Marlene Stewart Streit
If you would like to contact Marlene,
Email: marlene at marlenestreit . com
Inducted into World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004 (First Canadian)
Graduated: B.A. Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida 1956 (Bus. Ad.)
One of the most revered and recognized female golfers in Canada and around the world, Marlene Stewart Streit personifies the dedication and determination of Canadian golfers. Streit is the only player to have won the Canadian, U.S., British and Australian Amateur Championships. She is an inspiration to many of Canada’s top young female amateur golfers.
Among her many accomplishments are 11 Canadian Ladies Open Amateur Championships, 9 Canadian Ladies Close Amateur Championships, 4 Canadian Ladies Senior Amateur Championships on September 11, 2003 when Marlene won her third USGA Senior Championship she also became the oldest USGA Champion. She also holds a USGA record for the longest final match in the 1966 USGA Amateur losing to JoAnne Gunderson Carner. (41 holes)
Marlene started caddying in 1947 and playing competitive golf in 1949 at the Lookout Point Country Club in Fonthill, Ontario. She was taught to play golf with sound basics and coached her entire career by Gordon McInnis Sr., golf professional at Lookout Point Country Club. Marlene went on to win 30 national or international amateur championships, with at least one championship in 6 different decades from 1951 – 2003 on 3 different continents: North America (Canada – 24; United States – 4; Great Britain – 1; Australia – 1)
International:
1953 British Ladies’ Amateur Champion (Royal Porthcawl GC, Porthcawl, Wales). Semi-finalist in 1954.
1956 United States Women’s Amateur Champion (Meridian Hills GCC, Indianapolis, Indiana) – (runner-up in 1966)
1963 Australian Women’s Amateur Champion (Royal Sydney GC)
1985 United States Senior Women’s Amateur Champion (Sheraton Savannah Resort, Georgia)
1994 United States Senior Women’s Amateur Champion (Seaside Course, Sea Island, Georgia)
2003 United States Senior Women’s Amateur Champion (Barton Creek Resort, Texas) – (runner-up 5 times 1986,1988, 1990, 1995, 1996)
Other International Championships of Note:
1956 and 1974 Women’s North/South Champion (Pinehurst, North Carolina)
1956 South Women’s Intercollegiate Champion (currently NCAA Championship)
1959, 1960, 1961 and 1965 Helen Lee Doherty Champion (Coral Ridge CC, Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
1959 Daks Ladies’ International Champion (Wentworth, England)
1987, 1989, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2001 and 2002 Ione D. Jones/Doherty Senior Champion (Coral Ridge CC, Fort Lauderdale, Florida). Runner-up 2003
1953, 1958, 1959, 1963 and 1965 National Mixed Foursomes Champion (Florida, USA)
1956 and 2003 Women’s International Four-Ball Champion (1956 partner, Anne Casey Johnston and 2003 partner, Carol Semple Thompson) (Orangebrook GC, Hollywood, Florida)
International Teams:
1953 England – Formby GC, Canadian Ladies Golf Union International Team to Great Britain (first team to travel overseas after the war, forerunner to Commonwealth Tournament) (Team 2nd)
Commonwealth Team (The Astor Cup)
1959 Scotland – St. Andrews Old Course, St. Andrews (Team 2nd)
1963 Australia – Royal Melbourne GC, Melbourne (Team 3rd)
1967 Canada – Ancaster GCC, Hamilton (Team 2nd)
1979 Australia – Lake Karrinup GC, Perth (Team 1st) – (Playing Captain)
1983 Canada – Glendale GCC, Edmonton, Alberta, (Team 4th) (playing Captain)
Women’s World Team Championship (Espirito Santo Trophy)
1966 Mexico – Mexico City CC, Mexico City (Team 2nd) (Low Individual)
1970 Spain – Club de Campo, Madrid (Team 4th) (Tied Low Individual)
1972 Argentina – Hindu CC, Buenos Aires (Team tied 5th) (Tied 2nd Low Individual)
1978 Fiji – Pacific Harbour GC, (Team 2nd) – non-playing Captain
1980 United States – Pinehurst #2, Pinehurst (Team 8th)– Non-playing Captain
1984 Hong Kong – Royal Hong Kong GC, Fanling, (Team tied 14th) – Playing Captain
1992 Canada – Marine Drive GCC, Vancouver, (Team tied10) – Non-playing Captain
1998 Chile – Prince of Wales CC, Santiago (Team 13th) – Non-playing Captain
Other CLGA Teams to Great Britain
1982 – Scotland – Downfield GC, Dundee – Due to Government policy, Canada could not participate in the 1982 World Team Championship because South Africa was competing. As an alternative, CLGA sent a team to play in the British Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship. Playing Captain: Marlene Stewart Streit, ON; Barbara Bunkowsky, ON; Nancy White, PEI; Lisa Young, BC; Mary Anne Hayward, PQ; Nominated team for team competition: Bunkowsky, White and Hayward (Team 5th out of 6 teams)
National:
1951, 1954 – 1956, 1958, 1959, 1963, 1968, 1969, 1972 and 1973 Canadian Women’s Amateur Champion – (runner-up 1953, 1970, 1971, 1978, 1982)
1951 – 1957, 1963 and 1968 Canadian Women’s Close Champion (tournament for Canadian Ladies Golf Association members only)
1985, 1987, 1988 and 1993 Canadian Senior Women’s Champion – (runner-up 1995)
Provincial:
1951 and 1952 Ontario Junior Girls Champion – (runner-up 1950)
1951, 1956 – 1958, 1968 – 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976 – 1977 Ontario Women’s Amateur Champion – (runner-up 4 times)
1982 Ontario Women’s Match-Play Champion (runner-up 1976, 1977, 1979)
1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1995 and 2003 Ontario Women’s Senior Champion – (runner-up 2004)
Ontario interprovincial team member Amateur (16 times)
Awards:
1951 and 1956 Lou Marsh Award (Canada’s Outstanding Athlete – Amateur or Professional)
1951,1953 and 1956 Ontario’s Outstanding Athlete – Ontario Sports Writers and Sportscasters Association
1952 Sportswoman of the Year – Canadian Press
Inducted to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1962
1967 Officer of the Order of Canada
1973 Doctor of Laws honoris causa degree from Brock University
Inducted to Rollins College Sports Hall of Fame in 1977
1994 Senior Woman Amateur of the Year – Golf World Magazine
1995 Lifetime Achievement Award – SCORE Magazine
1997 Canadian Ladies Golf Association “Distinguished Service Award”
Inducted to Ontario Golf Hall of Fame in 2000
2000 Female Amateur Golfer of the 20th Century awarded by Canadian Ladies Golf Association
Inducted to World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004 (First Canadian)
2004 Most Influential Canadian Women in Sport and Physical Activity CAAWS
2004 Honorary Director of the PGA of Ontario
2004 Honorary Life Member of the PGA of Canada
2006 Order of Ontario
2015 Woman of Distinction Award – Women’s Western Golf Association
2015 Honorary Member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland
2016 Golf Journalists Association of Canada “Dick Grimm Award”
Other items of note:
Low Amateur at 5 LPGA events; 1954 Tampa Women’s Open and 1961 USGA Women’s Open, 1968 Supertest Open, 1975, ’78 Peter Jackson Classic, 1983, ’85 DuMaurier Classic,
Governor of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame 1989 – 2001
Junior Chair of Ontario Ladies’ Golf Association 1960 – 1962
Selection Committee Member of Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum 1994 – 1997
Director of the Ada Mackenzie Memorial Foundation 1974 – 1994. Served as President 1984 – 1985 (Charitable Foundation raising funds for disabled athletes in Canada)
Canadian Ladies Golf Association Advisory Panel (Player Development) 1994 – 1998
Committee Member of Golf Canada Heritage Services 1998 – Present
1965 Invited to play in Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf TV series. Defeated Marilyn Smith in 1965 in Oslo, Norway ($7000) and lost to Mickey Wright in 1966 at TheToronto GC ($3000). As an amateur this money was donated, in Marlene’s name, each year by the Shell Oil Company to the Ontario Ladies Golf Association (OLGA) to support junior girls golf.
1966 OLGA established the Marlene Streit Awards Fund for Canadian junior girls to gain international competitive experience. Golf Ontario continues to administer the fund.