Kathy Whitworth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kathy Whitworth |
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|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Kathrynne Ann Whitworth |
| Born | September 27, 1939 Monahans, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | December 24, 2022 (aged 83) Flower Mound, Texas, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| College | Odessa College |
| Turned professional | 1958 |
| Current tour(s) | Legends Tour |
| Former tour(s) | LPGA Tour (joined 1958) |
| Professional wins | 98 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| LPGA Tour | 88 (1st all time) |
| Ladies European Tour | 1 |
| Other | 9 |
| Best results in LPGA Major Championships (Wins: 6) |
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| Western Open | Won: 1967 |
| Titleholders C'ship | Won: 1965, 1966 |
| Kraft Nabisco C'ship | T2: 1983 |
| LPGA Championship | Won: 1967, 1971, 1975 |
| U.S. Women's Open | 2nd: 1971 |
| du Maurier Classic | T14: 1980 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| World Golf Hall of Fame | 1975 |
| LPGA Tour Money Winner |
1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 |
| LPGA Tour Player of the Year |
1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973 |
| LPGA Vare Trophy | 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 |
| Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year |
1965, 1966 |
| LPGA William and Mousie Powell Award |
1986 |
| Patty Berg Award | 1987 |
Kathrynne Ann Whitworth (born September 27, 1939 – died December 24, 2022) was an American professional golf player. She is famous for winning more tournaments than any other golfer on the LPGA Tour or PGA Tour. Kathy won an amazing 88 LPGA Tour events during her career. She also finished second 93 times, showing how consistently good she was. In 1981, she became the first woman to earn $1 million in prize money on the LPGA Tour. She is a respected member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and Golf Start
Kathy Whitworth was born in Monahans, Texas, on September 27, 1939. She was the youngest of three daughters. She grew up in Jal, New Mexico, where her father owned a hardware store and later became the mayor. Kathy went to Odessa College.
She first played tennis, but at age 14, she started playing golf. After practicing with her coach, Hardy Loudermilk, she won the New Mexico State Amateur Championships in both 1957 and 1958. When she was 19, she began working with a new coach, Harvey Penick, and decided to become a professional golfer. She joined the LPGA Tour in December 1958.
A Champion's Golf Career
Kathy Whitworth won her first professional tournament, the Kelly Girls Open, in 1962. From that first win until her last victory in 1985, she won 88 tournaments on the LPGA Tour. This is the highest number of wins for any player, including men on the PGA Tour. Six of her wins were major championships, which are the most important golf tournaments.
In 1974, she won the Orange Blossom Classic for the fifth time. Only a few LPGA golfers have won the same tournament so many times. Kathy was also chosen to be the captain for the U.S. team at the first-ever Solheim Cup match in 1990. She was the first LPGA player to earn $1 million in prize money, reaching this milestone in 1981.
Kathy Whitworth was named LPGA Player of the Year seven times between 1966 and 1973. She also won the Vare Trophy a record seven times. This award is given to the player with the best average score each year. She was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame in 1975 and the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1982. The Associated Press named her Female Athlete of the Year in both 1965 and 1967. Golf Magazine called her the "Golfer of the Decade" for the years 1968 to 1977. She also received the William Richardson Award in 1986 for her great contributions to golf. Kathy is also a member of several other Halls of Fame, including the New Mexico Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
Major Championship Wins
Kathy Whitworth won six major championships during her amazing career:
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Titleholders Championship | −1 (287) | 10 strokes | Peggy Wilson |
| 1966 | Titleholders Championship | +3 (291) | 2 strokes | Judy Kimball-Simon, Mary Mills |
| 1967 | LPGA Championship | −8 (284) | 1 stroke | Shirley Englehorn |
| 1967 | Women's Western Open | −11 (289) | 3 strokes | Sandra Haynie |
| 1971 | Eve-LPGA Championship | −4 (288) | 3 strokes | Kathy Ahern |
| 1975 | LPGA Championship | −4 (288) | 1 stroke | Sandra Haynie |
Note: Kathy also won the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle in 1977. This tournament later became a major championship, but it wasn't one when she won it.
Later Life and Passing
Kathy Whitworth stopped playing competitive golf in 2005. She played her last tournament at the BJ's Charity Classic on the Women's Senior Golf Tour. In 2007, she wrote a book called Kathy Whitworth's Little Book of Golf Wisdom with Jay Golden. She lived in Flower Mound, Texas, with her partner, Bettye Odle. Kathy passed away in Flower Mound on December 24, 2022, at the age of 83. She collapsed while at a neighbor's Christmas party.
Other Wins and Awards
Besides her LPGA Tour wins, Kathy Whitworth also won other golf events:
- 1962 Haig & Haig Scotch Foursome (with Mason Rudolph)
- 1966 Lagunita Invitational
- 1967 Ladies World Series of Golf
- 1968 Ladies World Series of Golf
- 1971 LPGA Four-Ball Championship (with Judy Kimball)
- 1975 Colgate Triple Crown
- 1978 Ping Classic Team Championship (with Donna Caponi)
- 1980 Portland Ping Team Championship (with Donna Caponi)
- 1981 Portland Ping Team Championship (with Donna Caponi)
- 1984 Smirnoff Ladies Irish Open (Ladies European Tour)
See also
In Spanish: Kathy Whitworth para niños
