Leta Lindley
American professional golfer
Matt Plagmann
(m. 1996)| NGCA Players Hall of Fame | 2006 |
|---|---|
| Heather Farr Player Award | 2008 |
Leta Lindley (born June 1, 1972) is an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour between 1995 and 2012, and currently plays on the Legends of the LPGA circuit. She was runner-up at the 1997 LPGA Championship and won the 2008 LPGA Corning Classic. She has won three Legends of the LPGA tournaments, including her first career major, the 2024 U.S. Senior Women's Open.[1]
Early life and amateur career
Lindley's first golf job was painting stripes on range balls as an 11-year-old. She played collegiate golf at the University of Arizona, where she briefly roomed with Annika Sörenstam.[2] She was a four-time All-American, three-time Academic All-American, and finished third at the 1993 NCAA Championship. She was a Honda Sports Award finalist twice, and lost out to Vicki Goetze in 1992 and Charlotta Sörenstam in 1993. In addition, she was the medalist at the 1994 U.S. Women's Amateur. Lindley turned professional in the summer of 1994 after graduating with a degree in communications.[3]
Professional career
Lindley had a long and successful career on tour, and earned non-exempt status for the 1995 LPGA Tour season by finishing tied 52nd at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament. In her rookie season, she tied for third at the State Farm Rail Classic and tied for fifth at the 1995 U.S. Women's Open.[3]
In 1997, she recorded her career-best major finish with at the McDonald's LPGA Championship, where she lost a playoff to Christa Johnson on the second hole. She recorded her first LPGA career hole-in-one during the second round of the Edina Realty LPGA Classic.[3]
In 1999, she was runner-up at the City of Hope Myrtle Beach Classic. She crossed the $1 million mark in career earnings in 2000 and the $2 million mark in 2005. After almost 15 years on tour, she won the 2008 Corning Classic in her 295th LPGA Tour start. She crossed the $3 million mark in career earnings and retired from full-time competition at the end of the 2012 season, ranking among the top 60 all-time LPGA money winners, despite having only one win.[2]
After recording runner-up finishes in 2022 and 2023, she won the U.S. Senior Women's Open in 2024.[4]
Personal life
Lindley's husband, Matt Plagmann, caddied for her; her son Cole (born 2004), and daughter Reese (born 2006) traveled with the couple.[2]
Amateur wins
- 1989 AJGA Tournament of Champions
- 1994 Pac-10 Conference Championship
Professional wins (4)
LPGA Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 25, 2008 | LPGA Corning Classic | −11 (73-67-70-67=277) | Playoff |  Jeong Jang |
LPGA Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1997 | McDonald's LPGA Championship |  Christa Johnson | Lost to par on second extra hole |
| 2 | 2008 | LPGA Corning Classic | Jeong Jang | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
Legends of the LPGA wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 12, 2023 | St Johns Challenge | −7 (65) | 2 strokes | Nicole Jeray |
| 2 | Nov 8, 2023 | Cove Cay Legends | −14 (65-65=130) | 7 strokes | Moira Dunn-Bohls |
| 3 | Aug 4, 2024 | U.S. Senior Women's Open | −9 (69-71-71-64=275) | 2 strokes |  Kaori Yamamoto |
Results in LPGA Majors
| Tournament | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nabisco Dinah Shore | T54 | CUT | T27 | |||
| LPGA Championship | CUT | 2 | CUT | T26 | T12 | |
| U.S. Women's Open | T5 | CUT | CUT | T20 | T46 | |
| du Maurier Classic | T53 | CUT | T66 | CUT | CUT | T23 |
| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship | T48 | T9 | 27 | T35 | T30 | WD | CUT | T29 | 78 | |||
| LPGA Championship | T17 | T25 | CUT | T25 | T30 | T65 | T45 | |||||
| U.S. Women's Open | T43 | CUT | T22 | T19 | T50 | T53 | CUT | T21 | ||||
| Women's British Open ^ | CUT | CUT | T38 |
^ The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001.
Top 10
Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
T = tied
References
- ^ "Third Time's the Charm: Lindley Charges to Title at Fox Chapel". USGA. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ a b c Nichols, Beth Ann (August 4, 2024). "'Underdog' Leta Lindley rides hot putter to U.S. Senior Women's Open title with record final round". Golfweek. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Leta Lindley Bio". LPGA Tour. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Strege, John (August 4, 2024). "Leta Lindley avenges consecutive runner-up finishes in the U.S. Senior Women's Open with a comeback victory". Golf Digest. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
External links
- Leta Lindley at the LPGA Tour official site
- Leta Lindley at the Legends Tour official site
Media related to Leta Lindley at Wikimedia Commons
