Kathy Whitworth Is Born

Professional golf's all-time leading tournament winner Kathy Whitworth was born on September 27, 1939, in Monahans, Texas.

Whitworth started playing golf at the age of fifteen. At nineteen she joined the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour. Over the next fifteen years, she received the LPGA Player of the Year Award seven times.

Whitworth won her first tournament, the Kelly Girl Open, in 1962. Three years later, she was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year. She received the award again in 1967. For her outstanding performance between 1968 and 1977, Golf Magazine named Whitworth "Golfer of the Decade."

Whitworth was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame in 1975, but didn't rest on her laurels. By 1982, she had captured 82 LPGA titles. Whitworth won her 88th in 1985, setting the tournament victory record for a professional golfer, man or woman.

Although she occasionally competes in senior tournaments, Whitworth's focus today is not on winning golf tournaments, but helping other women master the game. She has authored a golf handbook for women and teaches golf clinics nationwide.

Kathy Whitworth (born September 27, 1939 in Monahans, Texas) is an American professional golfer. Throughout her playing career she won 88 LPGA Tour tournaments, more than anyone else has won on either the LPGA Tour or the PGA Tour. In 1981 she became the first woman to reach career earnings of $1 million on the LPGA Tour.

Whitworth began playing golf at age of 15 and won the 1957 and 1958 New Mexico State Amateur Championship. She became a professional player at 19, joining the LPGA in December 1958.