University of Minnesota Athletics
Beverly Gammon Vanstrum
9/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
| Beverly Gammon Vanstrum Class of 2005 Golf 1952 |
Before women’s golf developed at the U of M, Beverly Gammon made national headlines as one of the most talented female golfers in the Midwest. Legendary men’s golf coach Les Bolstad invited her to practice with the men’s golf team using their facilities and coached her in the same manner as he did the men. In 1949, she joined the University Golf Club, which allowed her to play in the Minnesota Women’s Golf Association tournaments. Her status as a U of M legend became solidified in 1952 when she took second place at the Western and at the Women’s National Collegiate Championship, losing by one stroke on the 19th hole.
From the mid-1950s until the late 1960s and as a senior player into the late 1980s, Vanstrum was the dominant player in women's state amateur play. She won seven state match-play titles, six state stroke-play championships and four State Amateur crowns. In 1957, she became the first to win all three major championships in a single season. She also took second place six times, becoming a medalist (or shared honors) 16 times in 16 years. As a senior golfer, Vanstrum won four Senior Women's State Amateur titles and finished second four times. In total, she won 21 state titles and was runner-up 10 times. The Minnesota Golf Association PGA inducted Vanstrum into its Hall of Fame in 1991, recognizing that in winning 17 non-senior Minnesota golf championships she had accomplished a feat that no other female golfer had.
In 1999, the Star Tribune compiled a list of Minnesota's top 10 all-time greatest golfers - women and men. Vanstrum ranked sixth behind Bolstad, John Harris, Tom Lehman, Jimmy Johnson and number one, Patty Berg.
M Club Hall of Fame
