1954 U.S. Women's Open: Babe Zaharias wins at Salem Country Club

Babe Zaharias won the 1954 U.S. Women's Open at Salem Country Club, Peabody, Massachusetts, United States with 291 (+3), by 12 strokes over Betty Hicks.

Updated October 23, 2026

Every year is on the U.S. Women's Open winners list.

Dates: July 1, 1954 to July 3, 1954
Course: Salem Country Club, Peabody, Massachusetts, United States
Edition: 9th edition
Counted as a major: yes
Format: stroke play, 4 rounds
Par: 72 · 6,393 yards
Entries: 58
Field: 53
Made the cut: 40 (cut at 179)
Purse: $7,500 · winner's share $2,000
Champion: Babe Zaharias · age 43 · United States · born Port Arthur, Texas, United States
Champion's title: 3rd title at this event · 10th major
Winning score: 72-71-73-75 = 291 (+3) · won by 12 strokes
Runner-up: Betty Hicks (303)
54-hole leader: Babe Zaharias
Low amateur: Mickey Wright (308)
Run by: United States Golf Association

Winner and runner-up

Pos.	Player	R1	R2	R3	R4	Total	To par
1	Babe Zaharias	72	71	73	75	291	+3
2	Betty Hicks	75	76	75	77	303	+15

What happened at the 1954 U.S. Women's Open

A year after cancer surgery, Babe Didrikson Zaharias led by 10 strokes after 54 holes, the championship's record 54-hole lead.

Zaharias won by 12 strokes at 43 years, 0 months, 6 days, the oldest champion in the championship's history.

How this was built

Every value is shown as recorded in GNN's U.S. Women's Open 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).

Also from GNN's U.S. Women's Open set (entries, runners-up round by round, values the majors set does not hold).

1954 U.S. Women's Open: Babe Zaharias wins at Salem Country Club

Winner and runner-up

What happened at the 1954 U.S. Women's Open

How this was built

Sources