Whitworth, winningest golfer in history, dies at 83
State Amateur. After briefly attending Odessa (Texas) College, she turned pro at age 19 and joined the LPGA Tour in December 1958.
“I was really fortunate in that I knew what I wanted to do,” Whitworth once told Golf Digest. “Golf just grabbed me by the throat. I can't tell you how much I loved it. I used to think everyone knew what they wanted to do when they were 15 years old.”
Wright had the more aesthetically pleasing swing. Whitworth was all about grinding, and about winning.
Whitworth won eight times in 1963 and 1965, and she had 11 victories in 1968. In none of those years did she earn more than $50,000. All these years later, the LPGA Tour total prize fund for 2023 will top $100 million.
Whitworth continued to conduct junior clinics and stay active in the game.
“I don't think about the legacy of 88 tournaments,” she once said. “I did it because I wanted to win, not to set a record or a goal that no one else could surpass. I'm not some great oddity. I was just fortunate to be so successful. What I did in being a better player does not make me a better person.”
• Stephan Bonnar, a UFC Hall of Fame honoree who helped put mixed martial arts on the map, died Thursday. He was 45.
Bonnar died from “presumed heart complications,” the UFC said late Saturday night in a statement announcing his death.
“Stephan Bonnar was one of the most important fighters to ever compete in the Octagon,” UFC President Dana White said. “The fans loved him, related to him, and he always gave them his best. He will be missed.”
Bonnar was part of a turning point in UFC history — a 2005 fight against Forrest Griffin to crown the season one champion on “The Ultimate Fighter.” The reality show title fight went three rounds and enthralled fans, with Griffin and Bonnar laying everything on the line.
Griffin defeated Bonnar, but both men were offered deals to join the UFC.
“Everything changed,” Bonnar said in 2020. “I didn't think I'd have a UFC career. It was just a little hobby I was doing, so it changed everything. Almost overnight, I became like a celebrity. Everywhere I went, someone would recognize me, even in obscure places.”
Born April 4, 1977, in Hammond, Ind., Bonnar was involved in combat sports from a young age. He graduated from Purdue University in 2000 with a degree in sports medicine.
Bonnar joined the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2005. “TUF” is the UFC's reality show, putting amateur fighters through a series of challenges, with the winner promised a six-figure deal and spot on the promotion's storied roster of fighters.
The first season finale pitted Bonnar against Griffin on April 9, 2005. The brutal, back-and-forth bout inspired a generation of UFC fans. Years later, Bonnar was well past dwelling on the loss.
“That's like the best loss ever. No one really remembers the actual result, but everyone remembers the fight — that's all everyone talks about,” he said in a 2012 interview. “That's just such an important moment in history for MMA — we helped put it on the map, gyms started sprouting up everywhere, little kids started to train, the list goes on.”
Bonnar finished his MMA career with a 17-9 record. He fought champions including Anderson Silva, Jon Jones and Tito Ortiz.
• Kevin Payne, who was an executive with two Major League Soccer teams and was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2021, died Sunday. He was 69.
U.S. Soccer, MLS and D.C. United, which won four MLS titles and two U.S. Open Cups during Payne's tenure, put out statements confirming his death. The Washington Post reported that Payne died in Charleston, S.C. from a lung illness.
“He will always be remembered as a dedicated champion of our club, MLS, our community and soccer in the U.S.,” D.C. United's statement said.
Payne was president and general manager of D.C. United from 1994-2001 and then president and CEO of the team from 2004-2012. He also was president of Toronto FC from 2012-13, a member of the MLS Board of Governors for 18 years and the executive director and CEO of US Club Soccer from 2015-2021.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber called Payne “instrumental in the formation of the League” and that he had “helped build D.C. United into the first MLS dynasty.”
“Kevin leaves a legacy not only of success in business and sports, but he will also be remembered for his strong moral compass, his kindness, and his devotion to his friends and family,”
Pepperdine falls to Iona
Nelly Junior Joseph's 20 points helped Iona beat Pepperdine 76-66 in Honolulu. Joseph added 13 rebounds for the Gaels (9-4). Walter Clayton Jr. scored 18 points. Maxwell Lewis finished with 23 points and eight rebounds for the Waves (7-7).
Steve Ashworth made three of Utah State's 11 3-pointers, and scored 12 points in a balanced attack that led the Aggies (11-2) over the Cougars (5-8) in Honolulu.