1959 LPGA Championship: Betsy Rawls wins at Sheraton Hotel Country Club

Betsy Rawls won the 1959 LPGA Championship at Sheraton Hotel Country Club, French Lick, Indiana, United States with 288 (−8), by 1 stroke over Patty Berg.

Updated October 23, 2026

Every year is on the KPMG Women's PGA Championship winners list.

Dates: July 2, 1959 to July 6, 1959
Course: Sheraton Hotel Country Club, French Lick, Indiana, United States
Edition: 5th edition
Counted as a major: yes
Format: stroke play, 4 rounds
Par: 74 · 6,700 yards
Field: 29
Purse: $7,500 · winner's share $1,247
Champion: Betsy Rawls · age 31 · United States · born Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States
Champion's title: 1st title at this event · 5th major
Winning score: 76-68-69-75 = 288 (−8) · won by 1 stroke
Runner-up: Patty Berg (289)
54-hole leader: Betsy Rawls

Winner and runner-up

Pos.	Player	R1	R2	R3	R4	Total	To par
1	Betsy Rawls	76	68	69	75	288	−8
2	Patty Berg					289

What happened at the 1959 LPGA Championship

Betsy Rawls shot a second-round 68, reported as a course record, and led by four strokes after 54 holes.

Heavy rain and unplayable greens pushed the final round to Monday, July 6, when Rawls's 75 held off Patty Berg by one.

How this was built

Every value is shown as recorded in GNN's KPMG Women's PGA 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).

1959 LPGA Championship: Betsy Rawls wins at Sheraton Hotel Country Club

Winner and runner-up

What happened at the 1959 LPGA Championship

How this was built

Sources