Grace DeMoss
Encyclopedia
Grace DeMoss Zwahlen is a former competitive women's American
amateur golf
er from Oregon
. One of the most successful female golfers from the Pacific Northwest
, she was the first Pacific Northwesterner to be named to the prestigious United States Curtis Cup
team in 1952 and 1954. After retiring from competitive golf, Zwahlen was named to numerous golf halls of fame
and is now a high school
golf coach.
, one of five daughters of Ray DeMoss, a Corvallis businessman. She started playing golf as a teenager at the Corvallis Country Club, though she was initially more interested in equestrian
sports.
She entered her first tournament, the Portland Open, in 1945 and came in last place. In her next major tournament a year later, the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Amateur, she made the semifinals, and then a year after that, lost in the finals. Her first tournament victory came in the 1947 Portland City Amateur.
. Following that win, she played throughout the winter in California to keep her game sharp. In 1950, she won the Pacific Northwest Amateur Championship played at Capilano Golf and Country Club in West Vancouver, British Columbia
. She followed this victory with a semifinalist finish at the U.S. Women's Amateur, and was a finalist at the Canadian Women's Amateur, the Women's Trans-Mississippi, and the Oregon Women's Amateur, and was a medalist at the Women's Western Open.
In 1952, she was named to the United States' Curtis Cup
team, the first golfer from the Northwest to receive the honor. However, that year, the American team lost the cup for the first time since its inception. Two years later, in 1954, DeMoss was again named to the team. This time, DeMoss and her team reclaimed the cup at the matches contested at Merion Golf Club
.
Following her early success, she relocated to Florida
to play golf year round where she won Florida state women's amateur championships in 1955, 1957, and 1958. She returned to the Northwest to claim three straight Oregon women's amateur titles from 1956 to 1958.
She continued to play competitively into the 1960s before retiring due to neck pain. Since the 1970s, she has been the girls' golf coach at Crescent Valley High School
in her hometown of Corvallis.
in 1952, but did not compete collegiately as Oregon State did not have a women's golf team until the 1970s.
Following her graduation, DeMoss married Howard Smith and golfed as "Mrs. Grace DeMoss Smith" or "Mrs. Howard Smith" for several years. She was later married to Fred C. Zwahlen Jr., who was the Founder and Chairman of the Department of Journalism at Oregon State, from the late 1950s until his death in 2004. Her family is linked to at least two other Oregon sports heroes: her sister Maxine married Oregon State football
Rose Bowl MVP Don Durdan
, and another sister, Rae Ardis, married Durdan's Rose Bowl teammate Quentin Greenough
.
in 1986, the Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame in 1991, and the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Hall of Fame in 1993.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
amateur golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er from Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. One of the most successful female golfers from the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
, she was the first Pacific Northwesterner to be named to the prestigious United States Curtis Cup
Curtis Cup
The Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match . It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and the Ladies Golf Union and is contested by teams representing the United States and "Great Britain and Ireland"...
team in 1952 and 1954. After retiring from competitive golf, Zwahlen was named to numerous golf halls of fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
and is now a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
golf coach.
Early life and career
DeMoss was born in Corvallis, OregonCorvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
, one of five daughters of Ray DeMoss, a Corvallis businessman. She started playing golf as a teenager at the Corvallis Country Club, though she was initially more interested in equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
sports.
She entered her first tournament, the Portland Open, in 1945 and came in last place. In her next major tournament a year later, the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Amateur, she made the semifinals, and then a year after that, lost in the finals. Her first tournament victory came in the 1947 Portland City Amateur.
Golf success
After her win in Portland, she entered tournaments across North America, primarily on the west coast. In 1949, she won her first major tournament, the Canadian Women's AmateurCanadian Women's Amateur
The Canadian Women's Amateur is Canada's annual national amateur golf tournament for women. It is open to women from all countries and is played at a different course each year.-Winners:*2011 Rebecca Lee-Bentham*2010 Sydnee Michaels*2009 Jennifer Kirby...
. Following that win, she played throughout the winter in California to keep her game sharp. In 1950, she won the Pacific Northwest Amateur Championship played at Capilano Golf and Country Club in West Vancouver, British Columbia
West Vancouver, British Columbia
West Vancouver is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District, the municipality is northwest of the city of Vancouver on the northern side of English Bay and the...
. She followed this victory with a semifinalist finish at the U.S. Women's Amateur, and was a finalist at the Canadian Women's Amateur, the Women's Trans-Mississippi, and the Oregon Women's Amateur, and was a medalist at the Women's Western Open.
In 1952, she was named to the United States' Curtis Cup
Curtis Cup
The Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match . It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and the Ladies Golf Union and is contested by teams representing the United States and "Great Britain and Ireland"...
team, the first golfer from the Northwest to receive the honor. However, that year, the American team lost the cup for the first time since its inception. Two years later, in 1954, DeMoss was again named to the team. This time, DeMoss and her team reclaimed the cup at the matches contested at Merion Golf Club
Merion Golf Club
Merion Golf Club is a private golf club located near Ardmore, Pennsylvania that is consistently rated by Golf Digest, among America's greatest golf courses, and will host the U.S. Open in 2013...
.
Following her early success, she relocated to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
to play golf year round where she won Florida state women's amateur championships in 1955, 1957, and 1958. She returned to the Northwest to claim three straight Oregon women's amateur titles from 1956 to 1958.
She continued to play competitively into the 1960s before retiring due to neck pain. Since the 1970s, she has been the girls' golf coach at Crescent Valley High School
Crescent Valley High School
Crescent Valley High School, known as CV, is a public high school in Corvallis, Oregon.-Academics:Courses are sometimes shared with Corvallis High School. Students taking courses at the partner school ride an approximately 15 minute bus to attend shared classes...
in her hometown of Corvallis.
Personal
DeMoss graduated from Oregon State UniversityOregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
in 1952, but did not compete collegiately as Oregon State did not have a women's golf team until the 1970s.
Following her graduation, DeMoss married Howard Smith and golfed as "Mrs. Grace DeMoss Smith" or "Mrs. Howard Smith" for several years. She was later married to Fred C. Zwahlen Jr., who was the Founder and Chairman of the Department of Journalism at Oregon State, from the late 1950s until his death in 2004. Her family is linked to at least two other Oregon sports heroes: her sister Maxine married Oregon State football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
Rose Bowl MVP Don Durdan
Don Durdan
Donald Edgar Durdan was a professional American football and basketball player.-Early life:Durdan was born in Arcata, California and attended Eureka High School, where he played running back on the high school football team...
, and another sister, Rae Ardis, married Durdan's Rose Bowl teammate Quentin Greenough
Quentin Greenough
Quentin Carl Greenough is a former American football player.-Football career:Greenough was born in Porterville, California and later moved to San Gabriel, California. He attended Alhambra High School, then enrolled at Oregon State College where he became the starting center...
.
Honors
She was named to the Oregon Sports Hall of FameOregon Sports Hall of Fame
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...
in 1986, the Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame in 1991, and the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Hall of Fame in 1993.
Tournament wins (10)
- 1949 Canadian Women's AmateurCanadian Women's AmateurThe Canadian Women's Amateur is Canada's annual national amateur golf tournament for women. It is open to women from all countries and is played at a different course each year.-Winners:*2011 Rebecca Lee-Bentham*2010 Sydnee Michaels*2009 Jennifer Kirby...
- 1950 Pacific Northwest Women's Amateur
- 1954 Curtis CupCurtis CupThe Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match . It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and the Ladies Golf Union and is contested by teams representing the United States and "Great Britain and Ireland"...
(team) - 1955 Florida Women's Amateur
- 1957 Florida Women's Amateur
- 1958 Florida Women's Amateur
- 1956 Oregon Women's Amateur
- 1957 Oregon Women's Amateur
- 1958 Oregon Women's Amateur
Tournament runner-up finishes (8)
- 1946 Oregon Women's Amateur
- 1950 Oregon Women's Amateur
- 1952 Curtis CupCurtis CupThe Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match . It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and the Ladies Golf Union and is contested by teams representing the United States and "Great Britain and Ireland"...
(team) - 1947 Pacific Northwest Women's Amateur
- 1950 Canadian Women's AmateurCanadian Women's AmateurThe Canadian Women's Amateur is Canada's annual national amateur golf tournament for women. It is open to women from all countries and is played at a different course each year.-Winners:*2011 Rebecca Lee-Bentham*2010 Sydnee Michaels*2009 Jennifer Kirby...
- 1950 Women’s Trans-Mississippi Amateur
- 1951 Pacific Northwest Women's Amateur
- 1953 Pacific Northwest Women's Amateur