Karrie Webb unveiled as honorary member of R&A

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Picture: R&A
Legendary Australian golfer Karrie Webb AO has accepted an invitation to become an Honorary Member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

Webb, a World Golf Hall of Fame member, received the invitation in recognition of her successful playing career and the substantial contribution she has made in helping to develop the next generation of professional golfers.  

The Australian completed the Super Career Grand Slam – winning each of the five major championships in women’s golf – when she claimed the AIG Women’s Open in 2002, after also winning the Championship on her debut in 1995 at Woburn, and going wire-to-wire for victory in 1997 at Sunningdale.

Webb holds the record for the most AIG Women’s Open victories jointly with Sherri Steinhauer. She also holds the record for the lowest winning total by a champion of 269 in 1997, a score equalled by Karen Stupples in 2004. Webb has finished in the top-five on eight occasions, more than any other player in the Championship’s history.

Among her 57 professional wins worldwide, Webb has recorded seven major championship victories. She was the Ladies European Tour  Rookie of the Year in 1995. Then in 1996 she went on to be the LPGA Rookie of the Year, finishing top of the money list and becoming the first LPGA player to win $1million in a season.

“It is a privilege to be made an Honorary Member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and I am humbled to be joining such an esteemed group of golfers on the honorary membership roll,” said Webb.

“Simply put, I love golf and to be connected with a Club which holds so much history and also shares my passion for the development of the sport is something I am very proud of. This year I had the chance to see firsthand the investment of The R&A into women’s golf when I played in St Andrews  at the AIG Women’s Open. 

“It has always been an incredibly special Championship to me but to see how it has evolved under the auspices of The R&A for the benefit of the players was something that I was truly impressed by.” 

Webb has proudly represented her country, competing for Australia in the 1994 Espirito Santo Trophy and the 2005 Women’s World Cup. In 2000 she missed out on the opportunity to become the first women to earn $2 million in a season opting instead to be a torch bearer at the Olympic Games in Sydney This year she was the captain of Australia’s Olympic golf team in Paris.   

Widely considered to be one of Australia’s greatest golfers, alongside five-time Open Champion Peter Thomson and Greg Norman, Webb was awarded the Dawn Fraser Award, the highest accolade in Australian sport, in 2000. In 2010 she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for service to golf and to the community as a benefactor and supporter of a range of health and disability organisations. In 2018 she was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to golf as a player at the elite level, to the development of female golfers, as a mentor and role model, and through charitable and community organisations.

Dedicated to charitable work, Webb founded the Karrie Webb Series and scholarship alongside Golf Australia. Each year Webb mentors the top two Australian women amateur players. Past recipients of the Karrie Webb Series and scholarship include Minjee Lee and Hannah Green, who both went on to become major champions.

Ian Pattinson, the Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, said, “I would like to congratulate Karrie on becoming an Honorary Member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. Karrie’s numerous victories and accolades are a testament to her talent, but more than being a great champion herself, Karrie is a role model to many young golfers and takes an active interest in the development of the next generation of Australian champions.

“She embodies many of the sporting qualities that make golf special and thoroughly deserves this recognition. We welcome Karrie into membership and look forward to seeing her in St Andrews again in the future.” 

Other Honorary Members of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews include: Dame Laura Davies, Ernie Els, Pádraig Harrington, Paul Lawrie, Catriona Matthew, Rory McIlroy, Nick Price, Belle Robertson, Annika Sörenstam and Tiger Woods.