Keeping Up With 1972 U.S. Women's Amateur Champion Mary Budke


March 8, 2005

When Mary Budke was at the height of her amateur golf career, in the early 1970s, she had a decision to make: turn pro or turn to medicine.

"I was good enough to be a mediocre tour player," says Budke, who won the 1972 U.S. Women's Amateur and also played on the victorious USA Curtis Cup team in 1974.

Budke defeated Cynthia Hill in the championship match, 5 and 4. Twice she needed 19 holes to advance, first knocking off current USGA Executive Committee member Mary Bea Porter-King (then just Mary Bea Porter) in the quarterfinals and then ousting Barbara White Boddie in the semis. At the 1974 Curtis Cup held at San Francisco Golf Club, Budke posted a 2-1 record, earning one singles victory when she defeated Tegwen Perkins, 5 and 4. The USA defeated Great Britain and Ireland, 13-5.

Budke she chose to follow the footsteps of her older brother into medical school instead of a career in golf. Today this eight-time Oregon State Women's Amateur champion is an emergency room physician at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Eugene, Ore. The E.R. is a "high-volume, high-stress" environment, Budke says, but the patience and calm demeanor she developed playing golf competitively help her to stay focused.

"It's like in match play," she says, "I never wanted to let my opponents see me sweat."

Budke, now 50, also captained the victorious USA Curtis Cup team in 2002, which she calls "one of the neatest experiences of my life," and still regularly competes in regional amateur events. Her next mission: to win the USGA Senior Women's Amateur.

Story written by Alan Bastable of Golf Magazine Properties.