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On July 28, 1987, Laura Davies became the first Englishwoman to win on the LPGA Tour at the U.S. Women’s Open.

Davies defeated JoAnne Carner and Ayako Okamoto that year in a playoff to claim both her first career LPGA Tour title and first major championship victory as a non-member, a win for which the Englishwoman was granted automatic LPGA membership.

The 18-hole playoff took place on Tuesday after Sunday’s final round was pushed to Monday because of inclement weather, and Davies shot a 71 at Plainfield Country Club in New Jersey to beat Okamoto by two shots and Carner by three strokes.

The Englishwoman was the fourth international athlete and just the second European to capture a U.S. Women’s Open, joining Catherine Lacoste, who became the first amateur to win a major in 1967 at The Homestead.

The Dame went on to win 19 more times throughout her illustrious career, three of which were major championships that came at the 1994 and 1996 McDonald’s LPGA Championships and the 1996 du Maurier Classic. She was a member of 12 European Solheim Cup Teams and earned 25 points for the Blue and Yellow in those appearances.

Davies won an EPSY for Best Female Golfer in 1995, was named the Rolex Player of the Year in 1996 and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015. On the Ladies European Tour, she led the Order of Merit seven times throughout her playing career and was the LET Player of the Year in both 1996 and 1999.

28:["lpga-history","75-anniversary","laura-davies","news-and-notes"]

On This Date: Laura Davies Becomes First Englishwoman to Win on the LPGA Tour

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