Stacy burst onto the scene as an amateur in 1969 when she won her first USGA title, the U.S. Junior Girls Championship. She did it again in 1970. In 1971, she faced a budding star from Los Angeles named Amy Alcott. The two future World Golf Hall of Fame members played brilliantly, and Alcott made birdie on No. 18 to push it to a playoff. But Stacy again rose to the challenge, holing a 15-foot birdie putt to become the only player to win three consecutive U.S. Junior Girls titles. It’s a record that still stands.
By 1983, Stacy had established herself as one of the top players on the LPGA. And she burnished her reputation for coming up big in the big moments when she won her third career major title at the Peter Jackson Classic (later named the du Maurier Classic).
At the 1984 U.S. Women’s Open, Stacy provided the exclamation point on her fabulous career. Although for three rounds, it didn’t look like she would be a factor. She was five off the lead coming into the final round at the Salem Country Club in Peabody, Mass. But she found her major championship magic and began a furious rally.
At the par-4 13th hole, Stacy drove it into the deep rough, under a tree. Par would have been a good score from there. From 123 yards, she ripped a low 7-iron that landed 20 yards short, hopped onto the green, rattled the cup and went in for an eagle-2. The miraculous shot tied her for the lead with Rosie Jones and her old friend Alcott.
Despite a tee shot into the rough on 18, Stacy used her excellent short game to create another spectacular par. When Jones and Alcott both bogeyed the hole, Stacy was left with her third U.S. Women’s Open, her sixth USGA title, and a place in golf history.