Nancy Lopez


Nancy Marie Lopez is a retired American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1977 and won 48 LPGA Tour events, including three major championships.

Amateur career

Lopez won the New Mexico Women's Amateur at age 12 in 1969, and the U.S. Girls' Junior in 1972 and 1974, at ages 15 and 17, respectively. Shortly after graduation from Goddard High School in Roswell, she played in the U.S. Women's Open as an amateur, first in 1974 and again in 1975 where she tied for second.
As a collegiate freshman in 1976, Lopez was named All-American and Female Athlete of the Year for her play at the University of Tulsa. That year she won the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women national intercollegiate golf championship and was a member of the U.S. Curtis Cup and World Amateur teams. Lopez left college after her sophomore year and turned pro in 1977, and again was the runner-up at the U.S. Women's Open.

Professional career

During her first full season on the LPGA Tour in 1978, Lopez won nine tournaments, including five consecutive. She appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in July, won the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average, LPGA Rookie of the Year, LPGA Player of the Year and was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year. She won another eight times in 1979, and won multiple times in each year from 1980 to 1984, although she played only half-seasons in 1983 and 1984 due to the birth of her first child.
Playing full-time again in 1985, Lopez posted five wins, five seconds, five thirds, won the money title, the scoring title, the Player of the Year Award, and was named Associate Press Female Athlete of the Year for a second time. She entered only four events in 1986, when her second daughter was born, but came back with multiple wins in 1987–89 - three times each in 1988 and 1989 - and once again won Player of the Year honors in 1988. Lopez' schedule was curtailed again in the early 1990s when her third daughter was born. In 1992 she won twice. Lopez continued to play short schedules - from 11 to 18 tournaments - through 2002, then in 2003 cut back to just a half dozen or fewer events a year.
Lopez was considered to be one of the greats of women's golf, and she was the game's best player from the late 1970s to late 1980s. She won three majors, and all were at the LPGA Championship, at the same course, in 1978, 1985, and 1989. Lopez never won the U.S. Women's Open, but finished second four times, the last in 1997 when she became the first in the event's history to score under 70 for all four rounds, yet lost to Alison Nicholas. She won the Colgate-Dinah Shore in 1981, two years before it became a major, and was a runner-up three times at the du Maurier Classic in Canada.
Lopez was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1987. She was a member of the United States Solheim Cup team in 1990 and was captain of the team in 2005. Lopez retired from regular tournament play in 2002 and attempted a return in 2007 and 2008. In her return season, she played six tournaments, missed the cut in each, and only broke 80 in three of the 12 rounds. In 2008, she played in three events, with a low score of 76, never making the cut. She was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
Lopez is the only woman to win LPGA Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year, and the Vare Trophy in the same season. Her company, Nancy Lopez Golf, makes a full line of women's clubs and accessories. She also does occasional television commentary.

Personal life

Lopez was married to Houston sportscaster Tim Melton from 1979 to 1982. Shortly after her divorce, she married Major League All-Star baseball player Ray Knight, then a member of the Houston Astros, in October 1982 in Pelham, Georgia. They were married for 27 years, divorcing in 2009, and have three daughters. While married, Lopez and Knight lived in Georgia in his hometown of Albany. Since 1986, she has hosted the Nancy Lopez Hospice Golf Classic at the Doublegate Country Club to raise money for Albany Community Hospice, returning yearly even after her divorce from Knight in 2009. She currently resides in The Villages, Florida where she hosts an annual golf tournament to benefit the charity AIM, an organization that helps mentally challenged, visually impaired, hearing impaired, physically handicapped and other children and adults with special needs. She has hosted the tournament since 1981 and also serves as a National Ambassador with AIM, along with Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Morgan. In 2008, Lopez donated $5,000 to the Republican National Committee. In 2017, Lopez married for a third time to Ed Russell.

Amateur wins

this list may be incomplete

LPGA Tour wins (48)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1Feb 26, 1978Bent Tree Classic+1 1 stroke Jo Ann Washam
2Mar 12, 1978Sunstar Classic−3 1 stroke Debbie Austin
Debbie Massey
3May 14, 1978Greater Baltimore Classic−7 3 strokes Donna Caponi
4May 21, 1978Coca-Cola Classic−3 Playoff JoAnne Carner
5May 29, 1978Golden Lights Championship−11 1 stroke Jane Blalock
6Jun 11, 1978LPGA Championship−13 6 strokes Amy Alcott
7Jun 18, 1978Bankers Trust Classic−5 2 strokes Jane Blalock
Debbie Massey
8Aug 6, 1978Colgate European Open−7 3 strokes JoAnne Carner
Mary Dwyer
Sally Little
9Nov 12, 1978Colgate Far East OpenE 2 strokes Silvia Bertolaccini
Kathy Whitworth
10Mar 11, 1979Sunstar Classic−8 1 stroke Hollis Stacy
11Mar 25, 1979Sahara National Pro-Am−16 2 strokes Donna Caponi
12May 6, 1979Women's International−6 3 strokes Donna White
13May 20, 1979Coca-Cola Classic−3 Playoff Bonnie Bryant
Hollis Stacy
Jo Ann Washam
Mickey Wright
14Jun 3, 1979Golden Lights Championship−8 4 strokes Pat Bradley
15Jun 24, 1979Lady Keystone Open−4 2 strokes Sally Little
Kathy Whitworth
16Aug 5, 1979Colgate European Open−6 4 strokes Joyce Kazmierski
17Sep 30, 1979Mary Kay Classic−14 2 strokes Sandra Post
18Mar 30, 1980Women's Kemper OpenE 2 strokes Debbie Massey
Jo Ann Washam
19Jun 29, 1980The Sarah Coventry−9 1 stroke Pat Bradley
20Sep 1, 1980Rail Charity Golf Classic−13 1 stroke JoAnne Carner
21Mar 8, 1981Arizona Copper Classic−14 4 strokes Pat Bradley
22Apr 5, 1981Colgate-Dinah Shore−11 2 strokes Carolyn Hill
23Jun 28, 1981The Sarah Coventry−3 2 strokes Pat Bradley
24Mar 21, 1982J&B Scotch Pro-Am−5 5 strokes Sandra Haynie
25Nov 7, 1982Mazda Japan Classic−9 6 strokes Amy Alcott
26Feb 6, 1983Elizabeth Arden Classic−3 1 stroke Pat Bradley
JoAnne Carner
Stephanie Farwig
Betsy King
27Apr 10, 1983J&B Scotch Pro-Am−6 1 stroke Laura Baugh
28Mar 4, 1984Uniden LPGA InvitationalE 3 strokes Pat Bradley
29Aug 19, 1984Chevrolet World Championship of Women's Golf−7 1 stroke JoAnne Carner
30May 19, 1985Chrysler-Plymouth Classic−9 3 strokes Pat Bradley
31Jun 7, 1985LPGA Championship−15 8 strokes Alice Miller
32Jul 7, 1985Mazda Hall of Fame Championship−7 3 strokes JoAnne Carner
Allison Finney
33Aug 11, 1985Henredon Classic−20 10 strokes Val Skinner
34Sep 8, 1985Portland Ping Championship−1 Playoff Lori Garbacz
35Feb 8, 1987Sarasota Classic−7 3 strokes Kathy Guadagnino
Anne Marie Palli
36Sep 13, 1987Cellular One-Ping Golf Championship−6 1 stroke Kelly Leadbetter
Muffin Spencer-Devlin
Jan Stephenson
37Feb 7, 1988Mazda Classic−5 2 strokes Marta Figueras-Dotti
38Apr 17, 1988AI Star/Centinela Hospital Classic−6 Playoff Marta Figueras-Dotti
39May 15, 1988Chrysler-Plymouth Classic−12 8 strokes Jan Stephenson
40May 21, 1989Mazda LPGA Championship−14 3 strokes Ayako Okamoto
41Jul 30, 1989Atlantic City Classic−10 1 stroke Christa Johnson
Vicki Fergon
42Sep 24, 1989Nippon Travel-MBS Classic−11 2 strokes Alice Ritzman
Pamela Wright
43Sep 23, 1990MBS LPGA Classic−7 Playoff Cathy Gerring
44May 5, 1991Sara Lee Classic−10 2 strokes Kris Monaghan
45Sep 7, 1992Rail Charity Golf Classic−17 Playoff Laura Davies
46Sep 13, 1992Ping-Cellular One LPGA Golf Championship−7 Playoff Jane Crafter
47Jul 11, 1993Youngstown-Warren LPGA Classic−13 Playoff Deb Richard
48Apr 27, 1997Chick-fil-A Charity Championship−7 2 strokes Tina Barrett
Deb Richard
Karrie Webb

Note: Lopez won the Colgate-Dinah Shore before it became a major championship.
LPGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11978Kathryn Crosby/Honda Civic Classic Sally LittleLost to par on first extra hole
21978Coca-Cola Classic JoAnne CarnerWon with par on first extra hole
31978Mizuno-Japan Classic Michiko Okada
Ai-Yu Tu		Okada won with birdie on fifth extra hole
Tu eliminated with birdie on second hole
41979Women's Kemper Open Donna Caponi
JoAnne Carner
Chako Higuchi
Jan Stephenson		Carner won with par on second extra hole
Caponi, Lopez, and Stephenson eliminated with par on first hole
51979Coca-Cola Classic Bonnie Bryant
Hollis Stacy
Jo Ann Washam
Mickey Wright		Won with birdie on second extra hole
Bryant, Stacy, and Washam eliminated with birdie on first hole
61980Mary Kay Classic Jerilyn BritzLost to birdie on second extra hole
71985Portland Ping Championship Lori GarbaczWon with birdie on third extra hole
81988AI Star/Centinela Hospital Classic Marta Figueras-DottiWon with par on second extra hole
91988Crestar Classic Juli Inkster
Rosie Jones
Betsy King		Inkster won with eagle on first extra hole
101988Rochester International Mei-Chi Cheng
Patty Sheehan		Cheng won with birdie on second extra hole
Sheehan eliminated with par on first hole
111990MBS LPGA Classic Cathy GerringWon with birdie on first extra hole
121992Rail Charity Classic Laura DaviesWon with par on first extra hole
131992Ping-Cellular One LPGA Golf Championship Jane CrafterWon with par on second extra hole
141993Youngstown-Warren LPGA Classic Deb RichardWon with birdie on first extra hole
151998Sara Lee Classic Donna Andrews
Jenny Lidback
Barb Mucha		Mucha won with birdie on second extra hole

LPGA of Japan Tour wins (1)

1Co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour

Other wins (4)

Wins (3)

Results timeline

^ The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001.
LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the half=way cut.
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied

Team appearances

Amateur
Professional