Open Wire-to-wire U.S. Women's Open winner: USGA says no ties; GC has her tied with Mann after rounds 1-2

    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: donna caponi
    4. where2golf.com: donna caponi
    5. Wikipedia: Donna Caponi
    6. open-api.lpga.or.jp: 1976.json
    7. Wikipedia: Toto Japan Classic
    8. usga.org: u s women s open results 1946 to present
    9. Wikipedia: 1969 U.S. Women's Open
    10. golfcompendium.com: 1969 us womens open
    11. golfcompendium.com: low amateurs us womens open
    12. where2golf.com: donna caponi
    13. thelegendstour.com: how donna caponi won the u s womens open twice
    14. thegolfnewsnet.com: us womens open history results and past winners 126262
    15. Wikipedia: 1969 LPGA Tour
    16. news.google.com: newspapers
    17. news.google.com: newspapers
    18. Wikipedia: 1970 U.S. Women's Open
    19. golfcompendium.com: 1970 us womens open
    20. forethegoodofthegame.com: donna caponi part 2 the 1970 womens us open and 1979 lpga championship
    21. Wikipedia: Women's PGA Championship
    22. Wikipedia: 1979 LPGA Championship
    23. Wikipedia: 1981 LPGA Championship
    24. Wikipedia: Chevron Championship