One of the greatest female golfers to ever come out of the Pacific Northwest. As the daughter in an Army family, Pat attended six elementary schools in five states and was in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked. Theirs was a close father and daughter relationship when pat was advancing in her teens and Colonel Lesser often took her to ball games and many sporting events. Finally she tagged along with him to the golf course and liked the sport. It was not until she won the Seattle City title at age 14 that she took much interest in practicing. She is a graduate of Seattle University and was the first female to play on a collegiate men's golf team. In four years she won 32 matches, lost 8 and tied 7 as the number 6 player. There is one story that might indicate how her fellow competitors she met in college matches felt. The teammates of a man player who had lost to Pat, who had shot 71, was being razzed for losing to a girl. His reply to the hecklers was: "I didn't lose to a girl. I lost to a 71." She is the only player ever to win the US Juniors, National Collegiate and US Amateur championships and first to hold The National Amateur, Western Amateur, Doherty Cup and South Atlantic titles the same year.
PAT LESSER HARBOTTLE
Career Highlights:
U.S. Women's Amateur Champion 1955
U.S. Women's Open – Low Amateur 1951 & 1953
U.S. Girls' Junior Champion 1950
Canadian Women's Amateur Medalist 1953; Finalist 1956
NCAA Champion 1953; Finalist 1954; Medalist 1952
Women's Western Am.Champion 1955; Medalist 1954; Finalist 1956
Western Junior Girls' Champion 1950
PNGA Women's Am. Champion 1952, 1953 & 1965; Finalist 1961; Medalist 1955, 1963 & 1964
PNGA Senior Women's Team Champion (with Ann Swanson) 1998
North & South Women's Amateur Finalist 1955
South Atlantic Women's Amateur Champion 1954 & 1955
Helen Lee Doherty Invitational Champion 1955
Titleholders Low Amateur 1955
Washington State Women's Golf Association *Champion 1952 & 1974; Finalist 1950; Medalist 1950 & 1952
Oregon Am. Champion 1952; Finalist 1951; Medalist 1951 & 1952
Curtis Cup Team Member 1954 & 1956
Inducted into State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame 1999
Inducted into Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame 1985
Seattle City Champion 1948, 1949
SEATTLE POST INTELLIGENCER "MAN OF THE YEAR" 1955
PNGA Hall of Fame Member
WASHINGTON State sports Hall of Fame 1999
SEATTLE UNIVERSITY HALL OF FAME
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