Karrie Webb

Karrie Webb started playing golf at age 8. She credits her parents, Rob and Evelyn, and coach Kelvin Haller as the individuals who most influenced her career. She says her favorite on-course memory is when she holed out from 116 yards on the final hole to win the 2006 Kraft Nabisco Championship. When she's not playing golf, Karrie loves to spend time fishing, diving and spending time on her boat. She says she would like to learn another language or learn how to play the guitar. Webb also lists carrying the Olympic Torch on the eve of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games as one of the coolest things golf has enabled her to do. She was named Queensland Sportswoman of the Year three consecutive times (2000-02) and was inducted as one of the first two Womensport Queensland Legends in 2008. She launched "Karrie's Fantastic Freebies" in 2009 when she donated 50 free tickets for fans to attend one of seven LPGA events or the U.S. Women's Open. She also received the Christopher Reeve Spirit of Courage Award stemming from her work with the Reeve Foundation and her donation of $100,000 from the 2011 RR Donnelley Founders Cup victory.
Webb was the 1994 Australian Stroke Play champion and represented Australia in international competition six times from 1992-94.
She turned professional in October 1994 and competed on the Women Professional Golfers' European Tour and Futures Tour, where she won one tournament.
In 1995, she won the Weetabix Women's British Open before joining the LPGA Tour. She earned rookie of the year honors on the Women Professional Golfers' European Tour and qualified for the LPGA Tour on her first attempt after finishing second in the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament while playing with a broken bone in her wrist.
In 1996, in just her second tournament as an LPGA member, Webb became a first-time winner at the HealthSouth Inaugural by defeating Martha Nause and Jane Geddes on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff. She recorded top-10 finishes in her first six tournament starts and won three other events. She also earned $1,002,000 to become the first player in LPGA history to reach the $1 million mark in single-season earnings and became the first rookie on either the LPGA or PGA Tour to reach the $1 million mark in single-season earnings and earned Rolex Rookie of the Year honors.
In 1997, she won the Weetabix Women's British Open for the second time in three years and successfully defended her title in the SAFECO Classic and won the Susan G. Komen International. She won the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average and was honored with an ESPY Award from ESPN as the Outstanding Women's Golf Performer of the Year.
In 1998, she recorded 20 top-20 finishes, including victories in the Australian Ladies Masters and the City of Hope Myrtle Beach Classic, where she won with all rounds in the 60s. She recorded her first LPGA career hole-in-one during the third round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
In 1999, she won six times and recorded 22 top-10 finishes, earning her first Rolex Player of the Year award and her second Vare Trophy. She also won her first major championship in the du Maurier Classic and set an LPGA record for consecutive top-10 finishes with 16. She became the fastest player in LPGA history to cross the $3 million and $4 million marks in career earnings and won the Mercury LPGA Series Bonus Pool.
In 2000, she won her second consecutive Rolex Player of the Year title and Vare Trophy. With her one-hole playoff win over Dottie Pepper in the AFLAC Champions Presented by Southern Living, she became the first player since Beth Daniel in 1990 to win seven titles in a season. Webb won her third major championship in the U.S. Women's Open at the Merit Club in Gurnee, Ill., which gave her the 27 points needed to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame. She won the second major of her career with a wire-to-wire win in the Nabisco Championship, where she recorded her second LPGA career hole-in-one and won by 10 strokes. She defeated Annika Sorenstam on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the LPGA Takefuji Classic, her third win in her first three starts of the season. Captured the Australian Ladies Masters title for the third consecutive year, went wire-to-wire in the season-opening Office Depot Championship to successfully defend her title. Named Female Player of the Year by the Golf Writers Association of America.
In 2001, she successfully defended her U.S. Women's Open title, this time winning at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C., and was the only player to finish under par for the championship. With her two-stroke victory in the McDonald's LPGA Championship, she became one of six women (Juli Inkster, Pat Bradley, Mickey Wright, Louise Suggs, and Annika Sorenstam) to achieve the LPGA Career Grand Slam, as well as the youngest ever. She closed the season with a victory in the Tyco/ADT Championship for her third title of the year and won two international events. She won the ESPY Award from ESPN for the second time as the Outstanding Women's Golf Performer of the Year.
In 2002, Webb won the Wegmans Rochester LPGA and won the Weetabix Women's British Open for her sixth major championship victory, becoming the first player in LPGA history to achieve the Super Career Grand Slam, which is winning all five majors available in her career. At 27 years, 7 months, 21 days, she is also the second-youngest player to win six major championships, behind Mickey Wright.
In 2003, she opened with a season-low 65 in the John Q. Hammons Hotel Classic and won the tournament by nine strokes.
In 2004, she won her 30th-career title in the Kellogg-Keebler Classic, where she posted a season-low 64 during the second round. She then recorded a total of eight top-10 finishes, including second place in the Longs Drugs Challenge, and crossed the $10 million mark in career earnings in the Safeway Classic.
In 2005, she officially qualified for the LPGA Tour and World Golf Hall of Fames on June 9 after completing the first round of the McDonald's LPGA Championship presented by Coca-Cola, giving her 10 years of membership on the LPGA Tour. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on November 14 and is the second international player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame through the LPGA criteria.
In 2006, she won five tournaments and became only the third person in LPGA history (Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa) to earn more than $2 million in single-season earnings and earned her second Kraft Nabisco Championship title and seventh-career major championship after a one-hole, sudden-death playoff with Lorena Ochoa. She crossed the $11 million mark in career earnings with her win in the Kraft Nabisco Championship and the $12 million mark with her win in the Evian Masters, becoming only the second player in LPGA history (Annika Sorenstam) to reach these milestones. She also won the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill, the Longs Drugs Challenge, and the Mizuno Classic.
In 2007, her best finish was a runner-up in the McDonald's LPGA Championship. She recorded five additional top-10 finishes and won her seventh and eighth career international victories in the MFS Women's Australian Open and the ANZ Ladies Masters (sixth time) on the ALPG Tour.
In 2008, her best finish was a runner-up in the Ginn Tribute. She also posted a runner-up finish in the season-ending ADT Championship and was granted Life Membership on the Australia Ladies Professional Golf Tour.
In 2009, she won the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International, her 36th LPGA victory. She recorded runner-up finishes in both the Ricoh Women's British Open, her season-best finish in a major championship, and the Canadian Women's Open. Additional top-10 finishes included a T5 in the Evian Masters, a T-8th in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, and a T-9th in the HSBC Women's Champions.
In 2010, her best finish was T-4th in the Honda PTT LPGA Thailand, T-5th in the Kraft Nabisco Championship and LPGA Championship, and 10th international victory in the Australian Ladies Masters.
In 2011, recorded back-to-back victories in the HSBC Women's Champions and RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup, the 37th and 38th of her career. Additional top-10 finishes included: T-3rd in the Honda LPGA Thailand, T-6th in the U.S. Women's Open, and T-8th in the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
2012 Notes: Played in 20 events and made all 20 cuts, earning $884,973 (12th on the money list). Had seven top-10 finishes and five top-five finishes, including a season-best T-2nd in Evian Masters, where she crossed the $17 million mark in career earnings. For the second time in her career, posted back-to-back seasons without a missed cut (1999-2000).
2013 Notes: Made 19 cuts out of the 21 events she played and finished 13th on the Tour money list. Recorded six top-10 finishes, including four top-fives. Won the ShopRite LPGA Classic, signifying her 39th career victory. Crossed the $18 million mark in career earnings when she finished T-15th in The Evian Championship and ended the year eighth in scoring average at 70.64 strokes per round.
2014 Notes: She won twice in 2014 and was eighth on the money list with $1,069,540 and 12th in CME Group points. It was her first time in the top 10 in earnings since 2006. She made 18 cuts in 19 starts and led the LPGA in sand saves (57.5 percent). Webb won her 40th LPGA title in the Women's Australian Open. Winning the tournament for the fifth time, she shot a final-round 68 to beat Chella Choi by one stroke. She was third in the HSBC Women's Champions. She bogeyed three of her last six holes to give up a three-stroke lead and finished one stroke out of the Paula Creamer-Azahara Munoz playoff. She got her 41st LPGA victory in the Founders Cup, shooting a final-round 63 to beat Stacy Lewis, Azahara Munoz, Amy Yang, Mirim Lee, and Lydia Ko by one stroke. Second in the Evian Championship, one stroke back of winner Hyo Joo Kim, who made a 12-foot birdie on the last hole for victory. If Webb had won, it would have given her a victory in six different major championships.
2015 Notes: She made the cut 18 times in 22 starts and ranked 43rd on the money list. It was the first time in her career that she had been outside the top 30. She had three top-10s, with best finishes of T-5th at the ShopRite Classic and T-7th at the Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout and KPMG Women's PGA Championship.
2016 Notes: Played in 20 LPGA events, making 15 cuts, and had 3 top-10 finishes. Started her year with a 3rd in the ISPS Handa Australian Open. She was T-5th at the Ricoh Women's British Open, in her next start was T-5th at the Canadian Pacific Women's Open. Became just the 2nd player in LPGA history to surpass $20 million in career earnings with her T38 finish at the Toto Japan Classic. Was 52nd on the money list with $378,876 and 50th in CME points.
2017 Notes: Played in 19 LPGA events, making nine cuts. Had a season-best T-2nd finish at the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open, she was a shot back of winner Mi Hyang Lee.
2018 Notes: Played in 8 LPGA events, making 5 cuts. Was T-11th at the ASI Ladies Scottish Open.
In January, she was made an Officer of the Order of Australia, the nation's second-highest honor.
2019 Notes: Webb placed T-38th at the ISPS Handa Australian Open. She received a special exemption to play this year, which will be her 24th consecutive U.S. Women's Open. She currently holds the active record for the most consecutive U.S. Women's Opens at 24. After that, she was pretty much retired. She played in three events in 2020 and three events in 2022. With partner Marina Alex, the pair finished T-15th at the 2022 Dw Great Lakes Bay Invitational.
2024 Notes: Wanting to play the Old Course one more time at the AIG Women's, Webb returned to the LPGA to get ready, missing the cut at the ShopRite Classic and the Dana Open. She told GolfWeeks Beth Ann Nichols, "I just think St. Andrews and the Old Course is such a magical place," said Webb. "I've never worked out how to play the Old Course well, but I just love everything: staying in the town, being there, even being on the golf course." This will be her 25th AIG Women's Open. She won it at Woburn in 1995, her first start, 1997 at Sunningdale and 2002 at Turnberry.