The best golfer from every U.S. state

New Hampshire: Jane Blalock

In truth, there aren’t a great number of golfers in the history of the sport to hail from New Hampshire. It’s simply not a state that has produced many of the game’s greats. Thus, Jane Blalock is the easy choice here. However, just because the options are limited for the state as a whole doesn’t mean that Blalock’s accomplishments throughout her career should be diminished by any means.

The Portsmouth native ultimately played her collegiate golf in Winter Park, FL at Rollins College, but her amateur golf career largely thrived in her home state. Blalock first won the New Hampshire Amateur Championship in 1965 and then would go on to win it five straight times throughout her career. Ultimately she turned pro and joined the LPGA Tour in 1969, and her ventures into the world of professional golf were successful early on as she was named LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year in her first season.

Blalock won her first tournament on the LPGA Tour on August 1970 at the Lady Carling Open, besting Betsy Rawls by one stroke to pick up the victory. This win would be the first of many for the New Hampshire great as she would win 27 times on the LPGA Tour and 34 times overall as a professional.

However, the career of Blalock may unfortunately be best remembered by her moniker as the “best to never win a major.” Her best finish in a major championship came at the LPGA Championship in both 1972 and 1980, when she finished second on each occasion. Even without a major though, her ability and success is undeniable.