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Kathrynne Ann Whitworth (September 27, 1939 – December 24, 2022) was an American
professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...
. During her playing career she won 88
LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly ...
tournaments, more than anyone else on the LPGA or PGA Tours. Whitworth was also a runner-up 93 times, giving her 181 top-two finishes. In 1981, she became the first woman to reach career earnings of $1 million on the LPGA Tour. She is a member of the
World Golf Hall of Fame The World Golf Hall of Fame was, until recently, located at World Golf Village between Jacksonville, Florida and St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States. It is unusual amongst sports halls of fame in that a single site honored both men ...
.


Early life and amateur career

Whitworth was born on September 27, 1939, in
Monahans, Texas Monahans is a city in Ward and Winkler counties in Texas, United States, that is the county seat of Ward County. A very small portion of the city extends into Winkler County. The population was 6,953 at the 2010 census. In 2020, the popula ...
, the youngest of three daughters of Morris Whitworth, a hardware store owner and later mayor in
Jal, New Mexico Jal () is a small city located in Lea County, New Mexico, Lea County, New Mexico, United States. It is New Mexico's south-easternmost city, and shares a border with Texas to the east and south. The population was 2,047 at the 2010 United States C ...
, where she grew up. She attended
Odessa College Odessa College is a public junior college in Odessa, Texas. The college serves the people of Ector County and the Permian Basin. It was established in 1946 and enrolled 8,024 students in fall 2021 and 7,679 students in spring 2022 in its univ ...
. Initially a tennis player, Whitworth began playing golf at 14. After working with Hardy Loudermilk, she won the 1957 and 1958 New Mexico State Amateur Championships. At 19, she changed coaches to Harvey Penick and turned pro, joining the LPGA in December 1958.


Professional career

In 1962, Whitworth won her first tournament, the Kelly Girls Open. Between that and her victory in the United Virginia Bank Classic in 1985, she won 88 tournaments on the LPGA Tour, the highest number of any player in the history of professional golf, including on the men's PGA Tour. Six were major championships. In 1974, she won the Orange Blossom Classic for the fifth time, one of only four LPGA golfers to have won the same tournament five times. She was the U.S. team captain at the inaugural Solheim Cup match in 1990. She was the first LPGA player to earn $1 million, in 1981. Whitworth was LPGA Player of the Year seven times between
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
and
1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
, won the Vare Trophy for best scoring average by an LPGA Tour player a record seven times between 1965 and 1972, and was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame in 1975 and into the
World Golf Hall of Fame The World Golf Hall of Fame was, until recently, located at World Golf Village between Jacksonville, Florida and St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States. It is unusual amongst sports halls of fame in that a single site honored both men ...
in
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...
. She was named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 1965 and 1967. She was Named "Golfer of the Decade" by ''
Golf Magazine ''Golf Magazine'' is a monthly golf magazine. One of the first "special interest" magazines of its kind, it was started in April 1959 by Arnold Abramson and Robert Abramson, the owners of Universal Publishing and Distributing Corporation, who sol ...
'' for the years 1968 to 1977 during the 1988 Centennial of Golf in America celebration. She received the 1986 William Richardson Award from the Golf Writers Association of America for consistent outstanding contributions to golf. She is also a member of the New Mexico Hall of Fame, Texas Sports Hall of Fame, Texas Golf Hall of Fame, and the
Women's Sports Foundation The Women's Sports Foundation (WSF) is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit charity focused on female involvement in sports. Founded in 1974 by tennis player Billie Jean King and initially supported by Olympic athletes Donna de Varona and Suzy Chaffee ...
Hall of Fame.


Later life and death

Whitworth retired from competitive golf in 2005 after competing in the BJ's Charity Classic on the Women's Senior Golf Tour. In 2007, with Jay Golden, she published ''Kathy Whitworth's Little Book of Golf Wisdom''. At the time of her death she lived in
Flower Mound, Texas Flower Mound is an incorporated town located in Denton and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Located northwest of Dallas and northeast of Fort Worth adjacent to Grapevine Lake, the town derives its name from a prominent mound loca ...
with her partner, Bettye Odle. She died in Flower Mound on December 24, 2022, at age 83, after collapsing while attending a neighbor's Christmas party.


Professional wins


LPGA Tour wins (88)

''Note: Whitworth won the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle (now known as the
ANA Inspiration The Chevron Championship is a professional women's golf tournament. An event on the LPGA Tour, it is one of the tour's five major championships, and has traditionally been the first of the season since its elevation to major status in 1983. Sinc ...
) before it became a major championship.'' LPGA Tour playoff record (8–20) Sources:


Ladies European Tour wins

*
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
Smirnoff Ladies Irish Open


Other wins

*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)


Major championships


Wins (6)

Sources:


See also

* List of golfers with most LPGA Tour wins * List of golfers with most LPGA major championship wins


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitworth, Kathy American female golfers LPGA Tour golfers Winners of LPGA major golf championships World Golf Hall of Fame inductees Golfers from Texas Golfers from New Mexico American LGBTQ sportspeople LGBTQ golfers LGBTQ people from Texas Odessa College alumni People from Monahans, Texas Sportspeople from Lea County, New Mexico Sportspeople from Flower Mound, Texas 1939 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American LGBTQ people 20th-century American sportswomen