Pat Bradley (golfer)

Pat Bradley (born March 24, 1951, in Westford, Massachusetts) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1974 and won six major championships and thirty-one LPGA Tour victories in all.

Amateur career

Bradley won the New Hampshire Amateur in 1967 and 1969 and the New England Amateur from 1972-73. As a member of the Florida International University golf team, Bradley was named an All-American in 1970. She tied for 12th as an amateur at the 1973 Burdine’s Invitational on the LPGA Tour [ [http://golf.about.com/od/golferswomen/p/pat_bradley.htm Pat Bradley at about.com] ] .

Professional career

Bradley joined the LPGA Tour in 1974 and got her first win at the Girl Talk Classic in 1976 (she also finished second six times that year). Her breakout year was 1978, when she won three times. Bradley's most fertile years came in the early to mid 1980s. She led the LPGA in wins in 1983 (4) and 1986 (5). Her first major came at the 1980 Peter Jackson Classic, then she added the 1981 U.S. Women's Open and 1985 du Maurier Classic [ [http://golf.about.com/od/golferswomen/p/pat_bradley.htm Pat Bradley at about.com] ] .

In 1986, she won three of the four LPGA majors - the du Maurier Classic, Nabisco Dinah Shore, and LPGA Championship. She finished fifth in the U.S. Women's Open. She won the money title and Vare Trophy that year, as well. In 1988, Bradley was diagnosed with Graves Disease. She played 17 tournaments, but made the cut in only eight. But she returned to form in 1989, winning once. Three more wins followed in 1990 [ [http://golf.about.com/od/golferswomen/p/pat_bradley.htm Pat Bradley at about.com] ] .

In 1991, Bradley won four times, and captured her second money and scoring titles, and also was named LPGA Tour Player of the Year for a second time. She was also inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. A New York Times survey of other LPGA Tour players published July 22, 1992 ranked Bradley as the tour's best long putter and best course manager as well as the best player on tour. The last of her LPGA victories came in 1995. Sports psychologist Bob Rotella wrote in his 1996 book Golf Is a Game of Confidence that Bradley was the most mentally tough athlete he knew. She won a total of thirty-one tournaments on the LPGA Tour [ [http://golf.about.com/od/golferswomen/p/pat_bradley.htm Pat Bradley at about.com] ] . She was the third woman, behind Mickey Wright and Louise Suggs, to have completed the LPGA "Career Grand Slam" [LPGA Career Grand Slam] .

LPGA Tour wins (31)

*1976 (1) Girl Talk Classic
*1977 (1) Bankers Trust Classic
*1978 (3) Lady Keystone Classic, Hoosier Classic, Rail Charity Classic
*1980 (2) Greater Baltimore Golf Classic, Peter Jackson Classic
*1981 (2) Women's Kemper Open, U.S. Women's Open
*1983 (4) Mazda Classic of Deer Creek, Chrysler-Plymouth Charity Classic, Columbia Savings Classic, Mazda Japan Classic
*1985 (3) Rochester International, du Maurier Classic, LPGA National Pro-AM,
*1986 (5) Nabisco Dinah Shore, S&H Golf Classic, LPGA Championship, du Maureir Classic, Nestle World Championship
*1987 (1) Standard Register Turquoise Classic
*1989 (1) Ai Star/Centinela Hospital Classic
*1990 (3) Oldsmobile LPGA Classic, Standard Register Turquoise Classic, LPGA Corning Classic
*1991 (4) Centel Classic, Rail Charity Golf Classic, SAFECO Classic, MBS LPGA Classic
*1995 (1) HEALTHSOUTH Inaugural

LPGA Majors are shown in bold.

Other wins

*1978 JCPenney Mixed Team Classic (with Lon Hinkle)
*1989 JCPenney Classic (with Bill Glasson)

Results in LPGA Majors

^ The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001.
DNP = did not play.
CUT = missed the half-way cut.
"T" = tied
WD = withdrew
DQ = disqualified
Green background for a win. Yellow background for a top-10 finish.

ee also

*Golfers with most LPGA Tour wins
*Golfers with most LPGA major championship wins

References

External links

* [http://www.lpga.com/player_results.aspx?id=412 Profile on the LPGA's official site]
* [http://golf.about.com/od/golferswomen/p/pat_bradley.htm Pat Bradley bio]
* [http://www.lpga.com/content_1.aspx?mid=2&pid=2496 LPGA Hall of Fame]