Amateur Golf Podcast: Author Beverly Bell talks about "The Murder of Marion Miley."

April 2, 2022 | by Sean Melia of AmateurGolf.com

The life and tragic murder of amateur champion golfer Marion Miley at Lexington CC in Kentucky is detailed in Bell's book

Beverly Bell is the author of “The Murder of Marion Miley.” In 2020 the book was a finalist for the USGA Herbert Warren Wind book award.

The story itself was lost in history, as Miley’s murder was washed from the front pages when Pearl Harbor was attacked and World War II stole everyone’s attention. Miley was an exceptional amateur golfer. From 1931 to her murder in 1941, she won 20 amateur events including the Kentucky Amateur seven times in eight years.

Women’s amateur golf in the 1930s filled a void left by Bobby Jones. Players like Patty Berg and Babe Didrikson battled Miley for supremacy on the course and they garnered attention and headlines for their play and style. Miley’s fame put her into the stratosphere of Bing Crosby, who it is believed put up an award for capturing the men who killed Marion and her mother on that fateful night in September 1941.

During our discussion. Beverly Bell and I speak about how she found the story, the research that went into writing the book, anecdotes and stories that she had to leave out, and we even do a little Hollywood casting in case this incredible story ever makes it to the big screen.

This discussion with Bell feels quite timely given the Augusta National Women’s Amateur is being held this week. A celebration of women’s amateur golf, something that Marion Miley brought to the forefront during a dominant decade of competition both in the United States and abroad in Great Britain.

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