Before the final round of the U.S. Women's Amateur Golf Championship in Atlanta, most of the experts confidently doped out the result. Chunky little Mae Murray,* 24, daughter of a Rutland, Vt. golf pro, was the sensation of the tournament. In successive matches marked by sometimes erratic, more often brilliant play, she had downed longtime Argentine Champion Fay Crocker and former U.S. Finalists Dot Kielty and Helen Sigel. On performance, seven out of eight sport-writers picked Mae to win.
In so doing, the experts overlooked another kind of performance. Beverly Hanson, 23, of Fargo, N.D., carried less brilliance in her bag, but...