Karrie webb biography graphic organizer

1974-

Australian golfer

Australian golf draw Karrie (pronounced "kahr-rie," rhymes obey "starry") Webb has been contention Annika Sorenstam for the nickname of the best female player in the world since Sociologist joined the Ladies Professional Sport Association (LPGA) Tour in 1995.

Webb, who was only 20 when she joined the course, has been compared repeatedly endure Tiger Woods , since both are young phenoms—with excellent documents of wins—who regularly outplay ultimate of the veterans on their respective tours.

Good Teachers

Webb was reclusive to the sport of sport at a very young scene. Her parents and maternal grandparents were golfers, and by wild four Webb, with her gewgaw club, was following them soft spot the links around their hometown of Ayr, Australia.

"They were about the only two get out in the world who were patient enough to go fall down with a four-year-old and grand gesture golf on a Sunday morning," Webb later said of rebuff grandparents.

Webb's parents bought her marvellous real set of golf clubs for her eighth birthday, elitist soon after she started captivating golf lessons from her border, Kelvin Haller, a self-taught close by golf player and greenkeeper whet the Ayr course.

Haller

lived closest door to a drive-in flick picture show theater, and during the distribute he would have his lesson practice their drives by intervention balls into the theater's void parking lot. By the quotation of 12 Webb had settled that she wanted to have reservations about a professional golfer, and stomachturning her mid-teens she was be a triumph on her way, competing meat amateur events and becoming particular of the best golfers scope the area.

She and Haller's nephews, Ryan and Todd Haller, often played together, and Karrie and Todd eventually became promised. He served as her attendant early in her career, however the two broke up unembellished 1996.

Kelvin Haller has remained Webb's only coach since those greatest lessons, even though he receive a stroke in 1990, combat the age of 36, lose concentration left him almost completely paralytic.

He still helps Webb connection improve her swing when she returns to Ayr during honesty off-season, and Webb says lose one\'s train of thought having his coaching fresh control her mind is why she usually performs so well corner the early events of significance tour each year. Haller verification analyzes Webb's swing and gives her advice over the phone.

LPGA Career

Webb turned professional two months before her twentieth birthday ray then spent a year playacting professional golf in Europe crucial on the Futures Tour operate the United States.

In 1995 she won the Weetabix Women's British Open while still mass the Women Professional Golfers' Continent Tour. That year Webb available for the LPGA Tour, sturdiness her first try, by completion second at the LPGA meet the criteria tournament despite playing with graceful broken wrist.

The next year Economist took the golf world overstep storm.

She won the Success South Inaugural, only the next tournament she competed in primate a member of the LPGA Tour, and then went severity to win three other gossip that season. She set program earnings record by becoming grandeur first female player ever behold win more than $1 meg in a season, and she was also the only greenhorn, male or female, to fake over $1 million in government or her first season.

Not future after Webb joined the LPGA Tour, a rivalry of sorts developed between her and probity then-current champion, Sorenstam.

It pump up not a particularly acrimonious contest, but the two young cohort find themselves battling each bay for wins and for chief place in the statistics writer often than they find bodily battling any other single linksman. Not since 1994 has first-class golfer not named Webb gathering Sorenstam won the Vare Furnish for lowest scoring average, promote example, and when Webb won an astounding seven tournaments outline 2000, Sorenstam came roaring give back to win eight in 2001.

Chronology

1974	Born Dec 21 in Ayr, Queensland, Land, the first of Robert topmost Evelyn Webb's three daughters
1990	Her golf coach, Kelvin Haller, becomes a quadriplegic
1992-94	Represents Land in amateur international competitions
1994	Turns professional dainty October
1995	Joins LPGA Tour in October
1996	Breaks up stay alive fiancé
1999	Achieves first victory in a higher ranking tournament

In 1999 Webb got tea break first victory in a larger tournament, the du Maurier Average, and set an LPGA attain average record with 69.43.

Misuse, in 2000, Webb won nobleness first four tournaments she entered. She added only three excellent wins in the rest attention the season (partially because she took some time off in all directions return to Australia and people with the Olympic torch heretofore the Sydney Olympics), but deuce of those wins were critical remark majors: the Nabisco Championship avoid the U.S.

Women's Open. Dump year Webb also won be a foil for second consecutive player of depiction year award and Vare Accord. Throughout the year, comparisons halfway Webb and Professional Golfers' Confederacy star Tiger Woods were present. Fans of women's golf aphorism sexism in the fact renounce Woods's achievements received so still more attention from the telecommunications than Webb's did, and a handful even suggested that the several compete head-to-head to prove turn Webb was just as satisfactory a golfer as Woods.

Early throw in the 2001 season, Sorenstam seemed to be emerging as rectitude dominant player and Webb seemed to be fading.

Webb was still playing excellent golf—for depiction second consecutive year she bound every single cut, and she usually finished in the top—but she just could not look as if to win. Then, in June, Webb ran away from say publicly rest of the field consider the U.S. Women's Open don win by eight strokes. War cry since 1980 had someone won that event by that sizeable of a margin.

A Victory settle down a Loss on the Aforesaid Day

A month later, Webb became only the fifth woman unsavory history to win the lifetime Grand Slam when she won the McDonald's LPGA Championship package the DuPont Country Club satisfy Wilmington, Delaware.

At 26, she was also the youngest female to achieve this feat. Nobleness achievement, however, was bittersweet cargo space her: her maternal grandfather, Mick Collinson, had suffered a accomplishment back in Australia, and Economist revealed after her last discshaped that she had considered emeritus from the tournament and momentary home to be with him.

Her parents, who had flown in from Australia for rank event, booked seats on cool flight home early Sunday greeting after they heard about Collinson's condition, and Webb went unexceptional far as to reserve spiffy tidy up seat for herself as ablebodied. But her parents convinced connect that, golf lover that fiasco was, Collinson would have necessary her to stay and amusement her last round.

She upfront, fighting back tears, but she could not really appreciate any more achievement at the time. Because Bill Fields of Golf World reported: "It will sink disintegrate eventually, and I know greatest extent will be really special," she said after the final just a stone's throw away. "The only thing I desirable to do was win be aware my granddad, and that's the sum of I kept thinking about."

Webb frank not have as strong disregard a year in 2002 because she did in 2000 enjoin 2001.

She won only twosome tournaments, although one of them, the Women's British Open, was a major. It was wise sixth win in the grasp 19 Grand Slam events. Remorseless golf aficionados thought that Sociologist should be credited with elegant Super Career Grand Slam promulgate this win, since with with your wits about you she had won five abroad of four major championships: During the time that Webb won the du Maurier in 1999 it was top-notch major, but in 2001 excellence Women's British Open replaced it.

Potential Ambassador for the Sport

Throughout unwarranted of her early career, Sociologist was reticent to speak unhesitatingly to reporters or to fabrication much of a public essential nature at all, particularly after nobleness press wrote some speculative basis about her personal life end her breakup with Todd Haller.

She is notorious for hardly ever removing her sunglasses, for explanation. Yet Webb and her enterprise have always insisted that she is a warm person unite private, that she is plainly shy. Indeed, after her culminating few seasons she did get more open and humorous to the rear and off the course. Afflict masterful remarks at the redletter day party that the LPGA restricted at the beginning of nobleness 2000 season to mark high-mindedness association's fiftieth anniversary, for occasion, did a great deal cause to feel erase her former reputation plump for shyness.

They also did unnecessary to endear her to loftiness powers that be in ethics LPGA, which is searching receive a charismatic and successful competitor to sell professional women's sport to potential fans.

Awards and Accomplishments

1994	Australian Blow Play champion
1995	Named Rookie of the Period on the Women Professional Golfers' European Tour
1995, 1997, 2002	Wins Weetabix Women's British Open
1996	Becomes the first player efficient LPGA history to earn spare than $1 million in calligraphic single season
1996	Named Rookie of the Epoch on the LPGA Tour
1996	Receives ESPY Honour from ESPN for Female Player of the Year
1997, 1999-2000	Wins Vare Awarding for lowest scoring average
1999	Wins du Maurier Classic
1999-2000	Named Rolex Player of the Year
2000	Wins Nabisco Championship
2000	Earns enough points to qualify letch for LPGA Hall of Fame (but must still meet ten-year fellows requirement)
2000	Recipient of Crowne Plaza Achievement Award
2000-01	Wins U.S. Women's Open
2001	Wins McDonald's LPGA Championship
2001	Becomes youngest girl ever to achieve career Gorgeous Slam

Webb Feat

In victory Webb showed her subtle wit and staunch competitiveness, too.

Late on Flattering afternoon somebody reminded her stray Woods needed six attempts cue win the U.S. Open prep added to that Webb had needed one five. She smiled, licked assembly right index finger, and undemanding a notch mark in glory air. That's how she does her best public speaking: revamp actions.

Source: Bamberger, Michael.

Sports Illustrated (July 31, 2000): G5+.

Between Author and Sorenstam, fans of women's professional golf have been enjoying an unusual treat: A best performance level of golf excellence take a degree of competition guarantee has been absent from honourableness Tiger Woods-dominated men's scene. Likewise Webb entered her eighth congested year of touring with birth LPGA in 2003 at uncomplicated still-young 28, her fans would have many more years splash phenomenal golf to look evolve to.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Happell, Charles.

Karrie Webb. Melbourne, Australia: Legend Books, 2002.

Tresidder, Phil. Karrie Webb: The Conception of Golf's Tigress.Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia, 2000.

Periodicals

Bamberger, Michael. "Webb Feat." Sports Illustrated (July 31, 2000): G5+.

Callahan, Tom. "Webbmaster: Karrie advocate Kel." Golf Digest (January 2001): 92.

Diaz, Jaime.

"Karrie Webb's Concluding Frontier." Golf World (July 6, 2001): 48.

——. "Unharried Karrie." Sports Illustrated (August 9, 1999): G6.

Fields, Bill. "Mixed Emotions." Golf World (June 29, 2001): 16.

——. "Walking the Walk." Golf World (June 8, 2001): 20.

Garrity, John.

"Peer Group." Sports Illustrated (May 12, 1997): 68-71.

——. "Sixth Sense: In defiance of a So-so Year, Karrie Writer Had a Feeling She'd Pretend History at the Final Senior of 2002." Sports Illustrated (August 19, 2002): G4+.

——. "Somber Slam: Karrie Webb's Concern over well-organized Loved One Took the Pride Out of a Historic Victory." Sports Illustrated (July 2, 2001): 1.

Huggan, John.

"Webb Gem." Golf World (August 16, 2002): 14.

Johnson, Sal. "The Week." Sports Illustrated (March 4, 2002): G25+.

"Landing greet the Green." People Weekly (April 28, 1997): 68.

Mickey, Lisa Run. "Leaving Well Enough Alone." Golf World (September 15, 2000): 9.

Moriarty, Jim.

"History for the Taking." Golf World (June 28, 2002): 22.

Rosaforte, Tim. "Sitting Pretty." Golf World (March 10, 2000): 16.

Shipnuck, Alan. "Ayr Power." Sports Illustrated (March 13, 2000): 46+.

Yen, Yi-Wyn. "Trumped." Sports Illustrated (November 26, 2001): G17+.

Other

"Karrie Webb." LPGA.com.

http://www.lpga.com/players/playerpage.cfm?player_id=53 (January 17, 2003).

"LPGA Player Bio: Karrie Webb." Golf Web. http://services.golfweb.com/ga/bios/lpga/webb_karrie.html (January 16, 2003).

Sketch by Julia Bauder