Kathy Whitworth Biography - Early Signs Of Potential, Dedication And Focus, Chronology, Awards And Accomplishments, Quietly Making Her Mark - CONTACT INFORMATION
women tournament play lpga
1939-
American golfer
Kathy Whitworth's professional golfing career spanned 32 years. From 1959 to 1991, she was a consistent figure in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). She started out with the LPGA when it was just beginning to take hold and participated in bringing it into its own. During that time she broke ground that set high standards for the women who follow in her footsteps. She was the first woman to earn a million dollars in LPGA tournament play. She holds the record for the most wins in tournament play for both the men's and women's professional associations. She was also the captain for the first American team to play in the Solheim Cup—a tournament that pits the top European women golfers against the top American women golfers. Her only disappointment in the midst of many achievements is never having won a U. S. Open tournament. In spite of that, she continues to maintain a proud yet humble opinion of her career, while having earned the respect of peers and fans.
Kathy Whitworth
CONTACT INFORMATION
Address: Kathy Whitworth, 1735 Mistletoe Drive, Flower Mound, TX 75022.
Sketch by Eve M. B. Hermann
Additional Topics
Kathrynne Ann Whitworth was born on September 27, 1939, in Monahans, Texas. She is the youngest child of Morris and Dama Robinson Whitworth. Whitworth's father worked for a lumber company in Monahans, but eventually moved the family to Jal, New Mexico where their extended family lived. The small town of Jal had originally been a ranching community but by the 1950s the oil industry had built…
In 1957, Whitworth's tireless practicing and the dedication of her mentors and family helped her win the New Mexico State Women's Championship. Her prize was a turquoise necklace that she turned down, instead asking that the awarding committee give her a trophy. The committee obliged. In 1958, Whitworth won the state championship again. This second win bolstered her confidence and sh…
Pete Axthelm of Newsweek wrote of Whitworth, "She is one of the quiet, gracious ladies of sport." In many ways, Whitworth was the epitome of the long, tall Texan. She dressed conservatively and sported a hairstyle that relied heavily on hairspray. She never wanted to draw attention to herself as a celebrity or a star. She explained to Barry McDermott of Sports Illustrated, "It…
Despite continuing wins, those were not easy years for Whitworth personally. In 1986, the entirety of Whitworth's retirement fund disappeared when the company she had invested in, Technical Equities Corporation, went bankrupt. Whitworth described the effect of losing her retirement fund to Sonja Steptoe of Sports Illustrated, "It definitely took something out of me.… I felt li…
(With Rhonda Glenn) Golf for Women, St. Martin's Press, 1990. Harvey Penick might have remained one of the most obscure yet most important figures in professional golf had it not been for the 1992 publication of his book, Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime of Golf. The book sold more than one million copies and spent weeks on the New York Times bes…
Harvey Penick might have remained one of the most obscure yet most important figures in professional golf had it not been for the 1992 publication of his book, Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime of Golf. The book sold more than one million copies and spent weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. Penick started as a caddie at the Austin (Texas) Count…
Whitworth, Kathy and Rhonda Glenn. Golf for Women. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990. Anderson, Dave. "The Lady Is a Champ." New York Times (May 11, 1981): C3. Axthelm, Pete. "The Million-Dollar Lady." Newsweek (August 10, 1981): 62. Cartwright, Gary. "The Old Man and the Tee." Texas Monthly (December 2000): S20. Eskenazi, Gerald. "Harvey Pe…
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