Cristie Kerr’s 19th Win Has A Real Vintage Taste To It

This one deserves a lot of credit, it deserves recognition, deserves a toast with some fine wine because you just don’t see this very often.

The LPGA Tour has become a playground for the very young.  World’s No. 1 Lydia Ko is 19, No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn is 21.  America’s best — Lexi Thompson has reached the ripe old age of 22.

So it was an eye-opener, one to take notice of this past weekend in Hawaii when Cristie Kerr got her 19th LPGA victory, yes, 19th.

More impressive than that is that Kerr is 39 going on whatever she wants the number to be.  She’s overcome knee surgery and the fact that she’s basically 20 years older than a lot of these current stars that she has to compete against.

Kerr’s been a champion in the fight against breast cancer and she’s also a wine entrepreneur.  More on that later, but back to this latest win at the Lotte Championship at Ko Olina in Kapolei.

It started pretty quiet for Kerr after round of 71-69, basically a ho-hum start, nothing spectacular, a half-dozen shots behind Su-Yeon Jang, yet another of that seemingly endless supply of South Koreans who can put up numbers.  Jang’s not even an LPGA member.  Plays over on the South Korean LPGA, sorry, the North doesn’t play golf.  She was in on a sponsor’s exemption and threatening to win after posting 17-under through 54 holes.

Kerr, however, was lighting it up on Saturday with one of those 10-birdie scorecards, the kind us ham-and-eggers see only in our dreams.  Her 62 tied the tournament record but more important, she worked her way within striking distance of Jang, who is a neophyte compared to Kerr and her 19 seasons of stacking up wins.

After seven birdies coming home in the third round, including a back nine score of 29, Kerr was poised but found herself settling for pars on her first four holes out of the box in round four. “I felt like I didn’t have it on the first four or five holes,” Kerr recalled.  Then experience kicked in.

“I didn’t worry.  I didn’t rush, I made my first birdie, it was kind of like off to the races.”

She was right about that.  A closing round 66 got her to 20-under and that was good enough to put her three clear of the hard charging Ko, who shot 65-64 over the last 36 holes, finished tied for second and helped secure her hold on the No. 1 ranking.  Did we mention that Kerr’s been playing on the LPGA Tour as long as Ko has been alive?

Yes, that shows how special this performance really was.

“Very few players are lucky enough like I am to have a career as long as I’ve had and be competitive as long as I’ve been competitive.  Having that experience and being competitive, it’s an advantage, I think,” Kerr testified, reflecting on the advantage of experience in pressure situations.

Impressive.  To compare, it’s like a player winning on the PGA Tour at age 49.  Few and far between.

Kerr’s life has progressed beyond golf.  She’s raised millions for the battle against breast cancer, inspired by the diagnosis in 2003 that determined her mother had the disease.  Kerr also dramatically changed her body over the years, lost 50 pounds from her younger years.  She’s also into wine, fine wine, in a big way.

Kerr is the driving force behind Kerr Wines and Kerr Cellars.  Suzanne Pride Bryant from Pride Mountain Vineyards became her partner. Helen Keplinger and Sally Johnson are her wine-makers.

As if golf-for-a-living isn’t enough.  She and husband Erik Stevens have a son, Mason, who will turn four in December.

And so it came as a big American surprise when Kerr came from behind for the win.

Her trophy case is full, her life is full and so are her wine glasses.