Webb, Karrie

▪ 2001

      While she was in no immediate danger of being mobbed by throngs of admirers, reporters, and photographers, Australian golfer Karrie Webb gained a reputation in 2000 as the women's tour's answer to Tiger Woods. She began the year with three straight tournament victories—one short of Nancy Lopez's record of four wins in a row—and went on to win two majors, the Nabisco Championship and the U.S. Women's Open. By shooting a 6-under-par 282 to take the U.S. Women's Open title in July, the 25-year-old Webb claimed the largest single tournament prize ($500,000, plus a $250,000 bonus) in Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) history and earned enough points to qualify for enshrinement in the LPGA Hall of Fame (though she was not eligible for induction until she had played 10 years on the tour). She needed only to win the LPGA championship to become the youngest woman ever to win all four of the modern-day majors—and she had until 2009 to do so.

      Webb was born on Dec. 21, 1974, in Ayr, Queen., Australia, and began playing golf at the age of eight. By her early teens she was competing exclusively against top local men players. Turning professional in 1994, she joined the Women's Professional Golfers' European Tour. The following year she won the Women's British Open, her last win before joining the LPGA tour in 1996.

      In just her second LPGA tournament, Webb demonstrated the mental toughness of a veteran, defeating Martha Nause and Jane Geddes on the fourth hole of a sudden-death play-off. Shortly thereafter, Webb began her assault on golf's record books, collecting tournament titles at a dizzying pace. Three more tournament victories, along with 12 top-five finishes, led her to a single-season earnings record of $1,002,000—the first time that a rookie on either the men's or the women's tour had reached the million-dollar mark. Webb capped her incredible debut season by winning the LPGA Rookie of the Year award.

      In 1997 Webb shot a career-low 63 en route to her second victory at the Women's British Open in three years. She collected two other wins and led the tour with a scoring average of 70. With two tournament victories and 20 top-20 finishes in 1998, Webb passed the $2 million mark in career earnings.

      Like Woods, Webb continued to exceed expectations, putting together another amazing season in 1999: six tournament titles (including her first major at the du Maurier Classic), 22 top-10 finishes, and record-setting numbers in both scoring average (69.43) and single-season earnings ($1,591,959).

Anthony G. Craine

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