Kathy Whitworth has left a mark in golf unmatched by the likes of Sam Snead, Tiger Woods, Mickey Wright and Annika Sorenstam. His 88 wins are more than any golfer on his professional tour.
Whitworth, who won the LPGA for nearly 25 years and became the first woman to win $1 million on the tour, died on Christmas Eve, her partner confirmed. he was 83 years old.
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Betty Oddle did not disclose the cause of death, but said Whitworth died suddenly while celebrating with friends and family.
In a statement released by the LPGA Tour, Odle said, “Kathy has abandoned her way of life of loving, laughing and making memories.
Whitworth won her first of 88 titles at the Kerry Girls Open in July 1962. She won six majors in her career, surpassing Mickey Wright’s record of 82 wins with Lady Michelob in the summer of 1982.
His last win was the 1985 United Virginia Bank Classic.
“Winning was never boring,” he said at one point.
The only thing missing from her career was the US Women’s Open, the top major in women’s golf. After she became the first woman to earn over $1 million in 1981, she said: can not win”.
Whitworth was named AP Female Athlete of the Year in 1965 and 1967, easily defeating Wimbledon singles champion Billie Jean King. Whitworth was inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame in 1982.
She was named LPGA Player of the Year seven times in eight years (1966-1973). He won the Vale Trophy for scoring the lowest average seven times and led the earnings for eight seasons.
Born in Monaghans, a small town in West Texas, he studied golf in New Mexico. He began his 9-hole course at the age of 15 in Jallu, New Mexico, for employees of El Paso Natural Gas.
Shortly after she won the New Mexico State Amateur twice. She turned professional at age 19 after attending her college in Odessa, Texas, and in 1958 she joined the LPGA Tour.
