Looking Back: Hoosier Classic on LPGA Tour
First played: 1974
Last played: 1980
Golf course: The tournament was played each year at Plymouth Country Club in Plymouth, Indiana.
The tournament was first played under the name Hoosier LPGA Classic for one year, then went by Hoosier Classic from 1974-78. Its final two years it had the name "Barth Classic."
Winners of the LPGA Hoosier Classic (Barth Classic)
1974 — JoAnne Carner, 2131975 — Betsy Cullen, 211
1976 — JoAnne Carner, 210
1977 — Debbie Austin, 207
1978 — Pat Bradley, 206
1979 — Sally Little, 208
1980 — Sandra Spuzich, 212
JoAnne Carner was a big fan of this tournament, apparently. She won the inaugural tournament in 1974 by two strokes over runners-up Judy Rankin and Donna Caponi. A year later Carner tied for second behind Betsy Cullen, then in 1976 she won the Hoosier Classic a second time. In 1978, Carner was runner-up a second time, one stroke behind Pat Bradley.
Debbie Austin tied for second behind Carner in 1976, then won the Hoosier Classic in 1977. It was one of her five LPGA victories that year (she won only two other tour titles outside of 1977).
In the 1980 tournament, Carolyn Hill, in her rookie LPGA season, tied for second behind Sandra Spuzich. Fourteen years and 359 starts later, Hill finally finished first in an LPGA tournament at the 1994 McCall's LPGA Classic. That is the LPGA record for most starts before a golfer's first win.
Sources:
LPGA Tour. 2004 LPGA Media Guide, All-Time Records.
LPGA Tour. Tournament Chronology, 1970-79 (via Internet Archive), https://web.archive.org/web/20100102105959/http://www.lpga.com/content/Chronology70-79.pdf.
LPGA Tour. Tournament Chronology, 1980-89 (via Internet Archive), https://web.archive.org/web/20110629095854/http://www.lpga.com/content/Chronology80-89.pdf.