32 | July 2017 #juniorgolfmag GAZING FROM THE GALLERY The Golf Legend You Never Knew BY RANDY SCHULTZ , SENIOR EDITOR She didn’t care much for conformity or precon- ceived ideas about what a woman should be or could accomplish. The only limits she accepted were those she set for herself, and they were often as high as the sky. Babe Didrikson Zaharias was an empowered young lady, long before Title IX or pink hats. A KNACK FOR EVERYSPORT Many consider “The Babe” to be the most accomplished female athlete of the 20th Century. She won two gold medals in track & field, at the 1932 Summer Olym- pics, and excelled at baseball, basketball, tennis, swimming, boxing and handball. Yet her greatest feats were possibly saved for the game of golf. If ever there was a symbol for young female golfers to embrace, it was Zaharias. That’s not to say that she was universally liked. In fact, many of her competitors considered her to be overly aggressive, a bragger, someone who would do almost anything to win. But, as one present day athlete has said, Babe wasn’t really cocky or dismissive of others; she simply spoke the truth — and that was that she was the greatest of her time. During her childhood in Beaumont, Tex- as, Babe was a recognized tomboy — the Coming in our September Issue! Some of the exclusive stories include: • Tiger Woods Learning Lab – Up Close! • Previewing the Junior Presidents Cup • New Player Development Program • Fall’s Perfect Golf Resort • Fresh Coaches’ Corner Insights • And many others! Don’t Miss a Single Issue ... Subscribe Today! Print Edition–$ 20 (Just $ 2.50 per Issue) Digital Edition–$ 8 | Digital & Print (Best Value)–$ 25 Go to juniorgolfmag.net and click the Subscribe tab – now! more PGA tournaments, finishing as high as a tie for 33rd at the Phoenix Open and also surviving the cut at Tucson. It would be almost 60 years before another wom- an, Annika Sörenstam, played in another PGA Tour event. Babe even attempted to qualify for the U.S. Men’s Open, but her application was rejected. Interestingly, she didn’t just test hermettle against the boys; she believed she could beat them. REMOVINGTHE BOUNDARIES Married for a time to professional wres- tler George Zaharias, the “Crying Greek from Cripple Creek,” she led a whirlwind life with him. When not playing in profes- sional golf tournaments, she did some part-time acting and even recorded sev- eral songs on the Mercury Records label. Amid all of these activities, the childless couple attempted to adopt, but authori- ties refused their request. Such was the improbable, multi-facet- ed and all-too-short life of one of the world’s greatest female athletes, who died at just 45. Today, with Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and the like, Babe Did- rikson Zaharias would be a monumental star on the world’s biggest stage. Young girls would mimic her golf swing, as well as her playful demeanor and her dogged determination. Back then, her actions moved one well-known reporter to re- mark, “It would be much better if she and all her type stayed at home, got them- selves prettied up and waited for the phone to ring.” It’s been 70 years since Babe’s heyday. In our new, more accepting society, the world is ready to welcome another Babe. Is she some 10-year-old phenom overwhelming much older opponents at a local muni course, a 7-year-old just getting her feet wet on the driving range or a little girl much younger who is merely fascinated by her older brother’s headcovers? This much we know. There is always room for big personalities with even bigger talent. Somewhere perhaps there’s a special light that’s starting to grow, beginning to bright- en — displaying that early glimmer of a transcendent star. The first female golf celebrity, Babe took the sport by storm in the 1940’s and early 1950’s. After winning the 1946 U.S. Women’s Amateur and the 1947 British Ladies Amateur, as well as 17 straight amateur tournaments — a feat that has never been matched — she turned pro. tag given to young girls of that era who preferred baseball bats to dolls, golf clubs over tea sets. Sure, she had the talents that were expected of women in those days; she went on to win the sewing championship at the 1931 South Texas State Fair and made many of her own golfing outfits. But Babe had bigger ambitions. A GOLFING ICON The first female golf celebrity, Babe took the sport by storm in the 1940’s and early 1950’s. After winning the 1946 U.S. Women’s Amateur and the 1947 British Ladies Amateur, as well as 17 straight amateur tournaments — a feat that has never been matched — she turned pro. Her game was a dominating force there as well, first with the Wom- en’s Professional Golf Association and then with the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), of which she was a founding member. While competitors grew envious of Babe, thegolfinggalleriesadoredher.Theysaw in her a strong, determined woman with a “take no prisoners approach,” a dare- devil willing to face even the most diffi- cult challenges. One ofthose was playing in a men’s PGATourevent,which she first had attempted in 1938 at the Los Ange- les Open. Though she missed the cut, she returned years later to play in three