Karen Corr
Karen Corr (2009)
Born (1969-11-10) 10 November 1969 (age 54)
Ballymoney, Northern Ireland
Sport country Northern Ireland
Nicknamethe Irish Invader[1]
Professional1990
Medal record
Women's Nine-ball
Representing  Great Britain
World Games
Silver medal – second place 2001 Akita Individual

Karen Corr (born 10 November 1969) is a Northern Irish professional pool and former snooker and English billiards player. She was inducted in the BCA Hall of Fame in 2012.

Early life

Corr was born on 10 November 1969[2] in Ballymoney, Northern Ireland and spent her early childhood near Maghera. When she was 8 years old, her family moved to England. She loved watching snooker matches on television and joined a snooker club at the age of 14 with her dad and her brother. Her friends in Bourne saw that she had exceptional snooker skills and encouraged her to play in tournaments.

Snooker and pool career

At the age of 15, she entered into her first tournament in Leicester and never looked back. Bolstered with confidence, she continued to play in tournaments and rapidly became a top–notch snooker player supported by her family. On the day after her 21st birthday, Corr won her first Women's World Snooker Championship. She would go on to repeat that feat in 1995 and 1997. She also won the World Women's Billiards Championship in 1998 and 1999.[3]

A recession in the mid-1990s and increased restrictions on tobacco sponsorship caused prize funds to rapidly decrease for snooker events outside the World Championship. This forced Corr to look elsewhere for profitable tournament play. Fellow snooker player Julie Kelly told her about the WPBA Tour in America. Corr moved to the U.S. in 1998 to see how well she could play pool. After winning ten consecutive qualifying events, she was able to compete in the professional WPBA events.

By the end of 1998, Corr was ranked #24. At the end of 1999, she was ranked # 4.[1] By the end of 2000, she was ranked 2nd in the world.

Corr won her first WPBA Classic Tour title, "The 2000 Cuetec Cues Players Championship" in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. She completed that year with two more Classic tour titles.[4] She also won the "All Japan Championship" held in Osaka, Japan. She placed second in the "WPA Women's World Championship" and in the "UCC World Ladies Championship" held in Tokyo, Japan.

In 2001, she became the first person to win every WPBA Classic tour event in the same season since they began. She won the silver medal at the World Games and placed 2nd at the World Championships. Before 2001 ended, Corr found herself at the top, the No. 1 ranked player in the World[1] and remained there for 2 years.

Since then, she has been a leading player in women's pool. The crowning achievement of her career came on 26 October 2012, when Corr was formally inducted into the Greatest Player wing of the BCA Hall of Fame.[1] Her Hall of Fame induction announcement stated "her quick rise to the top and her consistent dominance on American soil has earned her the only spot in this year's BCA Hall of Fame class."[4]

She has been runner-up at the World 9-ball Championship four times.

Titles and achievements

Pool

Tournament Championships
Year Tournament Venue
2000 All Japan Championship 9-Ball Osaka, JAP
2000 Super Billiards Expo Players Championship Valley Forge, PA
2000 WPBA Baltimore Classic Baltimore, MD
2000 WPBA Affinix Software Los Angeles Open Los Angeles, CA
2001 WPBA Cuetec Cues Players Championship Valley Forge, PA
2001 WPBA Spring Classic Alpine, CA
2001 WPBA Charlotte Charlotte, NC
2001 WPBA Fall Classic Albuquerque, NM
2001 WPBA Midwest Classic Villa Park, IL
2001 WPBA Nationals Lincoln City, OR
2002 WPBA Spring Classic Alpine, CA
2002 BCA Open 9-Ball Championship Las Vegas, NV
2002 WPBA Nationals Miami, FL
2003 Super Billiards Expo Players Championship Valley Forge, PA
2003 BCA Open 9-Ball Championship Las Vegas, NV
2003 WPBA U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship Albuquerque, NM
2003 WPBA Canadian Open Windsor, Ontario
2004 BCA Open 9-Ball Championship Las Vegas, NV
2004 WPBA Nationals Lincoln City, OR
2005 WPBA Southeast Classic Hollywood, FL
2006 Tournament of Champions Uncasville, CT
2006 WPBA Carolina Classic Rocky Mount, NC
2006 WPBA Florida Classic Hollywood, FL
2006 WPBA Midwest Classic Peoria, IL
2007 Tournament of Champions Uncasville, CT
2007 WPBA Midwest Classic Norman, OK
2007 BCA Open 9-Ball Championship Las Vegas, NV
2008 Tournament of Champions Uncasville, CT
2014 Super Billiards Expo Players Championship Edison, NJ
2016 Super Billiards Expo Players Championship Oaks, PA
2016 NAPT Inaugural 10-Ball Invitational Herndon, Va
2017 WPBA U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship Pittsburgh, PA
2017 NAPT Summer 10-Ball Classic Grayslake, IL
2017 NAPT Freedom Classic Dickson City, Pa
2017 Desert Shootout Las Vegas, Ne
2018 Super Billiards Expo Players Championship Oaks, PA
2018 Coupe du Quebec Pro Event Quebec, CAN
2019 Coupe du Quebec Pro Event Quebec, CAN

Snooker

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent Score Ref.
Winner 1 1990 Women's World Snooker Championship Stacey Hillyard 7–4 [5][6]
Runner-up 2 1991 Women's World Snooker Championship Allison Fisher 2–8 [7]
Winner 3 1994 WLBSA Halstead Ladies Classic Allison Fisher 3–2 [8]
Winner 4 1994 WLBSA Pontins Spring Bowl Lisa Quick 4–1 [9]
Winner 5 1995 Women's World Snooker Championship Kim Shaw 6–3 [10]
Winner 6 1995 WLBSA Pontins British Ladies Ann-Marie Farren 4–1 [11]
Winner 7 1995 WLBSA West Norwood Open Kelly Fisher 3–1 [12]
Winner 8 1996 WLBSA Academy Fork Lift Kelly Fisher 4–2 [13]
Winner 9 1996 WLBSA Connie Gough Memorial Kim Shaw 3–2 [14]
Winner 10 1996 WLBSA James Brooks Classic Kelly Fisher 3–0 [15]
Winner 11 1997 Women's World Snooker Championship Kelly Fisher 6–3 [16]
Winner 12 1997 WLBSA Barratts Club National Kelly Fisher 3–2 [17]
Winner 13 1997 WLBSA Ladies National Kelly Fisher 4–2 [18]
Winner 14 1997 WLBSA UK Championship Lynette Horsburgh 4–3 [19]
Winner 15 1997 WLBSA Pontins UK Championship
Winner 16 1997 WLBSA Scottish Masters Kelly Fisher 4–2 [20]
Runner-up 17 1998 Women's World Snooker Championship Kelly Fisher 0–5 [21]
Runner-up 18 1999 Women's World Snooker Championship Kelly Fisher 2–4 [22]

English billiards

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent Score Ref.
Winner 1 1998 World Ladies Billiards Championship Emma Bonney 403–219 [3]
Winner 2 1999 World Ladies Billiards Championship Kelly Fisher 354–276 [3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Hall of Fame Inductees, 2011–2018". bca-pool.com. Billiard Congress of America. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Karen Corr". azbilliards.com. AZBilliards. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "World Ladies Billiards Champions". world-billiards.com. World Billiards Ltd. 22 June 2015. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Karen Corr Earns Enshrinement in Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame" (PDF). bca-pool.com. Billiard Congress of America. 19 July 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  5. ^ "Hall of Fame: 1990 World Championship". wlbsa.wytech.co.uk. World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  6. ^ Yates, Philip. "Corr keeps cool to win women's world title". Snooker Scene. No. December 1990. Everton's News Agency. p. 4.
  7. ^ Yates, Phil (11 November 1991). "Fisher confirms her status as champion – Snooker". The Times. London – via NewsBank. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  8. ^ "1994 Halstead Classic - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  9. ^ "1994 Pontin's Spring Bowl - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Karen Corr regains women's world title". Snooker Scene. Everton's News Agency. October 1995. pp. 14–15.
  11. ^ "1995 Pontins British Open - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  12. ^ "1995 West Norwood Open - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  13. ^ "1996 Academy Fork Lift Classic - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  14. ^ "1996 Connie Gough Memorial - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  15. ^ "1996 James Brooks Ladies Classic - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Karen Corr wins 1996 world title a little late". Snooker Scene. No. July 1997. Everton's News Agency. pp. 12–13.
  17. ^ "1997 Barratts Club National Championship - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  18. ^ "1997 National Championship - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  19. ^ "1997 UK Ladies Championship - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  20. ^ "1997 Regal Scottish Masters - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  21. ^ "Kelly Fisher: first woman to win at the Crucible". Snooker Scene. Everton's News Agency. June 1998. p. 29.
  22. ^ "World Champions". womenssnooker.com. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 January 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.

External links

World women's snooker champions
Women's world champions of English billiards
Categories