Kathy Whitworth
Kathy Whitworth was the first woman professional golfer to pass the $1 million mark in career earnings. She broke the million-dollar plateau in 1981 when, at the age of 41, she won her 81st tournament. Whitworth's dominance of the game cannot be fully measured by career earnings, however, since she began in the early days of the LPGA tour when purses were much smaller. Her performance over a nine-year period (1965-73) may never be matched. During that time she was the leading money-winner eight times, player of the year seven times, and holder of low scoring average seven times. Whitworth won at least one tournament a year for 17 consecutive years. She was twice named Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press and in 1975 became the seventh member of the LPGA Hall of Fame. Whitworth was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1982.