Juli was born in 1960 in Santa Cruz, CA, and three years later her parents moved into a home along the fourteen fairway of Pasatiempo Golf Club. Even at age 3, Juli was very determined and competitive in everything she did, especially with her brothers. It started then, she wanted to win and be first. Juli’s parents reflect that she was always pursuing things with substantial effort.
She was, of course, a tomboy and always felt equal to her brothers. She could also be a girl when it helped her position. Juli often tagged along with her father when he was coaching Little League. She liked school, especially the social part of it. She played a number of sports during her school years: track, swimming, softball, basketball and tennis.
Juli started working at Pasatiempo Golf Club before taking up the game of golf. She worked in the cart barn, picked up the driving range and worked at Hattie’s Snack Shack at the 10th tee. As she was turning 15, Juli took up golf with a real passion. She practiced hard and played with a passion for the game. She played on the Harbor High School Boy’s Golf Team, and made their traveling team where she and the team won tournaments.
In 1978, she was voted as Pasatiempo’s Most Improved Golfer, where her scores were fast approaching the seventies on a consistent basis. In her senior year Juli received a golf scholarship to San Jose State University and the rest is history. Here are some of the highlights of Juli’s collegiate, amateur, and professional career:
Highlights / Accomplishments of Juli Inkster
Collegiate
- Three time All-American at San Jose State University (1979, 1981, 1982)
Amateur
- Captures three consecutive U.S. Women’s Amateur titles (1980, 1981, 1982)
- Ranked #1 Woman Amateur by Golf Digest (1981, 1982)
- Member of U.S. Curtis Cup and World Cup
Professional
- LPGA Rookie of the Year (1984) and first victory at her fifth event
- First rookie ever to win two major championships in one season (1984)
- 31 career LPGA victories and 6 non-LPGA victories
- Seven major championships including 2 U.S. Open’s (1999 and 2002)
- Currently third in all-time LPGA career earnings over three decades (11 Million dollars as of 2007)
- Member of 7 Solheim Cup Teams
- Inducted into LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame in 2000
- Currently ranked as one of the top ten players in the world
Currently, Juli is Pasatiempo Golf Club’s touring professional and has kept a strong relationship with Pasatiempo over the years. You can find her playing the course with her family, friends and associates when she gets the time. Juli Inkster is one of the all time greats on the LPGA tour, and visitors to Pasatiempo Golf Club can review her many accomplishments and see memorabilia from her career in a special commemorative area near the front entrance. She has also been a terrific mother to her two teenage daughters Hayley and Cori with her husband, Brian Inkster, who is credited with teaching her the game.
Juli lives in Los Altos, California with her family, but often visits her parents and family at the house on the fourteenth fairway of Pasatiempo Golf Course in Santa Cruz, California.
Juli has played on LPGA tour since 1983, during that time she has become a role model for the players, especially the younger players both on and off the course. Juli Inkster is a significant golf star over time, but you would never know it, to this day she has a humble, hard-working, sense of humor with values in everything she does.
More info: Further biographical information, lifetime results, and statistics can be obtained from the Juli Inkster Profile on LPGA.com.
Photos of Juli From The Early Days
Note on the Photographs: The photos of Juli Inkster are courtesy of the LPGA.