Kathy Cornelius
American professional golfer
title: "Kathy Cornelius" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["american-female-golfers", "lpga-tour-golfers", "winners-of-lpga-major-golf-championships", "golfers-from-massachusetts", "golfers-from-arizona", "golfers-from-boston", "1932-births", "living-people", "21st-century-american-women", "20th-century-american-sportswomen", "florida-southern-moccasins-golf", "florida-southern-moccasins-athletes"] description: "American professional golfer" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Cornelius" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American professional golfer ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox golfer"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Kathy Cornelius |
| fullname | Kathy McKinnon Cornelius |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| death_date | |
| height | |
| nationality | |
| residence | Arizona, U.S. |
| spouse | Bill Cornelius (m. 1953) |
| college | Florida Southern College |
| yearpro | 1953 |
| extour | LPGA Tour (1956–1985) |
| prowins | 8 |
| lpgawins | 6 |
| otherwins | 2 |
| majorwins | 1 |
| western | 6th: 1959, 1961 |
| titleholders | 2nd: 1960 |
| nabisco | T62: 1983 |
| lpga | T5: 1965 |
| wusopen | Won: 1956 |
| dumaurier | DNP |
| :: |
| name = Kathy Cornelius | image = | imagesize = | caption = | fullname = Kathy McKinnon Cornelius | nickname = | birth_date = | birth_place = Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | height = | weight = | nationality = | residence = Arizona, U.S. | spouse = Bill Cornelius (m. 1953) | partner = | children = | college = Florida Southern College | yearpro = 1953 | tour = | extour = LPGA Tour (1956–1985) | prowins = 8 | lpgawins = 6 | otherwins = 2 | majorwins = 1 | western = 6th: 1959, 1961 | titleholders = 2nd: 1960 | nabisco = T62: 1983 | lpga = T5: 1965 | wusopen = Won: 1956 | dumaurier = DNP | wghofid = | wghofyear = | award1 = | year1 = Kathy Cornelius (née McKinnon, born October 27, 1932) is an American professional golfer.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Cornelius attended Florida Southern College, where she played on the men's golf team, as the school did not have a women's team at the time. She turned pro in 1953 and married golf pro Bill Cornelius the same year. She joined the LPGA Tour in 1956 and won two events in her rookie season, including the U.S. Women's Open, which was to be her only major championship. She won six LPGA Tour titles in total and had her highest money list finish in 1973, when she came eighth. She made the top-20 of the money list twelve times in total (1957–65 and 1971–73).
In 1985, Kathy and her husband founded Magique Golf, a golf club company based in Arizona, which they ran until 1999. She later taught golf part-time at Rio Salado Golf Course in Tempe, Arizona. Her daughter, Kay, won the 1981 U.S. Girls' Junior, making them the only mother-daughter pair to win USGA championships.
Professional wins (8)
LPGA Tour wins (6)
- 1956 (2) St. Petersburg Open, U.S. Women's Open
- 1959 (1) Cosmopolitan Open
- 1961 (1) Tippecanoe Open
- 1972 (1) Bluegrass Invitational
- 1973 (1) Sealy-Faberge Classic
Other wins (2)
- 1956 Hot Springs 4-Ball Invitational (with Beverly Hanson)
- 1962 Babe Zaharias Open (tie with Betsy Rawls)
Major championships
Wins (1)
::data[format=table]
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | U.S. Women's Open | +7 (73-77-73-79=302) | Playoff1 | USA Barbara McIntire (a) |
| :: |
1 In an 18-hole playoff, Cornelius 75, McIntire 82.
References
References
- Foster, Jim. (April 27, 1957). "Kathy Cornelius had fast rise to LPGA championship". [[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]].
- "2012 United States Golf Association Championships Media Guide". USGA.
- Nichols, Beth Ann. (May 8, 2022). "Meet Kathy and Kay Cornelius, the only mother-daughter pair in history to win USGA championships".
- (February 20, 1956). "Kathy Cornelius Bags Record Win". The Los Angeles Times.
- (September 7, 1959). "Cornelius Cops Golf Title". The Los Angeles Times.
- (July 17, 1961). "Kathy Cornelius Wins Golf Tourney". The Los Angeles Times.
- (May 22, 1972). "Kathy Cornelius Gains First Win in 10 Years". The Los Angeles Times.
- (June 4, 1973). "Cornelius Wins Sealy in Playoff With Rankin". The Los Angeles Times.
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