Elizabeth M. Hicks (November 16, 1920 – February 20, 2011) was an American

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf p ...

, golf coach and teacher,

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

, and author. She also competed under her married name, Betty Hicks Newell. Hicks was born in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

. As an amateur golfer, she won the 1941 U.S. Women's Amateur and was Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year. She turned professional later that year. She attended

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became t ...

, graduating in 1947. Hicks competed on the

LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of week ...

, finishing second several times in the 1950s but never winning. She finished second in the U.S. Women's Open in 1948 and 1954 and third in 1957. She won the

All American Open The All American Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour in the 1940s and 1950s. It was played at the Tam O'Shanter Country Club in Niles, Illinois. It was run by George S. May and was originally known as the Tam O'Shanter National Open. From ...

, which would later become a LPGA Tour event, in 1944. Hicks coached the women's golf team at

Foothill College Foothill College is a public community college in Los Altos Hills, California. It is part of the Foothill–De Anza Community College District. It was founded on January 15, 1957, and offers 79 Associate degree programs, 1 Bachelor's degree ...

in Los Altos Hills, California, where she also coordinated the aviation department. As an author, Hicks co-authored the book "Golf Manual for Teachers" with Ellen Griffin in 1949. In 1996, she co-authored "Patty Sheehan on Golf" with

Patty Sheehan Patty Sheehan (born October 27, 1956) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1980 and won six major championships and 35 LPGA Tour events in all. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Sheehan also ...

. In 2006, she wrote "My Life: From Fairway to Airway" which chronicles her life in golf and her second career as a pilot. Hicks is a member of the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Hall of Fame, the Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame, San Jose Sports Hall of Fame, the Women's Sports Foundation International Hall of Fame, the California Golf Writers Hall of Fame, and the International Forest of Friendship Aviation Hall of Fame.Six Voted into LPGA T&CP Division Hall of Fame's Inaugural Class
In 1999, she won the Ellen Griffin Rolex award for her efforts in helping the LPGA grow and in teaching the game of golf to women. Hicks is sometimes confused with contemporary

Helen Hicks Helen L. Hicks Harb (February 11, 1911 – December 16, 1974) was an American professional golfer and one of 13 founders of the LPGA in 1950. Biography Hicks was born in Cedarhurst, New York. She began playing golf at the age of 15, after bein ...

, who won the U.S. Women's Amateur in 1931. Hicks died on February 20, 2011, from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hicks, Betty American female golfers LPGA Tour golfers Winners of ladies' major amateur golf championships Golfers from California American women writers Aviators from California Women aviators Pomona College alumni Sportspeople from Long Beach, California People from Cupertino, California Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Deaths from dementia in California 1920 births 2011 deaths 21st-century American women