NANCY LOPEZ 1993 Champion

Birthdate: January 6, 1957
Birthplace: Torrance, CA
Residence: Albany, GA
Rookie Year: 1977
Tour Status: Exempt
Tour victories: 48
Hall of Fame: Member Since 1987
Career Highlights
2001 -- Played a limited schedule due to continuing knee problems.
Recorded her second career hole-in-one at the AFLAC Champions Presented by Southern Living, where she tied for 37th, her season-best finish.
2000 -- Played in a limited number of events due to gall bladder surgery in late May; season-best finish was a tie for ninth at The Office Depot; the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship officially renamed its title to the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship hosted by Nancy Lopez in her honor and she is the annual host of the tournament; in March, the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship hosted by Nancy Lopez announced the creation of the Nancy Lopez Award, which is presented annually in conjunction with the tournament to the world's outstanding female amateur golfer.
1999 -- Played in a limited number of events due to knee surgery in May; best finish was a tie for 12th at both the Standard Register PING and AFLAC Champions Presented by Southern Living.
1998 -- Best finish was a tie for second at the Sara Lee Classic, where she carded a season-low 66 in the opening round and lost in a four-way, sudden-death playoff to Barb Mucha.
1997 -- Won her 48th career title at the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship; finished second at the U.S. Women's Open Championship after firing rounds of 69-68-69-69, making her the only woman in U.S. Women's Open history to shoot four rounds in the 60s, yet still finished one stroke behind Alison Nicholas for her fourth runner-up finish in the Open, a title she has not won; crossed the $5 million milestone in LPGA career earnings after the season-ending ITT LPGA Tour Championship.
1995 -- Posted nine top-20 finishes, including a season-best third place at the Youngstown-Warren LPGA Classic.
1994 -- Best finish was a tie for second at the Chrysler-Plymouth Tournament of Champions; crossed the $4 million mark in career earnings.
1993 -- won the Youngstown-Warren LPGA Classic in a sudden-death playoff with Deb Richard for her 47th career victory.
1992 -- Recorded back-to-back playoff victories at the Rail Charity Golf Classic and the PING-Cellular One LPGA Golf Championship; tied her career-low score of 64 during the final round of the Rail Charity Golf Classic.
1990 -- Became the second player in LPGA history to cross the $3 million mark in career earnings when she captured the MBS LPGA Classic in a sudden-death playoff with Cathy Gerring.
1989 -- Enjoyed her most successful financial season, earning $487,153 and registering three victories, including the Mazda LPGA Championship.
1988 -- Won three tournaments and was in three sudden-death playoffs - defeated Marta Figueras-Dotti at the Ai Star/Centinela Hospital Classic, lost to Juli Inkster at the Crestar Classic and lost to Mei-Chi Cheng at the Rochester International; became the fourth player in LPGA history to cross the $2 million mark in career earnings; captured Rolex Player of the Year honors for the fourth time.
1987 -- Earned 35th career victory at the Sarasota Classic (the same event in which she claimed her first career win in 1978), which qualified her for the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame; after waiting six months to meet the Tour's membership requirement, was inducted on July 20 as the 11th member; also won the Cellular One-PING Golf Championship.
1985 -- Won five events, including the LPGA Championship; her win at the Portland PING Championship came by way of a sudden-death playoff with Lori Garbacz; won Player of the Year and the Vare Trophy for the third time in her career.
1983 -- Hurdled the $1 million mark in career earnings and won two tournaments.
1980 -- Won the Women's Kemper Open, Sarah Coventry Classic and Rail Charity Golf Classic; narrowly missed out on a fourth victory at the Mary Kay Classic, which she lost in a sudden-death playoff to Jerilyn Britz; her win at the Rail Charity Golf Classic was the 20th of her career, setting an LPGA record for youngest to that milestone (23 years, 7 months and 26 days old).
1979 -- Captured eight tournament victories (including the Coca-Cola Classic in a sudden-death playoff with Bonnie Bryant) and finished second to JoAnne Carner at the Women's Kemper Open following a sudden-death playoff; set the LPGA record for youngest to 10 career wins (22 years, 2 months and 5 days old at the Sunstar Classic); won her second Player of the Year and Vare Trophy to become the first player to win Rookie of the Year followed by Player of the Year and Vare Trophy the very next season (Annika Sorenstam joined her in 1995).
1978 -- As a rookie, won nine tournaments, including a record-setting five in a row; recorded her first playoff victory at the Coca-Cola Classic, defeating LPGA Tour Hall of Famer JoAnne Carner; she came close to two more victories that season, losing sudden-death playoffs to Michiko Okada at the Mizuno-Japan Classic and to Sally Little at the Kathryn Crosby/Honda Civic Classic; remains the only player to win Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year and Vare Trophy honors in the same season.
Amateur -- Lopez was 12 when she won the New Mexico Women's Amateur, and in the following years, she won the USGA Junior Girls Championship twice (1972 and 1974). She won the Western Junior three times and the Mexican Amateur in 1975. Also in 1975, Lopez entered the U.S. Women's Open as an amateur and finished in a tie for second. The next year, she claimed the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) National Championship and was a member of the U.S. Curtis Cup and World Amateur teams. At the University of Tulsa, Lopez was named a 1976 All-American and the university's female athlete of the year.
Personal -- Brown hair, brown eyes. Started playing golf at the age of 8 under the guidance of her father, Domingo, and turned professional after her sophomore year of college... Was inducted into the PGA World Golf Hall of Fame in November 1989. Inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in February 2001... Is a playing editor for Golf for Women magazine...Was named "Golfer of the Decade" by GOLF Magazine for the years 1978-87 during the Centennial of Golf in America celebration in 1988...Given the 1992 Flo Hyman Award by the Women's Sports Foundation...Recipient of the USGA's 1998 Bob Jones Award to recognize distinguished sportsmanship in the game of golf... Recipient of the 2000 Golf Writers Association of America's Richardson Award and Golf Course Superintendents Association of America's Old Tom Morris Award...Recognized during the LPGA's 50th Anniversary in 2000 as one of the LPGA's top 50 players and teachers...Founder and principal of the Nancy Lopez Golf Company...Married baseball star Ray Knight on Oct. 29, 1982...Gave birth to daughter Ashley Marie on Nov. 7, 1983; Erinn Shea on May 26, 1986; and Torri Heather on Oct. 30, 1991...Competed as Nancy Lopez-Melton from 1980-81...Represents Sara Lee.