Juli Inkster facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Juli Inkster |
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Inkster in August 2009
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| Personal information | |
| Full name | Juli Simpson Inkster |
| Born | June 24, 1960 Santa Cruz, California, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Residence | Los Altos, California, U.S. |
| Spouse | Brian Inkster (m. 1980) |
| Children | Hayley, Cori |
| Career | |
| College | San Jose State University |
| Turned professional | 1983 |
| Current tour(s) | LPGA Tour (joined 1983) Legends Tour |
| Professional wins | 45 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| LPGA Tour | 31 |
| Ladies European Tour | 2 |
| Other | 13 |
| Best results in LPGA Major Championships (Wins: 7) |
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| Kraft Nabisco C'ship | Won: 1984, 1989 |
| LPGA Championship | Won: 1999, 2000 |
| U.S. Women's Open | Won: 1999, 2002 |
| du Maurier Classic | Won: 1984 |
| Women's British Open | T4: 2006 |
| The Evian Championship | T26: 2017 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| World Golf Hall of Fame | 2000 |
| Broderick Award for Golf | 1982 |
| LPGA Rookie of the Year | 1984 |
| GWAA Female Player of the Year |
1999 |
| ESPY Awards Best Female Golfer |
2000 |
| LPGA William and Mousie Powell Award |
2004, 2015 |
| GWAA ASAP/Murray | 2009 |
| LPGA Patty Berg Award | 2009 |
| Bob Jones Award | 2022 |
Juli Inkster (born Juli Simpson on June 24, 1960) is a famous American professional golfer. She is one of the most successful players on the LPGA Tour, which is the main tour for female golfers.
Over her long career, Inkster has won 31 LPGA Tour events and earned over $14 million. She holds the record for the most wins by an American player in the Solheim Cup, a major team event. For her amazing achievements, she was added to the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Inkster is the only LPGA player to win major championships in three different decades. She won three majors in the 1980s, two in the 1990s, and two in the 2000s.
Contents
Early Life and Golfing
Juli was born and grew up in Santa Cruz, California. She went to Harbor High School and then played golf at San Jose State University. She was a star player in college, earning the title of All-American three times.
From 1980 to 1982, she won the U.S. Women's Amateur championship three years in a row. This was a huge accomplishment that hadn't been done since 1934. She also helped the U.S. team win the Curtis Cup and the Espirito Santo Trophy, which are important international amateur team events.
Professional Career
Inkster became a professional golfer in 1983. In her first full year on the LPGA Tour in 1984, she won two major championships and was named LPGA Rookie of the Year.
Throughout her career, she won a total of 31 tournaments on the LPGA Tour. Seven of these were major championships. By winning all the different majors available during her career, she completed the "career Grand Slam," a top honor in golf.
Solheim Cup Star
Inkster was a key player for the United States team in the Solheim Cup. This event matches the best female golfers from the U.S. against the best from Europe. She played on the team nine times between 1992 and 2011. She has won more points for the U.S. team than any other American player.
In 2011, at age 51, she was the oldest player in the event's history and also served as an assistant captain while still playing.
Overcoming Injury
In late 2011, Inkster had the first serious injury of her career. She needed surgery on her right elbow, which kept her from playing for about six months in 2012. She successfully returned to the sport after her recovery.
Solheim Cup Captain
After her playing career in the event, Inkster became the captain of the U.S. Solheim Cup team. In 2015, she led the team to an amazing comeback victory. They were losing badly before the final day but rallied to win.
She was captain again in 2017, when the U.S. team won again. She also led the team in 2019.
Later Career
Inkster has continued to play golf on the Legends Tour, a tour for senior female golfers, where she has won several tournaments.
She also began a career as a TV commentator for the Golf Channel and Fox Sports. She shares her expert knowledge of golf as an analyst during broadcasts of major golf events.
Major Championships
Inkster has won seven major championships, which are the most important tournaments in golf.
| Year | Championship |
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| 1984 | Nabisco Dinah Shore |
| 1984 | du Maurier Classic |
| 1989 | Nabisco Dinah Shore |
| 1999 | McDonald's LPGA Championship |
| 1999 | U.S. Women's Open |
| 2000 | McDonald's LPGA Championship |
| 2002 | U.S. Women's Open |
U.S. National Team Appearances
Amateur
- Curtis Cup: 1982 (winners)
- Espirito Santo Trophy: 1980 (winners), 1982 (winners)
Professional
- Solheim Cup: 1992, 1998 (winners), 2000, 2002 (winners), 2003, 2005 (winners), 2007 (winners), 2009 (winners), 2011
- Solheim Cup (non-playing captain): 2015 (winners), 2017 (winners), 2019
- World Cup: 2007, 2008
- Handa Cup: 2014 (winners), 2015 (winners)
Awards
- 1982: Broderick Award for Golf (Top college golfer)
- 1984: LPGA Rookie of the Year
- 1999: GWAA Female Player of the Year
- 1999: Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year
- 2000: ESPY Award for Best Female Golfer
- 2004 & 2015: William and Mousie Powell Award (for spirit and dedication to golf)
- 2009: LPGA Patty Berg Award (for sportsmanship)
- 2022: Bob Jones Award (for distinguished sportsmanship in golf)
See also
In Spanish: Juli Inkster para niños
- List of female golfers
- List of golfers with most LPGA Tour wins
- List of golfers with most LPGA major championship wins
