Record winner on a professional tour
She was the first woman to win millions in a tournament: US golfer Kathy Whitworth died
Kathy Whitworth won her first title in 1962 and her last in 1985
© Carlos Ortiz / DPA
She was the first woman to break the $1 million mark in prize money on a professional tour. US golfer Kathy Whitworth has died aged 83. Her death came as a surprise at a celebration with friends and family.
Golfer Kathy Whitworth, record winner on the women’s professional tour, died on Saturday at the age of 83. This was reported on Sunday by several US media and the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tournament series, citing Whitworth’s partner. A cause of death was not given. She died suddenly on Christmas Eve at a party with friends and family, it said.
With 88 wins in almost a quarter of a century, she has achieved the most by a player on a single professional tour, the US news agency Associated Press reported. So far, no man has reached this mark. Tiger Woods is the only active golfer within their reach with 82 wins.
Kathy Whitworth won her first title in 1962
Whitworth was also the first woman to surpass $1 million in prize money on the LPGA tour. That was in 1981. Overall, she earned more than $1.7 million in her career.
Kathy Whitworth in action on the 18th hole at the 1966 Women Titleholders Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia
© Horace Cort
Whitworth won her first title in 1962 and her last in 1985. She won six majors in her career. Whitworth was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1982.
Whitworth was born in Monahan, a small town in West Texas, in 1939 and learned to play golf in New Mexico. “I don’t think about the legacy of 88 tournaments,” she once said. “I did it because I wanted to win, not to set a record or achieve a goal that no one else can surpass. I’m not a big exception.”