Lucy Barnes Brown

Lucy Barnes Brown (née Lucy Nevins Barnes) (March 16 1859 – ?) was an early American amateur golfer, known for winning the inaugural U.S. Women's Amateur Championship in 1895.

Barnes was born in New York City. She married Charles Stelle Brown in 1880cite web|url=http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:2510068&id=I527445597|title= Lucy Nevins BARNES|first=Jim|last=McKeown|accessdate=2007-07-08] and competed in the 1895 tournament as Mrs. Charles S. Brown representing Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. Shinnecock Hills at the time had club members named Barnes, and the United States Golf Association speculates that Mrs. Brown was their daughter.cite web|url=http://turf.lib.msu.edu/GolfJournal/ttg/2000/july/through_the_green.asp|title= Two USGA Acquisitions Inspire Celebration|publisher=USGA|date=July 2000|accessdate=2007-06-19]

The USGA had just been formed in late 1894, and earlier in 1895 had held the inaugural U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open. On November 9 1895, they held the first U.S. Women's Amateur championship at the Meadow Brook Club in the Town of Hempstead, New York. The tournament that year was an 18-hole stroke play event (match play, used today, started the following year). Thirteen women competed, and Mrs. Brown won the tournament with a score of 132, defeating Nellie C. Sargent by two strokes. The score of 132 was the women's course record at the time. [cite web|url=http://www.historywomensgolfam.com/1895.htm|title=History of Women's Golf in America: 1895|accessdate=2007-06-19] Mrs. Brown did not compete in the Women's Amateur again.

Her husband, Charles S. Brown, founded a real estate company in 1873 which is still active today as Brown Harris Stevens LLC. [cite web|url=http://www.brownharrisstevens.com/about.aspx|title=Company History of Brown Harris Stevens|accessdate=2007-06-19] One of their children, Archibald M. Brown, was later president of Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. The couple was still living in Manhattan in 1920.cite web|url=http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=mhebert&id=I3619|title=Michael L. Hebert's Genealogy|last=Hebert|first=Michael|accessdate=2007-06-19]

References

External links

* [http://www.historywomensgolfam.com/1895.htm 1895 Women's Amateur results] (including a New York Sun article)
* [http://www.uswamateur.org/2004/history/1895_c_brown.html USGA 1895 tournament page]
* [http://www.town.brookline.ma.us/TownInformation/BrooklinePhotos/34.htm Photo of Lucy Brown] (playing at The Country Club in 1902)