1972 Titleholders Championship: Sandra Palmer wins at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club

Sandra Palmer won the 1972 Titleholders Championship at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club, Southern Pines, North Carolina, United States with 283 (−1), by 10 strokes over Judy Rankin and Mickey Wright.

Updated October 23, 2026

Every year is on the Titleholders Championship winners list.

Dates: May 26, 1972 to May 29, 1972
Course: Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club, Southern Pines, North Carolina, United States
Edition: 28th edition
Counted as a major: yes
Format: stroke play, 4 rounds
Par: 71 · 6,432 yards
Purse: $20,000 · winner's share $3,000
Champion: Sandra Palmer · age 29 · United States · born Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Champion's title: 1st title at this event · 1st major
Winning score: 71-68-72-72 = 283 (−1) · won by 10 strokes
Runners-up: Judy Rankin, Mickey Wright (293 each)
54-hole leader: Sandra Palmer

Winner and runners-up

Pos.	Player	R1	R2	R3	R4	Total	To par
1	Sandra Palmer	71	68	72	72	283	−1
T2	Judy Rankin					293
T2	Mickey Wright					293

What happened at the 1972 Titleholders Championship

Sandra Palmer's 283 (-1) was the only under-par total of the week, and she won by 10 strokes over Judy Rankin and Mickey Wright.

Palmer played with no on-course scoreboards and said she realized only on the last hole or two how big her lead was.

How this was built

Every value is shown as recorded in GNN's Titleholders Championship data. A value no source confirmed is left out; nothing is estimated. Where sources disagree, the organizer's own record is used.

Data: womens-golf-majors_dataset_2026-10-20.json (GNN's women's majors research set, "master" row for this year, research dated October 20, 2026).

1972 Titleholders Championship: Sandra Palmer wins at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club

Winner and runners-up

What happened at the 1972 Titleholders Championship

How this was built

Sources