Mickey Wright - © USGA

Wright, who died Feb. 17 at the age of 85, was the lead actress in the 1950s and 1960s. Preserving her story is imperative to the USGA's mission, which is to chronicle the history of women's golf and to share it with future generations.

The huge collection of over 300 artefacts related to Wright's professional career and personal life includes correspondence, photo albums, scrapbooking, equipment, medals, awards, films and videos , as well as his personal writings, library, record collection, and other material that highlights Wright's various interests, such as sculpture, fishing, and the stock market. The collection will be housed at the USGA Golf Museum and Library in Liberty Corner, NJ, alongside the collections of many great champions of golf.

With the more than 200 objects that Wright donated to the museum in 2011, the USGA has solidified the collection as the largest collection in the world linked to Wright's unparalleled career in golf as well as his life outside of golf. Game.

“We are honored that Mickey Wright has entrusted his legacy to the USGA,” said Hilary Cronheim, director of the USGA Golf Museum and Library. “We strive to preserve each Champion's story in a multidimensional way, speaking of the breadth and depth of the individual's life, character and impact. The story of golf cannot be told without Mickey Wright, and this collection ensures that future generations will appreciate him not only as a defining figure in the history of the game, but also as an individual with interests, passions and interests. various activities outside the golf course ”.

Part of Mickey Wright's possessions bequeathed to the USGA - © USGA

Among the strengths of the latest acquisition, we can mention

• LPGA Card 1955, year of Wright's debut on the LPGA Tour
• Medal of the Tall City Open 1964, where Wright recorded the biggest return to the final in LPGA Tour history (10 shots)
• 1973 Colgate Dinah Shore wins trophy for last professional victory
• The 2010 Bob Jones Award, the USGA's highest honor
• Practice mat used by Wright at his home from 2011 until his death
• About 10 cutout albums and nearly 20 personal photo albums
• Thousands of pages of correspondence with family, friends and other golfers, as well as personal writings about his game of golf and his legendary golf swing
• Formica desk, lamp and sewing machine with home sewn blanket from her home in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
• Fishing rods, tackle boxes and lures
• Pottery wheel, self-hardening clay, carving tools and sculptures
• Documents on the life and career of Wright's partner, Peggy Wilson

Wright's initial collection has been on display at the USGA Golf Museum and Library since 2012, when she became the first woman - and the fourth player - to be honored by her own exhibit hall, thus joining Ben Hogan, Bob Jones and Arnold Palmer. Items on display in the Mickey Wright Room include the putter she used in 81 of her 82 professional wins, the full set of clubs used throughout her career, and her multi-winning USGA Champion Cups.

Earlier this year, in recognition of Wright's outstanding competitive career, the USGA forever linked her name to the US Women's Open Championship by designating the gold medal awarded annually to the winner in her honor. At the 2020 Championship which will be held in December at the Champions Golf Club, the first since Wright's death, the USGA will also recognize his contribution by displaying selected memorabilia and using a commemorative flag with his silhouette at number 18 on the final round. . Wright and Betsy Rawls are the only quadruple championship winners.

The USGA Golf Museum and Library is the nation's oldest sports museum and the world's premier institution for the collection, preservation, interpretation and dissemination of golf history. It is the most reliable repository for preserving the legacy of golf's greatest champions.

To know more : https://www.usga.org/

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