Donna Caponi
| Donna Caponi | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Donna Caponi-Byrnes |
| Born |
January 29, 1945 Detroit, Michigan |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Nationality |
 United States
|
| Residence | Tampa, Florida |
| Spouse | Ken Young (1971–81) Ted Byrnes (2006–) |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1965 |
| Former tour(s) | LPGA Tour (joined 1965) |
| Professional wins | 29 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| LPGA Tour | 24 |
| Other | 5 |
| Best results in LPGA major championships (wins: 4) |
|
| Western Open | 21st: 1967 |
| Titleholders C'ship | 12th: 1966 |
| ANA Inspiration | T13: 1985 |
| Women's PGA C'ship | Won: 1979, 1981 |
| U.S. Women's Open | Won: 1969, 1970 |
| du Maurier Classic | 3rd: 1980, 1982 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| World Golf Hall of Fame | 2001 (member page) |
| GWAA Female Player of the Year |
1981 |
| PGA First Lady of Golf Award |
2010 |
Donna Caponi-Byrnes (born January 29, 1945) is an American LPGA Tour professional golfer. She became a member of the tour in 1965 and won four major championships and 24 LPGA Tour career events. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Caponi was born in Detroit, Michigan. She started playing golf at the age of 5. She learned golf from her father, Harry, and won the Los Angeles Junior title in 1956. She tied for 21st as an amateur at the 1964 Hillside House Ladies' Open on the LPGA Tour.
Caponi joined the LPGA Tour in 1965. She won her first tournament in 1969 at the U.S. Women's Open. She is one of 14 players to make the U.S. Women’s Open her first LPGA victory. She would repeat as champion in 1970. Only Mickey Wright had ever won back-to-back U.S. Women's Opens before Caponi, who also matched Wright's 72-hole scoring record of 287. She would go on to win a total of 24 events on the LPGA Tour, including four major championships.
Caponi was named Female Player of the Year by Golf Writers Association of America in 1981. She finished in the top ten on the money list ten times between 1968 and 1981, including second-place finishes in 1976 and 1980. She retired from full-time competition in 1988. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2009, she was the recipient of the PGA First Lady of Golf Award.
She is currently an announcer on the Golf Channel, covering the Champions Tour.
From 1971 to 1981, Caponi was married to Ken Young and was known as Donna Caponi Young. After her divorce in 1981, she changed her name back to Donna Caponi. She married her longtime boyfriend Edward "Ted" Byrnes on July 29, 2006, and changed her name to Donna Caponi-Byrnes.
LPGA Tour playoff record (3–5)
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Wikipedia