| Colleen Walker | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||||
| Full name | Colleen Walker | ||||
| Born | (1956-08-16)August 16, 1956 Jacksonville, Florida | ||||
| Died | December 11, 2012(2012-12-11) (aged 56) Valrico, Florida | ||||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | ||||
| Sporting nationality |  United States | ||||
| Career | |||||
| College | Florida State University | ||||
| Turned professional | 1982 | ||||
| Former tour(s) | LPGA Tour (1982–2004) Legends Tour | ||||
| Professional wins | 12 | ||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||
| LPGA Tour | 9 | ||||
| LPGA of Japan Tour | 1 | ||||
| Other | 2 | ||||
| Best results in LPGA major championships (wins: 1) | |||||
| Chevron Championship | 2nd:1988 | ||||
| Women's PGA C'ship | T15: 1991 | ||||
| U.S. Women's Open | T3:1988 | ||||
| du Maurier Classic | Won:1997 | ||||
| Women's British Open | DNP | ||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||
| |||||
Colleen Walker (August 16, 1956 – December 11, 2012[1]) was an American professional golfer who played on theLPGA Tour.
Walker was born inJacksonville, 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 attendedFlorida State University where she won most valuable player honors from 1977–1978.
Walker turned professional in September 1981 and played on the Tampa Bay Mini-Tour. She joined theLPGA Tour in 1982 after winning theLPGA Final Qualifying Tournament. She won nine tour titles, the first of them in 1987 and the last in 1997, including onemajor championship, the 1997du Maurier Ltd. Classic. In 1988, she won theLPGA Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average, was named Most Improved Player byGolf 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 withbreast 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, inValrico, Florida, of a cancer recurrence that was diagnosed in late 2011.[2] She was 56.
| Legend |
|---|
| LPGA Tour major championships (1) |
| Other LPGA Tour (8) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jun 14,1987 | Mayflower Classic | −10 (67-70-72-69=278) | 1 stroke |  Bonnie LauerSally QuinlanPatti RizzoPatty Sheehan |
| 2 | Jul 17,1988 | Boston Five Classic | −14 (66-69-70-69=274) | 8 strokes | Jane GeddesPatty Sheehan Jan StephensonKathryn Young |
| 3 | Mar 18,1990 | Circle K LPGA Tucson Open | −12 (71-68-65-72=276) | 5 strokes | Pat BradleyHeather DrewBetsy KingKate Rogerson |
| 4 | Jun 16,1991 | Lady Keystone Open | −9 (70-70-67=207) | 2 strokes | Beth DanielKris Tschetter |
| 5 | Feb 2,1992 | Oldsmobile LPGA Classic | −9 (71-73-67-68=279) | Playoff |  Dawn Coe |
| 6 | May 24,1992 | LPGA Corning Classic | −12 (65-70-69-72=276) | 5 strokes | Beth DanielAlice Miller |
| 7 | Sep 20,1992 | Safeco Classic | −11 (72-67-68-70=277) | 2 strokes | Vicki FergonRosie Jones |
| 8 | Aug 3,1997 | du Maurier Classic | −14 (68-72-73-65=278) | 2 stokes |  Liselotte Neumann |
| 9 | Sep 20,1997 | Star Bank LPGA Classic | −13 (67-69-67=203) | 2 strokes | Terry-Jo Myers |
LPGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1992 | Oldsmobile LPGA Classic | Dawn Coe | Won with par on first extra hole |
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | du Maurier Classic | −14 (68-72-73-65=278) | 2 strokes | Liselotte Neumann |
Professional