Lew Worsham defeated
Sam Snead, right, in an
18-hole playoff at the
1947 U.S. Open.
LEW WORSHAM televised golf tournament when he holed out for eagle from 104
yards on 18 to defeat another Virginia Golf Hall of Famer, Chandler
Harper, at the Tom O’Shanter World Championship of Golf. Wor-
sham won six times on the PGA Tour, had three top-10 finishes at
the Masters and won both of his matches at the 1947 Ryder Cup.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Worsham’s victory came in the first U.S.
Open to be televised locally. Six years later, he won the nationally VIRGINIA ROOTS: Worsham was born in Altavista in central
Virginia and began his career in golf as a caddie at Bannockburn
Golf Club in Glen Echo, Md. Worsham turned professional in 1938
when he took a job at Chevy Chase Club, and he moved to Burning
Tree Club in 1939. Worsham served the U.S. Navy in World War II
and settled in as the head professional at Oakmont Country Club
outside of Pittsburgh, where he worked from 1947-79. He died in
Poquoson in 1990, two weeks after his 73rd birthday.
CROWNING MOMENT: In 1947, Worsham became the first
Virginian to win the U.S. Open when he defeated fellow Virginia
Golf Hall of Famer Sam Snead in an 18-hole playoff at St. Louis
Country Club in Missouri. Worsham saved his best golf for the
playoff. He shot 70-70-71-71 for a four-day 282 to reach the playoff,
then posted a 2-under 69 to best Snead by a stroke.
ROBBYE UNGER
CROWNING MOMENT: Unger, one of the top female competitors in VSGA history,
made an impact on the national scene in the mid-1960s. Unger reached the semifinals
of the 1963 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and was an alternate for the United
States Curtis Cup squads in both 1964 and 1965.
Robbye Unger won six of the 10 Women’s Amateur
title matches she reached.
vsga.org
AMATEUR SUCCESS: Only one woman has won more VSGA Women’s Amateur
championships than Unger, who reached 10 Women’s Amateur title matches, winning
six times. Only Lily Harper Martin, who won seven titles from 1934- 41, has won more.
Unger won her first VSGA Women’s Amateur
in 1963 and won five more from 1966-72. Forty
years after her first VSGA championship,
Unger claimed her last one, winning the 2003
Tickets are available for the
VSGA Senior Women’s Stroke Play title.
2018 Virginia Golf Hall of Fame
induction ceremony, which will
RECOGNITION: Unger, who graduated
be held on Tuesday, May 15
from Wake Forest and earned her Master’s
at Hermitage Country Club at
degree at the University of Virginia, was
Manakin-Sabot. For information
inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of
on how to purchase tickets, visit
Fame in 1997. In addition to her on-course
virginiagolfhalloffame.com.
play, Unger served the VSGA as president
of the association’s Women’s Division from
1974-75.
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