The sad story of Jackie Pung at the U.S. Women’s Open covers a five-year period, and both chapters involve Betsy Rawls.
Pung was an upcoming player from Honolulu, Hawaii, when the USGA assumed responsibility for running the Women’s Open in 1953. That year, the USGA selected the Country Club of Rochester, N.Y.
The nature of women’s golf at that time was strongly influenced by amateur players. For example, only 17 of the 37 entries in the 1953 Open were professionals. But this championship came down to Rawls, playing out of Spartanburg, S.C., and Pung.
Patty Berg held the lead through the first two rounds but closed with 80 and 79. She was three ahead of Rawls and four ahead of Pung going into the last round. Pung had the best closing round, a 74, and tied Rawls, who closed with 75.
The playoff held the next day was not terribly exciting as Rawls claimed her second Women’s Open gold medal, 71 to 77. Experts agreed that both players would contend for more Open titles.
In fact, Pung had fourth-place and a sixth-place finishes in the next three years.
The USGA took the 1957 Open to fabled Winged Foot Golf Club. Rather than play the more difficult West Course, an A.W. Tillinghast great and a favored venue for the “men’s” U.S. Open, the USGA chose the East Course at Winged Foot for the Women’s Open. This also was designed by Tillinghast and is an outstanding layout. It would be more acclaimed if it were not on the same property as the West Course.
The Bauer sisters, Alice and Marlene (the latter’s married name was Hagge) shared the first-round lead with one-under-par 73s. They joined the professional tour as teen-agers, Alice at age 18 and Marlene at 16. Both enjoyed winning careers.
Alice held the lead through the second round with a par 73 card for a 145 total, while Marlene skied to 81. Rawls was second with 74-74-148, three behind.
Already a two-time U.S. Open winner, Rawls took command with a third-round morning 75. Her 223 total was three ahead of Pung, who jumped into contention, after a 78-75 start, with 73-226. Betty Hicks was two more back.
Alice Bauer shot 87 to remove herself from the leaders’ list, although she and Marlene would tie for sixth place.
Rawls shot her championship-worst 76 in the final round for a 299 total, seven over par. Pung made a move, shooting 72 Saturday afternoon for a 298 total.
Pung checked her card, signed it and turned it in. The 72 total was correct.
Only afterward did she learn, however, that she signed for a score of five at the fourth hole when she actually made six. Her scorekeeper, Betty Jameson, recorded the wrong number; and Pung failed to catch the error.
By the Rules of Golf, even today, a player is responsible only for the hole-by-hole scores on her card. The championship committee is in charge of getting the math or addition of those hole-by-hole scores correct.
Because Pung signed for a score lower than what she actually made on a hole, she was disqualified from the championship.
(Many will remember that Roberto deVicenzo signed for an incorrect score in the 1968 Masters Tournament. In that instance, he signed for a score higher than he actually made on a hole. Rather than suffer disqualification, he was required — by the Rules of Golf — to keep the incorrect, higher score. Instead of facing Bob Goalby in a playoff the next day, deVicenzo settled for second place.)
As anyone would expect, Pung was crushed by her error. She had played well enough to win the 1957 U.S. Women’s Open, but lost everything to a pencil and math error.
In sympathy with Pung’s play and her error, the Winged Foot members, gallery and officials took an unofficial collection of more than $3,000 and gave it to Pung. Rawls, by the way, won the official $1,800 first prize from the total official purse of $7,200.
Not until 1965 would the official first-place prize exceed the unofficial collection amount for the vivacious lady from Hawaii. Pung tied for seventh in the next U.S. Open but never again contended.
Victimized in a different way, the 1957 Open always has been remembered for Pung’s error rather than Rawls’ victory, and even Betsy acknowledged her win was highly tarnished. Rawls won again in 1960 and took second place in 1961.
Over time, the USGA developed better ways to allow players to sign a scorecard. Today, players in a U.S. Open are escorted to a secluded tent or closed trailer and, with the help of USGA staff, review their cards until they are satisfied.
Players might review a card two or three times and ask a championship scoring official to read her unofficial scorecard to help in the process. Once a player is satisfied she has a correct card, she places that card in a box. At that point, the card is official.
Perhaps Pung would have avoided such an error in today’s setting, but the dirty, little footnote from 1957 U.S. Women’s Open history remains.
Next: Mickey Wright in 1958.
