# Kristy McPherson

Kristy McPherson (born May 28, 1981) is an American professional golfer, currently playing on the LPGA Tour.

## Early life and amateur career

A native of South Carolina, McPherson was diagnosed with Still's disease at age 11, which is a form of juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Confined mostly to bed and unable to walk for a year, she was told she would no longer be able to compete in any sport that required jumping or running. As a result, she took up golf and played on the boys' golf team at her high school. She earned a golf scholarship to the University of South Carolina, and recorded seven victories in her four-year collegiate career. McPherson graduated in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in sports and entertainment management. In 2003, McPherson was awarded the Honda Inspiration Award, which is given to a collegiate athlete "who has overcome hardship and was able to return to play at the collegiate level". She overcame Still's disease, and rebounded to become an accomplished golfer.

## The Big Break

While on the Futures Tour, McPherson appeared on the Golf Channel reality show The Big Break VI, which was filmed during a two-week period in late June and early July 2006. McPherson was the fifth player eliminated from the show.

## Professional career

After graduating from college, McPherson turned professional and competed on the Futures Tour for four years. From 2003 to 2006 she competed in 60 events, never missed a cut, and won twice. Her fourth-place finish on the Futures Tour money list in 2006 earned her an LPGA Tour card for the 2007 season.
Her first season on the LPGA brought limited success, with a best finish a tie for 18th; she finished the season 97th on the money list. In 2008, her second year, she recorded six top-10 finishes, and finished 47th on the official money list. In 2009, McPherson recorded a T-2 in a LPGA major, the Kraft Nabisco Championship, followed by a T-5 three months later at the next major, the LPGA Championship.

## Professional wins (2)
### Futures Tour wins (2)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Winner's share ($) |
| 1 | Apr 30, 2006 | Jalapeno Futures Golf Classic | 72-68-65=205 | –11 | 1 stroke | 9,800 |
| 2 | Aug 13, 2006 | Betty Puskar Futures Golf Classic | 68-72-67=207 | –9 | 1 stroke | 10,500 |

## Results in LPGA majors

Results not in chronological order before 2019.
| Tournament | 2005 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2020 | 2021 |
| ANA Inspiration | | | | T2 | T34 | T41 | CUT | | | | | |
| U.S. Women's Open | CUT | | | T34 | T19 | CUT | T60 | T36 | CUT | | | |
| Women's PGA Championship | | CUT | T25 | T5 | CUT | T50 | CUT | T15 | T53 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| The Evian Championship ^ | | | | | | | | CUT | T54 | | NT | |
| Women's British Open | | | T21 | 7 | CUT | T43 | CUT | CUT | 68 | | | |
^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013.
CUT = missed the half-way cut NT = no tournament T = tied

### Summary

| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
| ANA Inspiration | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| U.S. Women's Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 |
| Women's PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 5 |
| The Evian Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Women's British Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 4 |
| Totals | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 31 | 17 |
* Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (2008 LPGA – 2010 Kraft Nabisco)
* Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (2009 Kraft Nabisco – 2009 LPGA)

## LPGA Tour career summary

| Year | Tournaments played | Cuts made | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top 10s | Best finish | Earnings ($) | Money list rank | Scoring average | Scoring rank |
| 2005 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | MC | 0 | n/a | 77.00 | n/a |
| 2007 | 18 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T18 | 79,724 | 97 | 73.73 | T99 |
| 2008 | 26 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | T4 | 407,237 | 47 | 71.86 | 34 |
| 2009 | 24 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | T2 | 816,182 | 16 | 71.25 | 17 |
| 2010 | 22 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | T2 | 418,217 | 27 | 72.26 | 40 |
| 2011 | 21 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T18 | 157,025 | 56 | 72.65 | 50 |
| 2012 | 23 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T24 | 88,674 | 82 | 73.55 | 94 |
| 2013 | 19 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T15 | 108,615 | 83 | 72.76 | 81 |
| 2014 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T18 | 83,900 | 96 | 73.05 | 120 |
| 2015 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T46 | 14,903 | 146 | 74.34 | 141 |
| 2016 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | MC | 0 | n/a | 74.10 | n/a |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | MC | 0 | n/a | 73.33 | n/a |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | MC | 0 | n/a | 74.25 | n/a |
| 2019 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T74 | 3,672 | 177 | 73.40 | 148 |
| 2020 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T9 | 46,777 | 109 | 73.09 | n/a |
| 2021 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 31,670 | 146 | 73.00 | 131 |
| 2022 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T36 | 4,841 | 194 | 74.33 | n/a |
| 2023 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 6,397 | 188 | 74.38 | n/a |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | MC | 0 | n/a | 75.50 | n/a |
Official through the 2024 season

## Symetra Tour summary

| Year | Tournaments played | Cuts made | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top 10s | Best finish | Earnings ($) | Money list rank | Scoring average | Scoring rank |
| 2003 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | T3 | 12,636 | 11 | 71.50 | 4 |
| 2004 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T4 | 14,857 | 27 | 72.67 | 20 |
| 2005 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 1 | | 5 | T2 | 17,874 | 14 | 72.38 | 14 |
| 2006 | 17 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 40,558 | 4 | 71.67 | 5 |
| 2016 | 16 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | T3 | 16,557 | 55 | 73.16 | 46 |
| 2017 | 18 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T6 | 12,086 | 67 | 73.55 | 89 |
| 2018 | 17 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | T3 | 32,333 | 29 | 71.66 | 35 |
| 2019 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T4 | 15,892 | 76 | 72.25 | 45 |

## Team appearances

Professional
* Solheim Cup (representing the United States): 2009 (winners)