South Alabama Athletic Hall of Fame
A native of Mobile, Ala., Elizabeth Barry became the first golfer, either male or female, to be inducted to the South Alabama Athletic Hall of Fame as she was part of the inaugural 1989 induction class.
Berry was a four-year letter winner for South Alabama men’s golf team, where she went by “Beth” and was part of the program’s first golf team. Mobile’s local media dubbed her “Our Beth” as she won 57 of 64 career matches.
Barry also competed at three NCAA tournaments then known as the NCAA Intercollegiate Women’s Golf Championship, where she competed at the 1968 (Durham, N.C.), 1969 (University Park, Pa.) and 1970 (El Cajon, Ca.) championship events, advancing to the semifinals at the 1970 event.
Among Barry’s career accomplishments, she aced a par three 163-yard hole at Auburn’s Saughatchee Country Club in a practice round.
As a freshman, she captured medalist honors at both the Sixth Annual Lake Forest Ladies Invitation and the Skyline Country Club Invitational. She was also runner-up in the Alabama Women’s Golf Association state tournament during her freshman campaign.
She advanced to the semifinal round of the 24th Annual Women’s National Collegiate golf tournament as a sophomore, and was the Amateur Champion of the Fourth Annual Invitational Pensacola Ladies golf tournament, where she was the only amateur to finish in the top 20. During the 1969-70 season, Barry posted an 8-1 record in match play. Barry also competed at the 1969 U.S. Women’s Open
As a junior, she was the Champion of the Alabama Women’s Golf Association state tournament and fired her third-career hole-in-one on the 110-yard fourth hole at the Isle Dauphine Country Club course.
In 1971, Barry won the Southern Amateur Golf Championship and the 71st Women’s Western Amateur Golf Championship, and her third-straight Woman’s Alabama Golf Championship, while advancing to the semifinals of the North-South and the finals of the U.S. Women’s Open.
