The first U.S. Women’s Open was held at Spokane Country Club (now called Kalispel Golf & Country Club) in 1946. It was conducted by the Women’s Professional Golf Association (precursor to the LPGA) and the Spokane Athletic Round Table. It is the only U.S. Women’s Open that was played as match play, and future World Golf Hall of Famer Patty Berg defeated Betty Jameson, 5 and 4, in the scheduled 36-hole final match to win the title.
Spokane’s Betty Jean (Rucker) Hulteng defeated several professionals earlier in the match play bracket, and advanced to the semifinals, where she finally bowed to Berg on the 35th hole.
Spokane’s Betty Jean (Rucker) Hulteng defeated several professionals earlier in the match play bracket, and advanced to the semifinals, where she finally bowed to Berg on the 35th hole.
It was in the 1940s that Hulteng enjoyed most of her success. She won the Spokane Women’s City Amateur three times (1942, 1943, 1944), and burst onto the national scene 1944 when she won the Broadmoor Invitational in Colorado Springs, the most prestigious national women’s event next to the U.S. Women’s Amateur. She won the PNGA Women’s Amateur in 1945 and 1946, and the Washington State Women’s Golf Association Championship in 1946.
In 1995, Hulteng was inducted into the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame.
A 22-year-old Betty Jean Rucker with Patty Berg after Berg had just defeated her in a close semifinal match in the 1946 U.S. Women’s Open at Spokane Country Club.
On August 7-8, Spokane’s Sunshine Club will celebrate this historic 80-year milestone, with weekend events honoring the pioneers who shaped the game, celebrating the individuals who carried it forward, and inspiring the next generation to dream even bigger.
Leadership summit and pairings party will be held on August 7, and the golf events will be held on August 8 at Kalispel Golf & Country Club. This will include a Legends Breakfast with World Golf Hall of Famers Nancy Lopez and Sandra Palmer, a Junior Clinic, the “80 Cup” 18-hole tournament, and after-golf BBQ.
