Alexa Stirling

V I I | A L E X A S T I R L I NG

S T A N A W T R E Y JANUARY 5, 2022

It is time to recognize the accomplishments of Alexa Stirling, a grand champion during the formative years of women’s competitive golf in the early 1900s and a trailblazer who made a positive impact on the sport. Stirling won three straight U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships – the first one when she was only 18. Only two other women have won more: Glenna Collett Vare and JoAnne Gunderson Carner, both of whom are al- ready enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame. Stirling’s win total may have been higher had it not been for cancellation of the event for two years because of World War I. But during those two years she toured the country with Bobby Jones and two other outstanding teens who became known as the “Dixie Kids” to raise money for the Red Cross. Their high-quality exhibition matches raised more than $150,000, the equivalent of $3.3 million when adjusted for inflation. Stirling was runner-up in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship three other times. She won three Southern Amateur championships, at that time considered a major amateur event. She won two Canadian Amateur Cham- pionships before retiring from competitive golf to raise her family and live a quiet life in Ottawa. Stirling and Jones had spent a lot of time together over the years at East Lake Golf Club. She was five years older and motivated Jones to improve his game to keep up. Stirling also helped Jones learn to control his temper on the course; Dr. Stirling, her father, refused to allow his daughter to play with Jones until he stopped swearing. They remained friends and exchanged regular correspondence for the rest of their lives. Just imagine the acclaim Alexa Stirling would have been given had she played during the modern era. Her accomplishments would have been trumpeted throughout the world on the internet. Videos of her fluid swing would be easy to find on YouTube and used as a model for others. She would likely have been a guest analyst on a national telecast. Probably would have written a book and become a popular corporate speaker. My introduction to Alexa Stirling came in the early ‘70s when I was a young teenager and got a chance to visit East Lake Golf Club. I saw a lot of memorabilia and trophies won by Bobby Jones; they even had his old locker on display. During the visit, I kept seeing photos and trophies won by Alexa Stirling. I had no idea who she was, so I asked my member/host about her.

“She is the female Bobby Jones,” I was told.

Simply put, but true in so many ways.

Unfortunately, the passage of time has dimmed the memory of Stirling. But that can be changed by her inclusion in the World Golf Hall of Fame. I hope you will honor her accomplishments and her memory by inducting her to join her peers. The world of golf needs to become re-acquainted with her. Sincerely,

Stan Awtrey Writer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution (1977-2008) Editor, Golf Georgia magazine (2009 to present)

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