Kristy McPherson
McPherson at the 2009 LPGA Championship
Personal information
Born (1981-05-28) May 28, 1981 (age 42)
Conway, South Carolina, U.S.
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceTampa, Florida, U.S.
Career
CollegeSouth Carolina
Turned professional2003
Current tour(s)LPGA Tour (joined 2007)
Symetra Tour (joined 2003)
Professional wins2
Number of wins by tour
Epson Tour2
Best results in LPGA major championships
Chevron ChampionshipT2: 2009
Women's PGA C'shipT5: 2009
U.S. Women's OpenT19: 2010
Women's British Open7th: 2009
Evian ChampionshipT54: 2014
Achievements and awards
Honda Inspiration Award2003

Kristy McPherson (born May 28, 1981) is an American professional golfer, currently playing on the LPGA Tour.

Early life and amateur career

A native of South Carolina, McPherson was diagnosed with Still's disease at age 11, which is a form of juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Confined mostly to bed and unable to walk for a year, she was told she would no longer be able to compete in any sport that required jumping or running.[1] As a result, she took up golf and played on the boys' golf team at her high school. She earned a golf scholarship to the University of South Carolina, and recorded seven victories in her four-year collegiate career. McPherson graduated in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in sports and entertainment management. In 2003, McPherson was awarded the Honda Inspiration Award, which is given to a collegiate athlete "who has overcome hardship and was able to return to play at the collegiate level".[2][3] She overcame Still's disease, and rebounded to become an accomplished golfer.[4]

The Big Break

While on the Futures Tour, McPherson appeared on the Golf Channel reality show The Big Break VI, which was filmed during a two-week period in late June and early July 2006. McPherson was the fifth player eliminated from the show.

Professional career

After graduating from college, McPherson turned professional and competed on the Futures Tour for four years. From 2003 to 2006 she competed in 60 events, never missed a cut, and won twice. Her fourth-place finish on the Futures Tour money list in 2006 earned her an LPGA Tour card for the 2007 season.

Her first season on the LPGA brought limited success, with a best finish a tie for 18th; she finished the season 97th on the money list. In 2008, her second year, she recorded six top-10 finishes, and finished 47th on the official money list. In 2009, McPherson recorded a T-2 in a LPGA major, the Kraft Nabisco Championship, followed by a T-5 three months later at the next major, the LPGA Championship.

Professional wins (2)

Futures Tour wins (2)

No. Date Tournament Winning
score 		To par Margin
of victory 		Winner's
share ($)
1 Apr 30, 2006 Jalapeno Futures Golf Classic 72-68-65=205 –11 1 stroke 9,800
2 Aug 13, 2006 Betty Puskar Futures Golf Classic 68-72-67=207 –9 1 stroke 10,500

Results in LPGA majors

Results not in chronological order before 2019.

Tournament 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
ANA Inspiration T2 T34 T41 CUT
U.S. Women's Open CUT T34 T19 CUT T60 T36 CUT
Women's PGA Championship CUT T25 T5 CUT T50 CUT T15 T53 CUT CUT CUT
The Evian Championship ^ CUT T54 NT
Women's British Open T21 7 CUT T43 CUT CUT 68

^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013.

  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
NT = no tournament
T = tied

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
ANA Inspiration 0 1 0 0 1 1 4 3
U.S. Women's Open 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 4
Women's PGA Championship 0 0 0 1 1 3 11 5
The Evian Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1
Women's British Open 0 0 0 0 1 2 7 4
Totals 0 1 0 1 3 7 31 17

LPGA Tour career summary

Year Tournaments
played		 Cuts
made		 Wins 2nd 3rd Top 10s Best
finish		 Earnings
($)		 Money
list rank		 Scoring
average		 Scoring
rank
2005 1 0 0 0 0 0 MC 0 n/a 77.00 n/a
2007 18 11 0 0 0 0 T18 79,724 97 73.73 T99
2008 26 19 0 0 0 6 T4 407,237 47 71.86 34
2009 24 21 0 2 1 6 T2 816,182 16 71.25 17
2010 22 17 0 1 0 4 T2 418,217 27 72.26 40
2011 21 17 0 0 0 0 T18 157,025 56 72.65 50
2012 23 11 0 0 0 0 T24 88,674 82 73.55 94
2013 19 11 0 0 0 0 T15 108,615 83 72.76 81
2014 20 11 0 0 0 0 T18 83,900 96 73.05 120
2015 18 4 0 0 0 0 T46 14,903 146 74.34 141
2016 5 0 0 0 0 0 MC 0 n/a 74.10 n/a
2017 3 0 0 0 0 0 MC 0 n/a 73.33 n/a
2018 2 0 0 0 0 0 MC 0 n/a 74.25 n/a
2019 10 1 0 0 0 0 T74 3,672 177 73.40 148
2020 5 1 0 0 0 1 T9 46,777 109 73.09 n/a
2021 11 3 0 0 0 0 15 31,670 146 73.00 131
2022 4 1 0 0 0 0 T36 4,841 194 74.33 n/a
2023 5 1 0 0 0 0 33 6,397 188 74.38 n/a

Symetra Tour summary

Year Tournaments
played		 Cuts
made		 Wins 2nd 3rd Top 10s Best
finish		 Earnings
($)		 Money
list rank		 Scoring
average		 Scoring
rank
2003 9 9 0 0 1 2 T3 12,636 11 71.50 4
2004 18 18 0 0 0 1 T4 14,857 27 72.67 20
2005 16 16 0 1 5 T2 17,874 14 72.38 14
2006 17 17 2 0 0 6 1 40,558 4 71.67 5
2016 16 9 0 0 1 1 T3 16,557 55 73.16 46
2017 18 12 0 0 0 1 T6 12,086 67 73.55 89
2018 17 12 0 0 2 3 T3 32,333 29 71.66 35
2019 9 8 0 0 0 1 T4 15,892 76 72.25 45

Team appearances

Professional

References

  1. ^ Mell, Randall (April 4, 2009). "McPherson Tough Enough". The Golf Channel. Retrieved April 24, 2009.
  2. ^ "Awards Overview". CWSA. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  3. ^ "Past Inspiration Award Winners". CWSA. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  4. ^ "Former Gamecock Earns LPGA Tour Card". University of South Carolina Athletics. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  5. ^ "Kristy McPherson – Results". LPGA. Retrieved December 18, 2023.

External links

United States Solheim Cup team – 2009
Honda Sports Award
Categories