Record-breaking Golfer Kathy Whitworth dies at 83
According to the American Ladies Professional Golf Association, Athy Whitworth, the professional golfer with the most trophies, passed away at the age of 83.
“Her 88 LPGA victories are the most ever on a professional tour,” it said.
Sam Snead and Tiger Woods, who hold the joint records for the men’s game, as well as the Texan’s competitor Mary Kathryn “Mickey” Wright, were all outdone by her by six trophies.
While celebrating Christmas Eve with family and friends on Saturday night, she passed away unexpectedly, according to her partner.
“Kathy left this world the way she lived her life, loving, laughing and creating memories,” said Bettye Odle without providing any further details.
Whitworth finished second in the 1971 US Women’s Open, the most coveted trophy, and won six majors over the course of her long career.
She was the first woman to make $1 million (£829,000) on the LPGA circuit in 1981.
“I would have swapped being the first to make a million for winning the Open, but it was a consolation which took some of the sting out of not winning,” she said at the time. She won her last professional championship in 1985, 23 years after her initial victory.
Record-breaking Golfer Kathy Whitworth dies at 83
Whitworth was “one of the most incredible women,” LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan said in a tribute.
“Kathy was a champion in the truest sense of the word, both on the golf course and off,” she said in a statement.
