Kathrynne Ann Whitworth was the winningest golf professional in history. She won 88 tournaments on the LPGA Tour, more than Tiger Woods and Sam Snead.
The LPGA announced her death on Sunday. She died suddenly Saturday night while celebrating Christmas Eve with family and friends, her partner Bettye Odle said.
Bettye Odle
Bettye Odle was a longtime partner of Kathy Whitworth. She died suddenly on Christmas Eve.
She lived in Jal, New Mexico. Her family was from Monahans, across the state line. She started playing golf in Jal at age 15, on the nine-hole course built for El Paso Natural Gas employees.
When I first met her, she had logged thousands of holes on the course. She didn’t know anyone else in Jal anymore.
Her 88 LPGA Tour victories are more than any other player on the tour, including Tiger Woods and Sam Snead. She also became the first woman to win $1 million on the LPGA tour.
She was a seven-time LPGA Player of the Year and the Vare Trophy winner for lowest stroke average on the tour. She was also named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 1965 and 1967, and was inducted into the LPGA and World Golf halls of fame.
Partner
Kathy Whitworth was a renowned golfer with 88 career wins on the LPGA tour, the most of any female golfer. She died suddenly on Christmas Eve, her longtime partner said.
She started playing golf when she was a teenager and began her professional career at age 19, with the help of her father and a few local businessmen. She had to make sacrifices for her career, but she believed that it was her calling.
Her earliest victories were in the state women’s amateur tournaments. She later studied with Hardy Loudermilk and Harvey Penick.
Then she was invited to play in exhibition matches, where she met professional women golfers such as Betsy Rawls and Mickey Wright.
Eventually, Whitworth turned pro in December 1958 at age 19 and joined the LPGA. She won her first tournament in 1962, the Kelly Girls Open.
She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. She is also an Ambassador for the game of golf. She teaches golf as a top instructor, leads US Solheim Cup teams, and has been an active leader developer for amateur women. She also hosts the Kathy Whitworth Invitational, which provides 72 amateur women golfers a chance to compete on a championship course and learn leadership, sportsmanship and responsibility.
Personal Life
Despite her humble beginnings, Kathy Whitworth won more golf tournaments than any woman in history. She also broke several other records. She won 88 LPGA events, six more than Mickey Wright, and surpassed Sam Snead and Tiger Woods on the PGA Tour.
She started playing golf as a young girl in Jal, New Mexico. Her father, Morris Whitworth, ran a hardware store there, and she was tall and athletic as a child.
Her first lesson was with a club pro, who assured her that she would eventually get better and play well. But the professional tour was tough to break into, and it took three years before she won her first tournament.
During her career, Whitworth became known for her ability to adapt to her environment and her strong work ethic. She was also a great teacher. Her students learned how to be strong on and off the course. She was a popular figure on the LPGA Tour, and she served as the president of the LPGA Executive Board three times.
Death
Kathy Whitworth, whose 88 LPGA wins are the most by any professional golfer, has died at 83. She won six major championships, and also became the first woman to earn $1 million in career earnings.
She was a fierce competitor who dominated a career that included a rivalry with fellow Hall of Famer Mickey Wright. Her contemporaries said she possessed a competitive drive that set her apart from players like Louise Suggs and Betsy Rawls.
As a result, she was able to win at least once a record 17 consecutive years. She had a difficult rookie season and nearly quit the game in 1959, but she came back strong.
Her 88 LPGA victories are the most by any professional golfer, surpassing the men’s PGA Tour record of 82 shared by Sam Snead and Tiger Woods. She won six major championships and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
