Karen Stupples

Karen Stupples (born 6 June 1973 in Dover, Kent) is an English professional golfer who plays primarily on the U.S. based LPGA Tour and is also a member of the Ladies European Tour.

Amateur career

Karen Stupples started her golfing career as a caddie for her father at Prince's Golf Club, Sandwich in order to earn pocket money. cite web
title = The Interview Karen Stupples: Overnight sensation years in the making
publisher = The Independent on Sunday
date = 2005-01-30
url = http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20050130/ai_n9697761
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ] She played for England Juniors from 1989-1991 and England Seniors from 1995-1998. cite web
title = Karen Stupples Player Profile
publisher = LET
url = http://www.ladieseuropeantour.info/profiles/100155.htm
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ] She also represented Great Britain & Ireland in the Curtis Cup in the winning 1996 team at home in Killarney, Ireland cite web
title = 1996 Curtis Cup Match
publisher = USGA
url = http://www.curtiscup.org/2004/history/us_teams/1996.html
accessdate = 2007-03-25] and losing 1998 team away in Minneapolis, Minnesota. cite web
title = Previous Curtis Cup Matches 1932-2002
publisher = USGA
url = http://www.curtiscup.org/2004/history/previous_matches.html
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ] She was going to study Polymer Science in the UK before deciding to go to university in the United States. cite web
title = Up close and personal with Karen Stupples
publisher = LET
date = 2005-07-10
url = http://www.ladieseuropeantour.com/content/let_content_interview.php?Id=3837
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ] With the assistance of College Prospects of America, she took a golf scholarship initially at Arkansas State University before transferring to Florida State University in 1993. cite web
title = College Prospects of Ameirica UK Clients
publisher = College Prospects of Ameirica (UK)
url = http://www.cpoauk.com/success.htm
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ] As a Seminole she won two events (Spring 1994 Spalding/Peggy Kirk Bell and Spring 1995 Lady Gator), cite web
title = Seminole Golfer Westrup Named National Women's Golfer Of The Week
publisher = Florida State University Athletics
date = 2006-03-29
url = http://seminoles.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/spec-rel/032906aac.html
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ] was selected as All-ACC in 1994 and 1995, and was also named a 1995 Second-Team All-American. cite web
title = Debbie Dillman Profile
publisher = Florida State University Athletics
url = http://seminoles.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/mtt/dillman_debbie00.html
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ] She turned professional following the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship of 1998. cite web
title = LPGA Full Career Biography
publisher = LPGA
url = http://www.lpga.com/content/2007PlayerBiosPDF/Stupples-07.pdf
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ]

Professional career

Despite being a professional, Stupples returned home to England becoming a cloakroom attendant for the Port of Dover and waitressing at a public golf course in Kent as she didn't have the money to take a run at Q-School. cite web
title = Karen Stupples goes from waitress to LPGA star
publisher = Golf Today
url = http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news04/stupples.html
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ] When a regular restaurant customer offered to sponsor her for three years she and her husband sold their house, furniture and car and moved to the US cite web
title = Morgan makes Solheim claim - Stupples stymied
publisher = LET
date = 2003-08-05
url = http://www.ladieseuropeantour.com/content/let_content_feature.php?Id=4216
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ] where she earned non-exempt status on the LPGA Tour by tying for 52nd at the 1998 Final Qualifying Tournament.

She made her professional debut in Hawaii having Monday qualified and after a season in which her best finish was a tie for 8th, she returned to the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, where she tied for 17th to earn exempt status for the 2000 season. Over the 2000 - 2003 period she achieved 7 top ten finishes but her form transformed in 2004.

After finishing second behind Annika Sörenstam at the ANZ Ladies Masters in Australia, Stupples carded the best 72-hole raw score in LPGA Tour history (258) to win her maiden title, the Welch's Fry Championship, by five strokes. This win made her eligible to join the Ladies European Tour and begin earning points for the 2005 Solheim Cup. cite web
title = Stupples breaks new ground in America
publisher = LET
date = 2004-03-15
url = http://www.ladieseuropeantour.com/content/let_content_news.php?Id=4392&page=87
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ] She had not joined the LET when joining the LPGA as she could not at the time afford the joining fee of £600. cite web
title = Karen Stupples joins the LET
publisher = LET
date = 2004-03-29
url = http://www.ladieseuropeantour.com/content/let_content_news.php?Id=4397&page=86
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ] She followed this up by winning the Women's British Open at Sunningdale where she became only the second player in history to record a double-eagle or albatross at an LPGA major championship (began the final round with an eagle, albatross on the first two holes). cite web
title = Super Stupples storms in at Sunningdale
publisher = LET
date = 2004-08-01
url = http://www.ladieseuropeantour.com/content/let_content_news.php?Id=4491&page=73
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ] She became only the third English player to win a major after Laura Davies and Alison Nicholas. cite web
title = Stupples Learned from watching Annika
publisher = LPGA
date = 2004
url = http://www.lpga.com/content_1.aspx?pid=3602&mid=2
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ] and was the first home winner since Penny Grice-Whittaker in 1991. She crossed the $1 million mark in LPGA career earnings at the U.S. Women's Open and finished in sixth place on the money list.

At the end of 2004 Stupples was made an honorary member of Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club in Deal, the Kent golf club which she first joined as a 15-year-old cite web
title = Kent golfers honour Karen Stupples
publisher = ELGA
date = 2004-12-21
url = http://legacy.englishladiesgolf.org/results/archive2004/21-12-2004_2.asp
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ] and she attended a reception at Buckingham Palace where she met Prince Andrew. cite web
title = Sit Down with Stupples
publisher = LPGA
url = http://www.lpga.com/content_1.aspx?pid=3497&mid=2
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ]

In 2005 Stupples represented England at the 2005 Women's World Cup of Golf in South Africa alongside Laura Davies, cite web
title = Women's World Cup of Golf: Twenty teams confirmed
publisher = LET
date = 2004-12-17
url = http://www.ladieseuropeantour.com/content/let_content_news.php?Id=3647&page=66
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ] was one of Catrin Nilsmark's five wild card picks making her Solheim Cup debut at Crooked Stick GC, in Carmel, Indiana cite web
title = The 2005 European Solheim Cup team announced
publisher = LET
date = 2005-08-28
url = http://www.ladieseuropeantour.com/content/let_content_news.php?Id=3898
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ] and was part of the International Team at the Lexus Cup. cite web
title = Internationals win The Lexus Cup
publisher = LET
date = 2005-12-12
url = http://www.ladieseuropeantour.com/content/let_content_feature.php?Id=4014
accessdate = 2007-03-23 ]

She announced she was pregnant in 2006 and gave birth to her son, Logan James in April 2007. cite web
title = New Arrival for Stupples
publisher = LET Ladies European Tour
date = 2007-04-24
url = http://www.ladieseuropeantour.com/content/let_content_feature.php?Id=8704
accessdate = 2007-04-27]

Professional wins

LPGA Tour

*2004 Welch's/Fry's Championship, Women's British Open

LPGA Tour career summary

Solheim Cup Record

Notes and References

External links

* [http://www.lpga.com/player_results.aspx?id=559 Profile on the LPGA Tour site]
* [http://www.ladieseuropeantour-tic.com/profiles/100155.htm Profile on the Ladies European Tour site]
* [http://www.golfstarsonline.com/S/Karen_Stupples/ Golf Stars Online] - links to features and profiles

Persondata
NAME=Stupples, Karen
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Professional Golfer
DATE OF BIRTH= June 24, 1973
PLACE OF BIRTH= Dover, England