herself by what happens between tee and green.
“Golf is just what I do,” she said
in a March 2014 interview. “It’s not who I am.” Inkster struggled at times, trying to balance her professional ambitions with her personal interests as a parent. Inkster went four full seasons without a victory (1993-96) as she learned to juggle her career and family life. She seriously considered quitting the
LPGA Tour, only to ultimately decide she would try to balance both. That meant taking daughters Hayley and Cori on the road whenever possible— weekends, spring break, summer. “Juli’s fear was that we weren’t doing the right thing by our kids,” says her husband Brian. “That wasn’t the case, but as a mom I’m sure you’re thinking about it when you’re at the Residence Inn in Rochester.” Don’t let these maternal instincts
mislead you, though—Inkster has always been a fierce competitor. That was part of her recipe in winning 31 LPGA events, including seven majors. Inkster might belong on this list
even without those 31 victories. She won three consecutive U.S. Women’s Amateur titles (1980-82), one Cali- fornia Women’s Amateur (’81) and two San Francisco City titles (1979 and ’81), in addition to earning All- America honors at San Jose State. Good thing she got serious about golf.
RESUME: • 2000 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee • 31 LPGA Tour wins • 7 majors including the 1999 and ’02 U.S. Women’s Opens
• 3 U.S. Women’s Amateurs (1980, ’81, ’82) • 1 California Women’s Amateur (1981)
2
Patty Sheehan Her geographical background
gave us pause—Sheehan was born in Vermont, grew up in Reno and played most of her early golf in Northern California—but her credentials are unquestioned. Sheehan has 35 LPGA wins, including six majors; twice won the California Women’s Amateur; and
Paula Creamer 3
Paula Creamer She burst onto the LPGA
scene in 2005, when she picked up her first tour victory at age 18. Creamer, who lived in Pleasanton until she was 14, now has won 10 times, including the 2010 U.S. Wom- en’s Open at Oakmont. She also has been a Solheim Cup stalwart, with a 12-6-5 record.
RESUME: • 10 LPGA Tour wins • U.S. Women’s Open (2010) • 13 straight junior wins in Northern California
4
Pat Hurst Much like Creamer, Hurst
cut her golfing teeth in the junior pro- gram at Castlewood Country Club. She prospered as an amateur while growing up in San Leandro, winning the U.S. Girls Junior in 1986 and U.S. Women’s Amateur four years later.
Hurst has six LPGA wins, including one major (’98 Dinah Shore).
RESUME: • 6 LPGA Tour wins • 1 Nabisco Dinah Shore (1998) • 1 U.S. Women’s Amateur (1990) • 1 U.S. Girls Junior Championship (1986)
Patty Sheehan Pat Hurst
was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.
RESUME: • 1993 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee • 35 LPGA Tour wins • 6 majors including 1983, ’84 and ’93 LPGA Championships
• 2 California Women’s Amateurs (1977, ’78) 5
Dorothy Delasin Even if her LPGA career fizzled
after a fast start—Rookie of the Year honors at age 19 and four wins by 23—Delasin practically played her way onto this list before turn- ing pro. She won the state women’s amateur and U.S. Girls Junior in 1996, the Junior
Dorothy Delasin
Worlds in ’98 and the U.S. Women’s Amateur in ’99. Delasin grew up in South San Francisco.
RESUME: • 4 LPGA wins • 1 U.S. Women’s Amateur (1999) • 1 U.S. Girls Junior (1996) • 1 California Women’s Amateur (1996) • 2 California Junior Girls Amateurs (1996, ’98) • 1 NCGA Junior Girls (1998) • 1 Junior World Golf Championship (1998)
6
Christina Kim She’s one of the LPGA’s most
charismatic players, to put it mildly. Kim has won three times on tour, most recently at the Lorena Ochoa Invitation- al in Mexico City in November— her first LPGA victory since 2005 (she also won a Ladies European
Christina Kim
Tour event in 2011). Kim was born and raised in San Jose.
RESUME: • 3 LPGA wins • 1 California Junior Girls Amateur (2000)
WINTER 2015 /
NCGA.ORG / 37
PHOTO: USGA
PHOTO: LPGA TOUR PHOTO: USGA
PHOTO: LPGA TOUR
PHOTO: USGA
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