Cornelius, Kathy
Golf Professional
Career
Although Kathy turned pro in 1953 just after her marriage, she did not join the Tour until three years later. She won two events in her first full year, 1956, including the U.S. Open, and added five more titles later. Her best season was 1973 as she won more than $40,000 and finished eighth on the final money list. She won over $14,000 in 1980, her best since 1977, with her best finish a share of eighth in the first event of the year, the Whirlpool Championship of Deer Creek.
Amateur
Kathy won the Southern Amateur championship in 1952 and was medalist in the Florida Intercollegiate in 1953. She was also runner-up in that event in both 1951 and 1953.
Jan. 13, 2025
Kathy Cornelius - Part 3 (The Later Years)
Major champion Kathy Cornelius relives her later LPGA Tour victories including her last, the 1973 Sealy-Faberge Classic at the Desert Inn where she won in a playoff with Judy Rankin and took home the first prize of $25,000 and a new automobile, the richest prize ever on tour to that point. Kathy talks about life on the road with two kids traveling from town to town with many of her tour friends. She remembers her decision to retire from competition and looks back on her life post-golf. Kathy Co...
Guest: Cornelius, Kathy
Jan. 13, 2025
Kathy Cornelius - Part 2 (The 1956 Women's U.S. Open)
Kathy Cornelius recalls turning professional in 1953 with encouragement from her golf professional husband Bill, joining the LPGA Tour in 1956, just after its formation in 1950. Kathy recounts her early wins including her first in the 1956 St. Petersburg Open where she bested the LPGA's previous 72-hole scoring record by 6 shots! Her most significant victory however came at the 1956 Women's U.S. Open on a Donald Ross course in MN where she bested the young amateur, Barbara McIntire, in an 18-hol...
Guest: Cornelius, Kathy
Jan. 13, 2025
Kathy Cornelius - Part 1 (The Early Years)
Winner of the 1956 Women's U.S. Open, Kathy Cornelius takes us back to her childhood days where she had her first golf lesson at age 13. She recalls traveling by auto, with her mother, from FL to NY to compete in the 1950 U.S. Girls Junior Championship won by Marlene Bauer Hagge. Thirty-one years later it was her daughter Kay who would prevail in this event making them the only mother-daughter pair to win USGA championships. Listen in as she reflects on her friendship with Babe Didrikson Zaha...
Guest: Cornelius, Kathy