Catherine Lacoste

Catherine Lacoste (born 27 June 1945) is a French amateur golfer and the only player who has won the U.S. Women's Open as an amateur. Early life She was born and grew up in Paris, France, with her parents, René Lacoste and Simone de la Chaume and three older brothers. Her father was, beside a world class tennis player (having won seven Grand Slam singles titles), also a 6-handicap golfer. Her mother was a world class golfer, having won several major international amateur championships. Young Lacoste practised many different sports; skiing, skating, swimming, horse riding and tennis and, from 8 years of age, golf. Her family spent many holidays in the coast resort area of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, in France close to the Spanish border, near the Golf de Chantaco. The club was founded by Lacoste's grandfather René Thion de la Chaume in 1928, as a celebration of the British Ladies Amateur triumph a year earlier by Lacoste's mother. French golfer Jean Garaïalde and his father Raymond were her golf teachers when she learned the game at young age. When she was 13 years old, Jean gave her a putter that she used through her entire career. Always hitting the long clubs with ease, favoring the 1-iron, she was soon dominating golf tournaments in the region around her club.