Donna Caponi - Part 3 (The 1981 LPGA Championship and Broadcasting)

As a child, Donna Caponi dreamed of making the winning putt on the final hole to capture the U.S. Women’s Open, but she never imagined the scenario to win her first-ever LPGA tournament in golf’s biggest event.

Facing a four-foot putt on the 72nd hole to win the 1969 U.S. Open, Caponi lined up the crucial putt when she overheard the legendary Byron Nelson commentating on television say, “Donna Caponi has this putt to win the U.S. Women’s Open.” Caponi recalls struggling to breathe and to make matters worse she couldn’t believe Nelson when he reported, “I’ve been watching this putt all day and it’s almost dead straight. It might move slightly to her right.”

“A lot of people know my first win was the U.S. Open. That was a thrill. But winning the second U.S. Open was the biggest deal. I knew a lot more the second time around.”
“I thought,” said Caponi, “how can Byron Nelson see this putt break left to right. It’s right to left.” Flustered, she backed off the putt to regain her composure. She had already weathered a 15-minute delay after hitting her tee shot on 18 when an electrical storm passed through. Now was the moment for which she had waited a lifetime and she questioned her read. Like a true champion she decided to trust the line and proceeded to coolly sink the right-to-left putt.

“Thank goodness I went with my own instincts,” she said.

At the press conference, she learned that Nelson was right after all. It turns out his monitor was showing a camera angle from the opposite direction!

That victory launched a Hall of Fame ca… Read More