Jameson, "Betty" (Elizabeth M.)
Golf
b. May 19, 1919, Norman, OK
Jameson had a very successful golfing career even before she became a professional. She won the Texas Publinx championship at the age of thirteen and she was the Southern Amateur champion at fifteen; she won the National Amateur championship in 1939 and 1940, the Western Amateur in 1940 and 1942.
As an amateur, she also won the 1938 Texas Open and the 1942 and 1944 Western Opens. Jameson became a professional in 1945 and she was a founding member of the LPGA in 1948. She shot a 295 to win the U. S. Women's Open in 1947, becoming the first woman golfer to score lower than 300 in a 72-hole tournament. Her best year as a professional was 1955, when she won four events.
In 1952, Jameson donated the Vare Trophy, named for Glenna Collet Vare, which is awarded annually to the LPGA player with the lowest average strokes per round.