1948 Women’s Amateur: Louise Suggs wins at Royal Lytham & St Annes

Louise Suggs won the 1948 Women’s Amateur at Royal Lytham & St Annes in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, beating Jean Donald 1 up in the final.

Updated 23 October 2026

Walk this draw in the The Women’s Amateur Championship room.

Edition: 45th
Dates: 3 June 1948
Course: Royal Lytham & St Annes, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire
Format: match play
Champion: Louise Suggs · age 24 · United States
Champion's title: 1st Women’s Amateur title
Runner-up: Jean Donald · age 27
Final: 1 up (36-hole final)
Losing semifinalists: Dot Kielty and Maureen Ruttle
Defending champion: Babe Zaharias

What happened at the 1948 Women’s Amateur

In the first round the Australian opera singer Joan Hammond holed four putts of over 20 feet in six holes to go two up on U.S. champion Louise Suggs, who recovered to win 4 and 3.

All square on the last tee of the 36-hole final, Jean Donald three-putted from four yards and Louise Suggs won by one hole.

Final, Louise Suggs v. Jean Donald. In gale-force wind and rain at Lytham, Jean Donald three-putted from four yards on the 36th green to lose to Louise Suggs by one hole.

Unknown, Louise Suggs v. Joan Hammond. In the first round Australian soprano Joan Hammond, who duffed two tee shots, holed four putts of over 20 feet in the first six holes and was two up, before Suggs, one up at the 9th, won 4 and 3.

The draw

Every match is recorded through the final.

The final, 1948 Women’s Amateur

Winner		Beaten	Result
Louise Suggs	def.	Jean Donald	1 up

Semifinals, 1948 Women’s Amateur

Winner		Beaten	Result
Louise Suggs	def.	Dot Kielty	unknown
Jean Donald	def.	Maureen Ruttle	unknown

How this was built

Every value is shown as recorded in GNN's Women’s Amateur data set (research collected through 20 October 2026). "unknown" means no source confirmed it; nothing is estimated. Where sources disagree, the R&A's own record is used.

Data: womens-amateur.json.