Karrie Anne Webb (born 21 December 1974) is an Australian professional golfer. She plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour, and also turns out once or twice a year on the ALPG Tour in her home country. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. She has 41 wins on the LPGA Tour, more than any other active player.
Early life and amateur career
Webb was born in Ayr, Queensland. She was a member of the Australian Amateur team, making six international appearances from 1992 to 1994, including a 1994 appearance in the Espirito Santo Trophy World Amateur Golf Team Championships. This was the year she became the Australian Stroke Play Champion
Professional career Webb began her professional golfing career in 1994 playing on the Ladies European Tour, where she finished second at the Women's Australian Open, and the Futures Tour in the U.S., where she won one tournament. In 1995 she became the youngest ever winner of the Weetabix Women's British Open in her rookie season in Europe, prior to it being classed as an LPGA major, and was European Rookie of the Year. She qualified for the LPGA Tour after she finished second at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, despite playing with a broken bone in her wrist.
In 1996 Webb won her first LPGA tournament in her second LPGA start at the HealthSouth Inaugural, on the fourth hole of a sudden death playoff. She won three other tournaments and became the first LPGA player to win $1 million mark in a single season, topping the year end money list. She was also the 1996 LPGA Rookie of the Year.
In 1997 Webb won three times on the LPGA Tour including another win at the Weetabix Women's British Open, won her first Vare Trophy and was voted 1997 ESPY Best Female Golfer. In 1999 Webb won her first major championship at the du Maurier Ltd. Classic and won her first LPGA Tour Player of the Year award.
Webb also took part in the largest playoff in LPGA Tour history at the 1999 Jamie Farr Kroger Classic.LPGA All-Time Records Se Ri Pak birdied the first sudden death playoff hole to defeat Webb, Mardi Lunn, Carin Koch, Sherri Steinhauer, and Kelli Kuehne.
In 2000, Webb won two more major championships, following up her win at the Nabisco Championship with a win at the U.S. Women's Open. This gained her a second consecutive Rolex Player of the Year title and Vare Trophy, and she topped the money list, missing out on a chance to become the LPGA's first single-season $2 million winner by taking a mid season break to return home to Australia to run with the Olympic torch. Teamed with Rachel Hetherington representing Australia she won the Women's World Cup in Malaysia, was awarded the preeminent sport award in Australia, the Dawn Fraser Award. and was named Female Player of the Year by the Golf Writers Association of America.
She successfully defended her U.S. Women's Open title in 2001 and won the LPGA Championship, to become the youngest winner of the LPGA Career Grand Slam. She teamed with David Duval to play against Annika Sörenstam and Tiger Woods in a made-for-TV Battle at Bighorn between the two best male and two best female players in the world. At the time, it provided women's golf its largest audience ever. Webb's win at the 2002 Women's British Open, which had become an LPGA major in 2001, meant she completed a Super Career Grand Slam – every available major championship in women's golf in her career.
Webb then suffered a three-year slump. She collected just two LPGA wins in the next two years, and in 2005 had a best LPGA finish of tied sixth although she did team up with Rachel Hetherington to represent Australia at the Women's World Cup of Golf and won her fifth ANZ Ladies Masters title back home in Australia.
Webb qualified for entry to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2000, but was not eligible for induction until she had played ten LPGA Tour events in each of ten seasons. She met this criterion on 9 June 2005 when she completed the first round of the LPGA Championship. At age 30, she became the youngest living person ever to enter the Hall of Fame, and kept that distinction until 2007, when fellow LPGA star Se Ri Pak was inducted.
Webb staged a comeback season in 2006. In the final round at the Kraft Nabisco Championship she holed a 116-yard shot from the fairway to eagle the 18th hole, and then birdied the same hole in a sudden-death playoff to beat Lorena Ochoa and win her second Kraft Nabisco Championship. She won four other tournaments including the Evian Masters and Mizuno Classic. Her 2006 Kraft Nabisco win took her into the top ten of the Women's World Golf Rankings for the first time since they were introduced in February 2006.
Her 41 LPGA Tour victories places her tied for 10th with Babe Zaharias on the list of players with the most career LPGA tournament wins and first among all active players.
Awards and honors In 1995, she earned Rookie of the Year honors on the Ladies European Tour. The following year she earned Rookie of the Year honors on the LPGA Tour. In 1996, she won the money list on the LPGA Tour. She also won the money list in 1999 and 2000. In 1999 and 2000, she earned Player of the Year honors on the LPGA Tou. In 2005, she was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Professional wins (56) LPGA Tour wins (41) Legend Major championships (7) Other LPGA Tour (34) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up120 Aug 1995Women's British Open1−14 (69-70-69-70=278)6 strokes Jill McGill Annika Sörenstam221 Jan 1996HealthSouth Inaugural−7 (70-70-69=209)Playoff Jane Geddes Martha Nause35 May 1996Sprint Titleholders Championship−16 (71-65-70-66=272)1 stroke Kelly Robbins415 Sep 1996Safeco Classic−11 (66-71-71-69=277)2 shots Patty Sheehan524 Nov 1996ITT LPGA Tour Championship−16 (69-70-68-65=272)4 strokes Emilee Klein Nancy Lopez Kelly Robbins 620 Apr 1997Susan G. Komen International−12 (72-72-66-66=276)2 strokes Nanci Bowen Cathy Johnston-Forbes Lorie Kane717 Aug 1997Women's British Open1−19 (65-70-63-71=269)8 strokes Rosie Jones814 Sep 1997Safeco Classic−16 (67-67-71-67=272)1 stroke Annika Sörenstam91 Mar 1998Australian Ladies Masters2−16 (69-69-64-70=272)5 strokes Hyun Soon Park Annika Sörenstam1019 Apr 1998City of Hope Myrtle Beach Classic−19 (68-66-68-67=269)3 strokes Meg Mallon1130 Jan 1999The Office Depot−10 (67-69-72-70=278)1 stroke Dottie Pepper Kris Tschetter1228 Feb 1999Australian Ladies Masters2−26 (63-67-64-68=262)10 strokes Janice Moodie1321 Mar 1999Standard Register PING−14 (68-68-69-69=274)4 strokes Lorie Kane149 May 1999Mercury Titleholders Championship−17 (69-66-70-66=271)3 strokes Annika Sörenstam1513 Jun 1999Wegmans Rochester International−8 (75-67-68-70=280)1 stroke Cindy McCurdy161 Aug 1999du Maurier Classic−11 (73-72-66-66=277)2 strokes Laura Davies1716 Jan 2000The Office Depot−7 (65-75-70-71=281)4 strokes Juli Inkster1827 Feb 2000Australian Ladies Masters2−14 (68-68-70-68=274)1 stroke Lorie Kane194 Mar 2000LPGA Takefuji Classic−9 (68-70-69=207)Playoff Annika Sörenstam2026 Mar 2000Nabisco Championship−14 (67-70-67-70=274)10 strokes Dottie Pepper2123 Jul 2000U.S. Women's Open−6 (69-72-68-73=282)5 strokes Meg Mallon Cristie Kerr2227 Aug 2000Oldsmobile Classic−23 (66-61-66-72=265)2 strokes Meg Mallon2322 Oct 2000AFLAC Champions−15 (69-67-68-69=273)Playoff Dottie Pepper243 Jun 2001U.S. Women's Open−7 (70-65-69-69=273)8 strokes Se Ri Pak2524 Jun 2001McDonald's LPGA Championship−14 (67-64-70-69=270)2 strokes Laura Diaz2618 Nov 2001Tyco/ADT Championship−9 (67-71-73-68=279)2 strokes Annika Sörenstam2723 Jun 2002Wegmans Rochester LPGA−12 (64-72-72-68=276)1 stroke Mi Hyun Kim2811 Aug 2002Women's British Open1−15 (66-71-70-66=273)2 strokes Michelle Ellis Paula Martí297 Sep 2003John Q. Hammons Hotel Classic−10 (65-69-66=200)9 strokes Dorothy Delasin Candie Kung Jamie Hullett Tammie Green306 Jun 2004Kellogg-Keebler Classic−16 (69-64-67=200)5 strokes Siew-Ai Lim Annika Sörenstam312 Apr 2006Kraft Nabisco Championship−9 (70-68-76-65=279)Playoff Lorena Ochoa3214 May 2006Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill−14 (66-68-66-70=270)7 strokes Lorena Ochoa Hee-Won Han3329 Jul 2006Evian Masters1−16 (67-68-69-68=272)1 stroke Laura Davies Michelle Wie3424 Sep 2006Longs Drugs Challenge−15 (67-70-66-70=273)1 stroke Annika Sörenstam355 Nov 2006Mizuno Classic3−14 (69-67-66=202)4 strokes Kaori Higo3629 Mar 2009J Golf Phoenix LPGA International−14 (70-68-69-67=274)2 strokes Jiyai Shin3727 Feb 2011HSBC Women's Champions−13 (70-66-70-69=275)1 stroke Chie Arimura3820 Mar 2011RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup−12 (71-67-66=204)1 stroke Brittany Lincicome Paula Creamer392 Jun 2013ShopRite LPGA Classic−4 (72-69-68=209)2 strokes Shanshan Feng4016 Feb 2014ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open5−12 (71-69-68-68=276)1 stroke Chella Choi4123 Mar 2014JTBC Founders Cup−19 (66-71-69-63=269)1 stroke Lydia Ko Mirim Lee Stacy Lewis Azahara Muñoz Amy Yang
LPGA Tour playoff record (4–6) No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result11996HealthSouth Inaugural Jane Geddes Martha NauseWon with par on fourth extra holeNause eliminated by par on first hole21997HealthSouth Inaugural Michelle McGannLost to par on first extra hole31999Jamie Farr Kroger Classic Carin Koch Kelli Kuehne Mardi Lunn Se Ri Pak Sherri SteinhauerPak won with birdie on first extra hole 41999PageNet Championship Laura Davies Se Ri PakPak won with birdie on first extra hole52000LPGA Takefuji Classic Annika SörenstamWon with birdie on first extra hole62000Evian Masters Annika SörenstamLost to eagle on first extra hole72000AFLAC Champions Dottie PepperWon with par on first extra hole82006Kraft Nabisco Championship Lorena OchoaWon with birdie on first extra hole92006McDonald's LPGA Championship Se Ri PakLost to birdie on first extra hole102008Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika Seon Hwa LeeLost to par on first extra hole
LPGA majors are shown in bold.
ALPG Tour wins (13) 1998 (1) Australian Ladies Masters2 1999 (1) Australian Ladies Masters2 2000 (2) AAMI Women's Australian Open4, Australian Ladies Masters2 2001 (1) ANZ Ladies Masters4 2002 (1) AAMI Women's Australian Open4 2005 (1) ANZ Ladies Masters4 2007 (2) MFS Women's Australian Open4, ANZ Ladies Masters4 2008 (1) MFS Women's Australian Open4 2010 (1) ANZ Ladies Masters4 2013 (1) Volvik RACV Ladies Masters4 2014 (1) ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open5
LPGA of Japan Tour wins (3) 2000 (1) Nichirei Cup World Ladies 2001 (1) Nichirei Cup World Ladies 2006 (1) Mizuno Classic3
Ladies European Tour wins (15) 1995 (1) Women's British Open1 1997 (1) Women's British Open1 2000 (1) AAMI Women's Australian Open4 2001 (1) ANZ Ladies Masters4 2002 (2) AAMI Women's Australian Open4, Women's British Open1 2005 (1) ANZ Ladies Masters4 2006 (1) Evian Masters1 2007 (2) MFS Women's Australian Open4, ANZ Ladies Masters4 2008 (1) MFS Women's Australian Open4 2010 (1) ANZ Ladies Masters4 2013 (2) Volvik RACV Ladies Masters4, ISPS Handa Ladies European Masters 2014 (1) ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open5 Note: Webb won The Evian Championship (formerly named the Evian Masters) once before it was recognized as a major championship on the LPGA Tour in 2013, but after it was co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour in 2000. Webb won the Women's British Open twice before it was recognized as a major championship on the LPGA Tour in 2001, but after it was co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour in 1994 and once after it was recognized as a major championship in 2001.
Futures Tour wins (1) 1995 Golden Flake Golden Ocala Futures Classic
Other wins (2) 2000 Women's World Cup Golf (with Rachel Hetherington) 2003 ConAgra LPGA Skins Game
Notes 1 Co-sanctioned by LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour 2 Co-sanctioned by LPGA Tour and ALPG Tour 3 Co-sanctioned by LPGA Tour and LPGA of Japan Tour 4 Co-sanctioned by ALPG Tour and Ladies European Tour 5 Co-sanctioned by ALPG Tour, Ladies European Tour, and LPGA Tour
Major championships Wins (7)