Tournaments in which men and women played together were not unheard of then, but men and women did not compete directly or hit from the same tees. Not long after various newspapers picked up Suggs's boast, a group of well-heeled Florida golf lovers put together a $10,000 purse and invited 12 men and 12 women for thee rounds ocver the par-three tract. It was not an official tour event, but the competition was genuine; the men did not want to lose.

Suggs jokes that Sam Snead (above) was too macho a player to take it well when she beat him by two strokes in Palm Beach. Leonard Kamsler

But they did. And today, with many women fighting for equality at country clubs, Suggs's feat can stand as the ultimate slap to the male establishment -- although, as even Suggs admits, it's unlikely her feat could be repeated today. "Not only is there the strength difference, but club technology has changed irons so much," she says.

When it came to the short game in her own era, the 80-year-old Suggs saw things differently. "I knew that if I and some of the other girls could take on the men on a good par-three course, our short games were as good or better.

"We got our chance in Palm Beach, and the course was not some short pitch-and-putt. You had the ocean on one side, with tricky winds all the time. You had to plan your shots carefully."

Joining Suggs in the contest, among others, were Sam Snead, Gardner Dickinson, and Suggs's fellow LPGA founders Patty Berg, Mickey Wright, Betsy Rawls, and Marlene Hagge.

From the start, Suggs showed that she meant business. With a throng of Palm Beach socialites and golfers watching, the battle unfolded.

Playing steadily, Suggs notched an opening-round 53, one under par and a shot better than Snead. Dickinson startled onlookers with ragged play, carding a 57. Surging from the field were Palm Beach teaching professional Dub Pagan and the PGA's Clyde Usina, also with 53s.

In the second round, Suggs's precision with her irons and a hot putter led to a 52. But Usina tore up the course with a four under 50, and Pagan stormed just behind with a 51, leaving Suggs two strokes behind going into the final round. Many thought that Suggs would fall short, especially with Snead having found his touch on the finishing holes of the second round. He lurked just four strokes from the lead.

Suggs's LPGA compatriots had fallen far off the pace, but Suggs was ready for action. She nailed iron after iron, then made her move on the seventh and eighth holes, draining birdie putts for the lead.

As Suggs surged, so did Snead, dropping shots onto the greens and sinking one short putt after another. Pagan held steady, right behind Suggs; however, Usina was tumbling from the top.

After sinking her final putt for a round of 51 and a total of 156, Suggs could only wait for Pagan and Snead. They fell short. Suggs won by one stroke over Pagan and two over Snead She had become the first woman to defeat male pros.

How did the men react? Chuckling, Suggs says, "Sam Snead didn't take it very well -- he was a very macho player. But the others were all good sports.

"I don't think there's been another tournament like it. We had a battle that day, and when it ended, my name was the one on the leaderboard."