Little, Sally (1951—)

South African-born golfer . Born on October 12, 1951, in Cape Town, South Africa.

Had 15 professional career wins, including the LPGA championship (1980), the Dinah Shore (1982), and the du Maurier (1988); was LPGA Rookie of the Year (1971).

Born in 1951 in Cape Town, South Africa, Sally Little started playing golf at the age of 12 and began winning titles almost immediately. In 1971, after stacking up victories in every tournament available to her at home, she joined the U.S. circuit and was named Rookie of the Year. Little reached a career high in 1976, when she won the Women's International, sinking a 75-foot sand shot on the last hole of the tournament to beat Jan Stephenson . Little went on to win the LPGA championship in 1980, and the Women's International again in 1981. Slowed by abdominal and arthroscopic knee surgeries in 1983, she was out of the winner's circle for several years, although she was the tour's 12th million-dollar earner in 1985. After losing the U.S. Women's Open to Jane Geddes in 1986, Little came back strong to win the du Maurier Classic in 1988. Nancy Lopez felt that Little had everything one could want in a golfing competitor. "Like JoAnne Carner , she's a long driver and a fighter, and that means you can't play lazy when Sally is around." Becoming a U.S. citizen in 1982, Little made her home in Palm Beach, Florida.

sources:

Lopez, Nancy, with Peter Schwed. The Education of a Woman Golfer. NY: Simon and Schuster, 1979.

Markel, Robert, ed. The Women's Sports Encyclopedia. NY: Henry Holt, 1997.

Barbara Morgan , Melrose, Massachusetts