Unlikely winner has enjoyed many walks in sunshine

Murle MacKenzie Lindstrom Breer's time in Cape Girardeau, which she estimates was about 18 months or two years, was brief. But it was memorable.

Then known as Murle Lindstrom, she was a Cape Girardeau resident when she accomplished one of the most memorable athletic achievements for someone with ties to the area.

In 1962, Lindstrom, then 23, became one of the youngest women to win the U.S. Women's Open golf championship.

"It's been so long sometimes I have to remind myself that it really did happen," Breer said during a telephone interview from her home in Savannah, Ga. "I will never forget that. I'm real privileged and honored, and it's something I'll always treasure. It's something my daughters will remember and can talk about."

Lindstrom was the talk of Cape Girardeau in June of 1962 with her surprising victory. She had moved from Florida with her husband, Fred Lindstrom, who was the golf professional at Cape Girardeau Country Club.

"We lived in a little white house down by the river, between the clubhouse and the river," Breer said. "I remember when it would rain hard and I remember thinking, 'I hope the river doesn't come up.'

"I remember practicing a lot at the country club. It was only nine holes then."

Breer was a young, struggling member of the women's professional golf tour in 1962.

In fact, she headed to the U.S. Women's Open in Myrtle Beach, S.C., thinking she was headed to her last tournament.

"There were tournaments every weekend," she said, "but being married, I didn't play on tour as much.

"I had played a tournament the previous weekend in New Jersey, and I played poorly. I played OK but I had just putted poorly. I was considering not playing anymore. I thought 'I just can't handle it.'

"I gave a gal a ride to the Open and she was talking about how she was going to win the Open, with such confidence. Here I was at a low ebb, three-putting greens, and I thought, 'Why do I need this in my life. I can go home and be a housewife.'"

But since Breer had already paid her tournament entry fee, she went ahead and played in the Open. "That was going to be my last tournament," she said.

Instead, she overcame a six-stroke deficit after the first round to win the tournament with a 13-over-par total of 301, still the highest winning score in tournament history. She posted rounds of 78-74-76-73. But there were some extenuating circumstances for her final two rounds.

"I had stayed up all night before the final day and we had to play 36 holes," Breer said. "We were rooming in an efficiency apartment with some other girls and one of them was having some problems and stayed up all night. All of us were concerned for her.

"It was amazing that I was able to play 36 holes and win."

The conditions also contributed to the high score. Breer said wet weather plagued players throughout the first round and high winds came along later in the day.

"There was a lot of casual water," Breer said. "After the first 18 holes I was in good shape to win but I wasn't aware of it, which maybe was a good thing.

"In my last round, we were playing in high winds and I hit a ball into some casual water. I came seconds away from dropping a ball illegally. If I had dropped it, I wouldn't have won the tournament. A USGA official caught me in time.

"I'm thankful for Mary Lena Faulk. I played with her for 36 holes and she was very encouraging for me. I'm thankful for the Lord Jesus brought that win to bring me to him."

The win earned Breer $1,800, more money than she had won on the season to date. It also kept her on tour. She won another tournament later in 1962 -- the San Antonio Civitan Golf Tournament in November -- and added tourney titles in Carlsbad, N.M., in 1967 and Virginia in 1969. She also won a mixed tournament with PGA pro Dave Eichelberger.

By then, Murle Lindstrom had moved back to Florida and also spent time as a seasonal golf pro in Sutton, Mass., near Boston. Breer was pregnant when she and her husband left Cape and gave birth to her first child in Florida.

"One of the reasons we left Cape was the opportunity to go to Sutton," Breer said. "When you have an opportunity like that, you jump on them.

"I have fond memories of Cape and met a lot of nice people there. We had nice outings at the club and people came from 40, 50 miles away.

"We got into barbecue there, and the clubhouse had the best 1,000 Islands dressing back in the day when I did eat stuff like that."

She now lives in Savannah, Ga., with her husband of the last 35 years, Robert Breer. She still enjoys a few things with Cape Girardeau ties -- the work of radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh and the writing of David Limbaugh.

She also still remains active in golf, teaching schools at High Hampton Inn Golf and Country Club in Cashiers, N.C.

"I used to teach in Savannah," she said. "I teach six or eight golf schools per year. I enjoy it and meet a lot of people.

"I feel very privileged to be able to play golf and have a few walks in the sunshine. I'm thankful for the experience and thankful to the Lord for the ability to play golf."