If only the rest of us could pick golf up as fast as Kathy Whitworth did. She won the New Mexico State Amateur in 1957 and 1958, just a few short years after picking up a club for the first time. Her determination and natural ability put her on the fast track to success.
No other golfer, male or female, has more Tour victories than Kathy Whitworth. She set the bar at an amazing 88 victories at the United Virginia Bank Classic in 1985.
Born September 27, 1939 in Monahans, Texas, Whitworth didn’t take up golf until she was 15. But when she did it wasn’t long before she was competing professionally. She was only 19 when she joined the LPGA Tour and won her first tournament in 1958 at age 23. “At that time we played in a lot of small places,” said Whitworth. “Caldwell, Idaho. Ogden, Utah. Las Cruces, New Mexico. Midland, Texas. The field was sometimes only 35 players. The bad news was that we paid only 15 places or so. The good news was, there was no cut.”
She played in a day when purses weren’t as large and the LPGA Tour was more like a modern mini-tour than the big-business it has become. Players would drive from tournament to tournament together in cars, making a living on the road on a tour that didn’t have The Golf Channel or major networks supporting it.
The remarkable thing about Kathy Whitworth’s career is that it spanned 36 years. Her last win came in the 31st year of her professional career, the 1985 United Virginia Bank Classic. She won at least one event every year from 1962 to 1978, collecting 75 wins in that span. Her 88 victories is going to be a tough mark to beat. The obvious favorite to do so is Annika Sorenstam. She has 21 wins to go to match 88. Whitworth feels Sorenstam will do it. “There’s no doubt,” said Whitworth. “I think that she has every opportunity and every chance to break my record, and win more than that. If she does, more power to her. I think that’s just great. Records are made to be broken.” Regardless, 88 wins is a Mt. Everest, one that even Sam Snead didn’t climb.
Whitworth received instruction from the great Harvey Penick. She remembers him saying, “I think I can help you. But you’ll have to do exactly what I tell you to do. If you don’t follow the advice I want to give you, I’m afraid it will be a waste of your time and my time. Are you willing to do that?” Whitworth was ready to listen and together they built a base for Kathy’s career that definitely stood the test of time. It makes me think that weekend hacks should get some good instruction as early as they can so they don’t ingrain too many swing faults before correcting them becomes difficult or impractical.
Whitworth won six majors: Three LPGA Championships, one Western Open (a major from 1930-67), and two Titleholders Championships (a major from 1937-42, 1946-66, and in 1972).
In May of this year Whitworth will be honored with the 2006 PGA First Lady of Golf Award for her career and contribution to golf. “I don’t think of myself as someone who gave back to the game as much as what I got out of it, said Whitworth. “But, I do feel that I helped others by setting an example. You don’t know what lives you can touch in your career. I feel an obligation to help people in any way that I can to enjoy the game as I have.”
Whitworth and her fellow competitors paved the way for a healthier and more lucrative LPGA. She earned a total of $1,731,770 which is currently 80th on the career money list. Imagine how much she would have won in the modern era with 88 wins to her credit.
Some might not know that Whitworth lost her retirement when an equities firm that she had invested in tanked in the early 80’s. Whitworth said in an interview last year, “I was assured by everyone that things were going just fine. Well, this company went out of business almost overnight, and a lot of people were wiped out. Athletes, doctors, professional people, a lot of lives were ruined, and there were a number of suicides. Me, I lost virtually all of my retirement.” Unlike some of the others she pulled herself up by her bootstraps and played some more golf. “I came out of it eventually, said Whitworth. “It was a gut-wrenching time, but I’m very proud to have worked my way out of it.”
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: golf is a remarkable sport in that a solid player can have a long career, competing against players much younger than them. Eventually time catches up to you though, no matter how good you are.
“Pride takes over after a while. You remember how you used to play and how you used to perform shots that you can’t play now. That’s what’s frustrating — knowing you were at a certain level at one point in your career, and you’re not there.”
Whitworth hung up her spikes for the last time in 1990 after an incredible and lengthy career. She certainly has plenty to be proud of, not the least of which is her perseverance and attitude and those 88 wins.
Photo Credit: Theodor Horydczak, Grand Cypress.