Mickey Wright undeniably was a gift to golf, one of its greatest champions, her swing alone an enduring work of art. But now comes word from the USGA that she has gifted the game substantially more than a memorable biography.
“The late four-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Mickey Wright has bequeathed her estate and possessions to the USGA,” the organization announced in a news release on Wednesday. “The preservation of her story is imperative to the USGA’s mission to chronicle the history of women’s golf and share it with generations to come.”
Wright, who at 85 died in February, is donating everything from equipment and awards to scrapbooks, photo albums, films, videos, her library, record collection, personal writings and other materials that involve her wide-ranging interests. These include fishing, the stock market and sculpture, according to the news release.
Among the artifacts are “thousands of pages of correspondence with family, friends and other golfers, as well as personal writings about her golf game and legendary swing.” She also has left the governing body with her Bob Jones Award, the USGA’s highest honor, which Wright received in 2010.
“We are honored that Mickey Wright has entrusted her legacy to the USGA,” Hilary Cronheim, director of the USGA Golf Museum and Library, said in the news release. “We strive to preserve each champion’s story in a multi-dimensional way, speaking to the breadth and depth of an individual’s life, character and impact.
“The story of golf cannot be told without Mickey Wright, and this collection ensures that future generations will appreciate her not only as a defining character in the game’s history, but as an individual with diverse interests, passions and pursuits outside of golf.”
The USGA also will honor Wright’s desire to be interred outside the Mickey Wright Room on the USGA campus is Far Hills, N.J. It will do so in conjunction with a celebration of her life at a date yet to be determined.