Inkster Defies Youth Movement

Defying the LPGA’s youth movement, Julie Inkster has retooled her swing and gotten back into the game.

The results have been stellar. She won the Safeaway International in her third start of the season, and finished fifth at the Nabisco Championship. The players ahead of her all were at least 14 years younger: Karrie Webb (31), Lorena Ochoa (24), Natalie Gulbis (23) and Michelle Wie (16).

The 45 year old Inkster was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame in 1999. She has 31 career victories, including seven majors, but hadn’t won since 2003.

Her amateur career was just as distinguished. She won three consecutive US Women’s Amateur titles (1980-82) to become the first woman since 1934 to win three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles. Only four other women and one man have won the U.S. Amateur three consecutive times.

There’s a nice article on Inkster in the San Jose Mercury News.