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

LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of week ...

Early life and amateur career

A native of

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, 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. As a result, she took up golf and played on the boys' golf team at her high school. She earned a golf

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...

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 A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

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". She overcame Stills Disease, and rebounded to become an accomplished golfer.

The Big Break

While on the Futures Tour, McPherson appeared on the

Golf Channel Golf Channel (also verbally referred to as simply Golf) is an American sports television network owned by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Founded in Birmingham, Alabama, it is currently based out of NBC S ...

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

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 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, 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 The Chevron Championship is a professional women's golf tournament. An event on the LPGA Tour, it is one of the tour's five major championships, and has traditionally been the first of the season since its elevation to major status in 1983. Fou ...

, followed by a T-5 three months later at the next major, the

LPGA Championship The Women's PGA Championship (branded as the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for sponsorship reasons) is a women's professional golf tournament. First held in 1955, it is one of five majors on the LPGA Tour. It is not recognized as a major by the ...

Professional wins (2)

Futures Tour (2)

Results in LPGA majors

''Results not in chronological order before 2019.'' ^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013. CUT = missed the half-way cut
NT = no tournament
T = tied

Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (2008 LPGA – 2010 Kraft Nabisco) *Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (2009 Kraft Nabisco – 2009 LPGA)

LPGA Tour career summary

* official through the 2022 season

Symetra Tour summary

Team appearances

Professional *

Solheim Cup The Solheim Cup is a biennial golf tournament for professional women golfers contested by teams representing Europe and the United States. It is named after the Norwegian- American golf club manufacturer Karsten Solheim, who was a driving force b ...

(representing the United States): 2009 (winners)

References

External links

* * * *
Kristy McPherson at golf.about.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:McPherson, Kristy American female golfers LPGA Tour golfers Solheim Cup competitors for the United States Golfers from South Carolina Golfers from Tampa, Florida South Carolina Gamecocks women's golfers People from Conway, South Carolina 1981 births Living people