Professional Golfer

In 1973 Bonnie Lauer graduated cum laude from Michigan State where she had won the national intercollegiate gold championship. And the first female athlete voted “Spartan of the Week” by the State News. In 1974 she reached the semi-finals of the U.S. Amateur Gold Championship. That same year, she was a member of the U.S. Curtis Cup team. The Curtis Cup is the best-known team trophy for women amateur golfers. That same year she tied for 12th in the U.S. Women’s Open.  In 1975 she joined the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and won the Rookie of the Year award in 1976. In 1977 she won the Patty Berg Classic, a women’s professional golf tournament held in Minnesota on the LPGA Tour from 1973 to 1980.  In 1981 she participated in U.S. Women’s Open finishing where she tied for 4th place. The following year she was diagnosed with Carpel Tunnel Syndrome in both hands requiring surgery. In 1985 she finished 2nd in the LPGA Tour.