Mildred won two Olympic titles, set world records in javelin and hurdles, established a US long jump best which survived for 23 years, and held the world mark, unofficially, for 100 yards.
It is 57 years since the Babe won the 144-hole Golf Weathervane event in the US. During her amateur career, she won 17 tournaments. Not even Tiger Woods matched that. A founder of the WPGA, she scored 36 pro victories, including a record 14 in succession. Her third US Open title (by 12 shots) came a month after colostomy surgery, one of seven titles she won after cancer surgery.
Babe routinely drove 250 yards before new technology. Byron Nelson said only eight men could out drive her. The Babes' secret? "Loosen your girdle and really let the ball have it," she said. By the time she died, aged 45 in 1956, she was revered. One respected golf writer said only Arnold Palmer was more beloved by the gallery.
