Friday, October 12, 2007

Happy Birthday Cristie Kerr




Happy 30th birthday to golfer Cristie Kerr. A graduate of Miami's Sunset High School, Kerr is one of the top golfers on the LPGA tour. She recently won the U.S. Women's Open and is currently ranked the fifth best player in the world.

Born and raised in Miami, Kerr started playing golf at age eight and is arguably the most decorated amateur golfer to ever come out of South Florida. During her years at Sunset High School, Kerr was a member of the boy's golf team because the school didn't field a girls team. Not only was Kerr on the boy's team, she was the team's best player and it wasn't close. At age 16 she won the Junior Orange Bowl International Golf Championship and was the 1995 American Junior Golf Association Junior Player of the Year.

Kerr turned down dozens of college scholarships and turned pro at age 19. Over the years, she's made a remarkable physical transformation. Those who saw her play in her early years probably wouldn't recognize her. She initially struggled to adapt to the pro level while battling weight issues. In just the last few years, she's dropped 50 pounds and is now one of the most fit players on the tour. Kerr has come a long way since she was a pudgy bespectacled girl when she graduated from high school.

Since losing the weight, Kerr has finally started to live up to the great potential golf pundits put upon her out of the amateur ranks. She currently has 10 championship victories on the LPGA tour. In 2006, Kerr was the only American to win more than one event on the tour, winning three times. Her victory at the 2007 U.S. Women's Open was her first major championship.

In 2006 Kerr got married is currently makes her home in Scottsdale, Arizona. She's very active in fundraising for breast cancer research. Through her foundation, she's raised over $250,000 since 2004.

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