Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 6, 1962, Sioux City’s Judy Kimball finished off a Saturday round with a 71 at the LPGA Championship at the Stardust Country Club in Las Vegas. The Iowans finished out the tournament at -2 under to capture the LPGA Championship by four strokes.
Kimball only started golfing at 16 but quickly rose among the ranks of Iowa’s amateur golfers. In 1957, she placed third before capturing the state’s amateur title the following year at the Cedar Rapids Country Club. After graduating from Kansas, Kimball turned pro.
In her first tournament, at Sea Island, Kimball made $95 for a 16th-place finish. Kimball went on to capture her first tour win just fifteen events later when she won the 1961 American Women’s Open in Minneapolis, netting a purse of $1,247.35 while only putting 21 times during her final round.
The following year, Kimball captured the LPGA Championship by smashing the previous tournament record by three strokes. Kimball continued as a member of the tour from 1961-1988, going on to capture five total professional wins including the 1966 Yankee Women’s Open, the 1971 O’Sullivan Ladies Open, and the 1971 LPGA Four-Ball Championship. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
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