By Dr. Anthony Parker
World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum Official Historian
The biggest names in women’s golf will be at Royal Birkdale for this year’s Ricoh Women’s British Open. The tournament is not as old as the men’s version, but it still has plenty of history.
The 1984 tournament, then known as the Hitachi Ladies British Open and run by the Ladies Golf Union, was an official stop on the Ladies European Tour and is the only one prior to 1994 that counted as an approved LPGA co-sanctioned event. Starting in 1994, it became a permanent fixture on the LPGA Tour and in 2001 it became a recognized LPGA major championship.
In a rainy, cold and windy week on the Duke’s Course at the Woburn Golf and Country Club, the 33-year-old Japanese golfer and future Hall of Fame member Ayako Okamoto won in a stunning 11-shot victory over fellow future Hall of Fame member Betsy King.
Over the first two rounds of the tournament, Okamoto carded two consecutive 2-under-par 71s on the par-73 course and claimed a one-stroke lead at the halfway stage over Scottish player Dale Reid. Even in the inclement weather, Okamoto holed an eagle and three birdies for a two-day total of 142. In the third round, Okamoto stayed hot and posted a 3-under 70 to take an 11-shot lead into the final round.
Starting the final round with a commanding lead, Okamoto never faltered. The rest of the field, with the exception of King who carded a final-round 74, never seriously challenged Okamoto. She covered the front nine in 38 strokes and finished with an 8-foot putt for a birdie on the final hole to complete the championship with a 3-under-par 289.
Okamoto had claimed the crown and the $32,000 first prize, becoming the first Asian woman to win the tournament.
“I thought when the event began that a score around par would be good enough for a top 10,” Okamoto said. “But I think it turned out to be a bit different from that because of the tough weather conditions this week.”
Other Hall of Fame members playing that week beside Okamoto and King were Pat Bradley (4th place), Amy Alcott (8th) and Kathy Whitworth (9th).
The victory was part of an outstanding season by Okamoto, who also won the Mayflower Tournament and the J&B Scotch Pro-Am. She was second three times and 13 times she placed in the top 10. She was the third-highest money winner in 1984 with $251,108, and that was the first of four multi-win seasons in her spectacular career.
Image courtesy of the Joseph Levy Foundation and University of St Andrews Library
