Lucy Barnes Brown
Encyclopedia
Lucy Barnes Brown (March 16, 1859 – ?) was an early American amateur golfer, known for winning the inaugural U.S. Women's Amateur in 1895.
Barnes was born in New York City
. She married Charles Stelle Brown in 1880 and competed in the 1895 tournament as Mrs. Charles S. Brown representing Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
. Shinnecock Hills at the time had club members named Barnes, and the United States Golf Association
(USGA) speculates that Mrs. Brown was their daughter.
The USGA had just been formed in late 1894, and earlier in 1895 had held the inaugural U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open
. On November 9, 1895, they held the first U.S. Women's Amateur championship at the Meadow Brook Club in the Town of Hempstead, New York
. The tournament that year was an 18-hole stroke play
event (match play
, used today, started the following year). Thirteen women competed, and Mrs. Brown won the tournament with a score of 132, defeating Nellie C. Sargent by two strokes. The score of 132 was the women's course record at the time. Mrs. Brown did not compete in the Women's Amateur again.
Her husband, Charles S. Brown, founded a real estate company in 1873 which is still active today as Brown Harris Stevens LLC. One of their children, Archibald M. Brown, was later president of Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
. The couple was still living in Manhattan
in 1920.
Barnes was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She married Charles Stelle Brown in 1880 and competed in the 1895 tournament as Mrs. Charles S. Brown representing Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is a links-style golf club located in the hamlet of Shinnecock Hills in the town of Southampton on Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. It has hosted the U.S. Open four times in three different centuries and will host the 2018 U.S. Open...
. Shinnecock Hills at the time had club members named Barnes, and the United States Golf Association
United States Golf Association
The United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...
(USGA) speculates that Mrs. Brown was their daughter.
The USGA had just been formed in late 1894, and earlier in 1895 had held the inaugural U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
. On November 9, 1895, they held the first U.S. Women's Amateur championship at the Meadow Brook Club in the Town of Hempstead, New York
Town of Hempstead, New York
Hempstead is one of the three towns in Nassau County, New York, United States, occupying the southwest part of the county. There are twenty-two incorporated villages completely or partially in the town. Hempstead's combined population was 759,757 at the 2010 Census, the majority of the population...
. The tournament that year was an 18-hole stroke play
Stroke play
Stroke play, also known as medal play, is a scoring system in the sport of golf. It involves counting the total number of strokes taken on each hole during a given round, or series of rounds...
event (match play
Match play
Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; this is as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes...
, used today, started the following year). Thirteen women competed, and Mrs. Brown won the tournament with a score of 132, defeating Nellie C. Sargent by two strokes. The score of 132 was the women's course record at the time. Mrs. Brown did not compete in the Women's Amateur again.
Her husband, Charles S. Brown, founded a real estate company in 1873 which is still active today as Brown Harris Stevens LLC. One of their children, Archibald M. Brown, was later president of Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is a links-style golf club located in the hamlet of Shinnecock Hills in the town of Southampton on Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. It has hosted the U.S. Open four times in three different centuries and will host the 2018 U.S. Open...
. The couple was still living in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
in 1920.
External links
- 1895 Women's Amateur results (including a New York Sun article)
- USGA 1895 tournament page
- Photo of Lucy Brown (playing at The Country ClubThe Country ClubThe Country Club, located in Brookline, Massachusetts, is one of the oldest country club in the United States. It holds an important place in golf history, as it is one of the five charter clubs that founded the United States Golf Association, and has hosted numerous USGA tournaments including the...
in 1902)