LPGA Tour's Florida Lady Citrus Tournament
First played: 1979
Last played: 1984
Ths Florida Lady Citrus had no multiple winners, not surprising given its short duration. But two champs, Jane Blalock and Patty Sheehan, finished as runners-up in other years. And both were also involved in playoffs.
This event had three playoffs in its six-year span. In the inaugural tournament in 1979, Blalock beat JoAnne Carner on the first extra hole in a match of LPGA heavyweights. In 1981, Beth Daniel emerged the victor from a 5-way playoff. Also in that playoff were Sheehan, Donna Caponi, Cindy Hill and amateur Patti Rizzo. Rizzo was attempting to be the LPGA's first amateur winner since Carner won the 1969 Burdine's Invitational. But she bowed out on the first playoff hole, with Daniel winning it on the second extra hole.
Sheehan was in another playoff the following year, but she won that 1982 tournament on the fourth extra hole against Kathy Postlewait. It was Sheehan's second career victory (out of an eventual 35 wins) on the LPGA Tour.
The final champ, in 1984, was Betsy King, and it was also her second (out of an eventual 34) career win on the LPGA Tour.
Winners of the Florida Lady Citrus/Orlando Classic
1979 — Jane Blalock, 2861980 — Donna White, 283
1981 — Beth Daniel, 281 (def. Donna Caponi, Patty Sheehan, Cindy Hill and a-Patti Rizzo in playoff)
1982 — Patty Sheehan, 209 (def. Kathy Postlewait in playoff)
1983 — Lynn Adams, 208
1984 — Betsy King, 202
Also known as: The tournament's names in its short history were Florida Lady Citrus, 1979-81; Orlando Lady Classic, 1982; Combanks Orlando Classic, 1983; and Freedom/Orlando Classic, 1984.
Golf courses: Played at the Rio Pinar Country Club, 1979-82; and the Cypress Creek Country Club, 1983-84; both in the Greater Orlando area of Florida.
Sources:
LPGA Tour. Tournament Chronology, 1970-1979, via Wayback Machine, https://web.archive.org/web/20100102105959/http://www.lpga.com/content/Chronology70-79.pdf.
LPGA Tour. Tournament Chronology, 1980-1989, via Wayback Machine, https://web.archive.org/web/20110629095854/http://www.lpga.com/content/Chronology80-89.pdf.
