Colleen Walker
{{short description|American golfer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2013}}
{{Infobox golfer
| name = Colleen Walker
| image =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| fullname = Colleen Walker
| nickname =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1956|8|16}}
| birth_place = Jacksonville, Florida
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2012|12|11|1956|8|16}}
| death_place = Valrico, Florida
| height = {{height|ft=5|in=5}}
| weight =
| nationality = {{USA}}
| spouse =
| partner =
| children =
| college = Florida State University
| yearpro = 1982
| retired =
| extour = LPGA Tour (1982–2004)
Legends Tour
| prowins = 12
| lpgawins = 9
| jlpgawins = 1
| otherwins = 2
| majorwins = 1
| nabisco = 2nd: 1988
| lpga = T15: 1991
| wusopen = T3: 1988
| dumaurier = Won: 1997
| wbritopen = DNP
| wghofid =
| wghofyear =
| award1 = LPGA Vare Trophy
| year1 = 1988
| award2 = LPGA Heather Farr
Player Award
| year2 = 2004
| awardssection =
}}
Colleen Walker (August 16, 1956 – December 11, 2012{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/golf/view/202212129-time_lpga_tour_winner_colleen_walker_dies/srvc=sports&position=also |title=9-time LPGA Tour winner Colleen Walker dies |newspaper=Boston Herald |date=December 12, 2012 |accessdate=December 12, 2012}}) was an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour.
Amateur career
Walker was born in Jacksonville, Florida. She started playing golf at the age of 14. At the age of 18, she was named the 1974 Palm Beach Post Athlete and Player of the Year. She won the Florida All-State Golf Award in 1976. She attended Florida State University where she won most valuable player honors from 1977–1978.
Professional career
Walker turned professional in September 1981 and played on the Tampa Bay Mini-Tour. She joined the LPGA Tour in 1982 after winning the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament. She won nine tour titles, the first of them in 1987 and the last in 1997, including one major championship, the 1997 du Maurier Ltd. Classic. In 1988, she won the LPGA Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average, was named Most Improved Player by Golf Digest, and finished a career high fifth on the money list, one of four times she finished in the top ten. She was inducted into the Florida State University Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
Walker joined the Legends Tour in 2001, winning her first tournament that year. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2003, she underwent chemotherapy and radiation. She would rejoin the tour in September. She finished in a tie for 10th at a senior event, essentially an attempt to see if she could still play. She retired from the LPGA Tour in 2004.
Walker died on December 11, 2012, in Valrico, Florida, of a cancer recurrence that was diagnosed in late 2011.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/13/sports/golf/colleen-walker-nine-time-winner-on-lpga-tour-dies-at-56.html?_r=0 |title= Colleen Walker, Nine-Time Winner on L.P.G.A. Tour, Dies at 56 |last=Goldstein |first=Richard |date=December 12, 2012 |newspaper=The New York Times |accessdate=October 6, 2013}} She was 56.
Professional wins (12)
=LPGA Tour (9)=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! Legend |
| style="background:#e5d1cb;"
|LPGA Tour major championships (1) |
| Other LPGA Tour (8) |
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No. !Date !Tournament !Winning score !Margin of !Runner(s)-up |
| 1
|Jun 14, 1987 |−10 (67-70-72-69=278) |1 stroke |{{flagicon|USA}} Bonnie Lauer |
| 2
|Jul 17, 1988 |−14 (66-69-70-69=274) |8 strokes |{{flagicon|USA}} Jane Geddes |
| 3
|Mar 18, 1990 |−12 (71-68-65-72=276) |5 strokes |{{flagicon|USA}} Pat Bradley |
| 4
|Jun 16, 1991 |−9 (70-70-67=207) |2 strokes |{{flagicon|USA}} Beth Daniel |
| 5
|Feb 2, 1992 |−9 (71-73-67-68=279) |Playoff |{{flagicon|CAN}} Dawn Coe |
| 6
|May 24, 1992 |−12 (65-70-69-72=276) |5 strokes |{{flagicon|USA}} Beth Daniel |
| 7
|Sep 20, 1992 |−11 (72-67-68-70=277) |2 strokes |{{flagicon|USA}} Vicki Fergon |
| style="background:#e5d1cb;"
|8 |Aug 3, 1997 |−14 (68-72-73-65=278) |2 stokes |{{flagicon|SWE}} Liselotte Neumann |
| 9
|Sep 20, 1997 |−13 (67-69-67=203) |2 strokes |{{flagicon|USA}} Terry-Jo Myers |
LPGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" | ||||
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background:#B0E0E6;"
|1 |1992 |{{flagicon|CAN}} Dawn Coe |Won with par on first extra hole |
=LPGA of Japan Tour (1)=
- 1989 Nichirei International
=Legends Tour (1)=
- 2001 Hy-Vee Classic
=Other (1)=
- 1988 Mazda Champions (with Dave Hill)
Major championships
=Wins (1)=
| class="wikitable"
!Year!!Championship!!Winning score!!Margin!!Runner-up | ||||
| style="background:#d8d8bf;"
| 1997 | du Maurier Classic | −14 (68-72-73-65=278) | 2 strokes | {{flagicon|SWE}} Liselotte Neumann |
Team appearances
Professional
- Handa Cup (representing the United States): 2009 (winners)
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Legends Tour player|old_id=34}}
{{Canadian Women's Open Champions}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Colleen}}
Category:American female golfers
Category:Florida State Seminoles women's golfers
Category:Winners of LPGA major golf championships
Category:Golfers from Jacksonville, Florida
Category:Sportspeople from Valrico, Florida