Dorothy Wilks (2003)

The term "rookie phenom" didn't exist in the early 1950's but "whiz kid" did and the moniker fit Dorothy Wilks (nee Herbertson) to a tee. After spending several years as an uninvited guest on the fairways next to her home she joined the Gorge Vale Club in 1948 and by the time she was 16 had won the Mid-Island women's title. The Board of her home club sensed there was something special about Dorothy and they named her an honourary life member in 1954 at the ripe old age of 19. That same year, the powerful young lady won her second B.C. junior title, first B.C. Amateur women's crown, was second best at the Nationals and was named to a Canadian team that played a prestigious match against the British team in Montreal. While she occasionally took years away from competitive golf to devote time to raising a family, Dorothy still managed to excel on the local and provincial levels into her 60s. In all she collected an amazing 12 B.C. amateur titles and was the first lady to win in all three divisions. Two as a junior, four women's amateur titles, then six seniors crowns during a dominating eight-year stretch from 1987 to 1994. She won Victoria City & District titles 16 times in the women's and senior women's divisions, taking her last one in 1997. She is a member of the B.C. Golf Hall of Fame.