Althea Gibson's Personal Used 1962 US Amateur Wilson Golf Irons, Woods & Putter in Bag
Breaking down barriers as the first black women to play on the LPGA Tour, Althea Gibson joined the tour as a 36 year old 1963 with athleticism and unmatched drive. She did have a single golf tournament start under her belt at the 1962 US Amateur, where she used these clubs - posing with them in the final listing reference photo. This was all after a tennis career resume that included wins at the French, two Wimbledon's and two US Singles titles prior to the US Open and holding Number 1 in the world - all firsts for an African American. It was four Grand Slam tennis wins in all, but it didn't pay the bills.
“There was a lot of racial unrest in the country and the sponsors of two of our tournaments were afraid that if Althea played, there would be trouble. They told me to tell her that she couldn’t play that year.” LPGA Vice President Barbara Romack and Althea Gibson were friends, but Romack was unsure of how Gibson might react. “I felt terrible going up to this great champion and saying ‘They suggest that you don't play,’” said Romack. “But I told her that they wanted her to play next year. She said, ‘I understand. I don’t want to cause any trouble. I just want to play golf.’ She did not play that year, but the following year she played in both tournaments and the tournament chairmen each invited her to stay in their homes, which she did.” Gibson then played in 171 LPGA golf tournaments from 1963-1977 after a tennis career resume that included wins at the French, two Wimbledon's and two US Singles titles prior to the US Open. It was four Grand Slam tennis wins in all.
Zaharias Foundation acquisition story: After Babe D. Zaharias’ passing, her husband Big George Zaharias continued to follow the LPGA tour
serving and assisting many newcomers seeking to obtain their LPGA tour card. In late 1961/early 1962 Big George
welcomes Althea (who he and Babe had been friends with in the past world of tennis) with his support
and connections in the golf industry’s companies. George talked to some of his friends, and they
supplied Althea with clubs, clothes, and other golf accessories. One of the companies was The Stan
Thompson Golf Co. located in Los Angeles, California. They provided her with this set of woods, irons
and a putter that was very similar to the set Babe used. As the photos show, Althea’s clubs performed
very satisfactory during her first year on tour. Later on, she would sign a contract to play the Stan
Thompson brand exclusively with an increase in pay. Here is that 1962 US Amateur used set of Wilson Golf Irons, Woods & Putter. The only change in the set since her 1962 US Amateur appearance that the reference wire photo is from was a 2 for a 2, Gibson traded a 2 wood for a 2 iron after the tournament as she continued to gain golf experience. These measure between 34 1/2" - 42 1/2."
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