Alcott, Amy (1956—)

American golfer and LPGA champion. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, on February 22, 1956; lives in Santa Monica, California.

Won the Orange Blossom Classic (1976). Won the LPGA Classic and the Colgate Far East Open (1977); won the Peter Jackson Classic (1979); won the U.S. Women's Open and the Vare Trophy (1980); took the Nabisco-Dinah Shore title (1983, 1988, 1991); won the Lady Keystone Open (1984).

As a young golfer, Amy Alcott won the U.S. Junior Girls' title in 1973 and came in second in the Canadian Amateur in 1974. While still a teenager, she won a tournament at the difficult Pebble Beach course, her score of 70 breaking an earlier record set by Babe Zaharias . Before turning pro, Alcott supported herself as a short-order cook at the Butterfly Bakery in Los Angeles. In January 1975, she joined the Ladies' Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour. By February, on her 19th birthday, Alcott had won the Orange Blossom Classic. That first year, she was named Rookie of the Year, and she would continue to win a tournament in each of her first 12 years on the Tour, a record she shares with Louise Suggs and Betsy Rawls .

In 1980, Alcott was the U.S. Women's Open champion, shooting 280 despite the 100° temperatures; she was also voted Player of the Year by America's Golf magazine and was the recipient of the coveted Vare trophy with a yearly average of 71.51. In 1983, 1988, and 1991, she won the prestigious Nabisco-Dinah Shore Invitational. In 1984, Alcott took first place and $200,000 in the Lady Keystone Open with a score of 65. Asked what she would do with her winnings, she replied that a down payment on a bakery might provide a secure future once she retired from the links.

Karin Loewen Haag , freelance writer, Athens, Georgia