Today in history: South African golfer is born
Little's first tour victory was in 1976 at the Women's International at Moss Creek, where she made one of the most famous shots in LPGA history.
South African golfer, Sally Little, recognised by the LPGA as one of its Top 50 all-time players and teachers, was born in Cape Town on 12 October 1951.
At 17, Sally had claimed more than a dozen national and regional amateur titles, and in 1970 she was named South African Sportswoman of the Year.
She moved to the United States in 1971 and was invited to join the Ladies Professional Golf Association.
Little’s first tour victory was in 1976 at the Women’s International at Moss Creek, where she made one of the most famous shots in LPGA history.
In the final hole of the tournament, Sally holed a 40-yard bunker shot to edge out Jan Stephenson by one stroke.
Sally went on to win 15 professional titles in all, including her first major title, the LPGA Championship, in 1980.
Little was at the top of her career at a time when South Africa’s apartheid regime was facing international sanctions.
In order to keep playing overseas, she, like many world-class athletes from South Africa, renounced her South African citizenship.
Today she runs her own business, Sally Little Golf, Inc. She is also a senior design consultant for a golf course construction company, Ready For Golf.
Information sourced from: South African History Online.
