Karen Corr (born 10 November 1969) is a Northern Irish professional pool and former snooker and English billiards player. She began entering women's snooker tournaments at age 15 and went on to win the World Women's Snooker Championship three times and the World Women's Billiards Championship twice. In 1998, she moved to the United States to play pool professionally. She has won numerous tournaments and has been ranked number one on the WPBA Tour. She was inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame in 2012.
 Karen Corr (2009) | |||||||||||||||
| Born | 10 November 1969 Ballymoney, Northern Ireland | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport country |  Northern Ireland | ||||||||||||||
| Nickname | The Irish Invader[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Professional | 1990 | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
editCorr was born on 10 November 1969[2] in Ballymoney, Northern Ireland and spent her early childhood near Maghera. When she was 8 years old, her family moved to England. She loved watching snooker matches on television and joined a snooker club at the age of 14 with her dad and her brother. Her friends in Bourne saw that she had exceptional snooker skills and encouraged her to play in tournaments.
Snooker and pool career
editAt the age of 15, she entered her first tournament in Leicester. She continued to play in tournaments and rapidly became a top player on the women's tour. On the day after her 21st birthday, Corr won her first Women's World Snooker Championship. She would go on to repeat that feat in 1995 and 1997. She also won the World Women's Billiards Championship in 1998 and 1999.[3]
A recession in the mid-1990s and increased restrictions on tobacco sponsorship caused prize funds to rapidly decrease for snooker events outside the World Championship. This forced Corr to look elsewhere for profitable tournament play. Fellow snooker player Julie Kelly told her about the WPBA Tour in America. Corr moved to the U.S. in 1998 to see how well she could play pool. After winning ten consecutive qualifying events, she was able to compete in the professional WPBA events.
By the end of 1998, Corr was ranked #24. At the end of 1999, she was ranked # 4.[1] By the end of 2000, she was ranked 2nd in the world.
Corr won her first WPBA Classic Tour title, "The 2000 Cuetec Cues Players Championship" in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. She completed that year with two more Classic tour titles.[4] She also won the "All Japan Championship" held in Osaka, Japan. She placed second in the "WPA Women's World Championship" and in the "UCC World Ladies Championship" held in Tokyo, Japan.
In 2001, she became the first person to win every WPBA Classic tour event in the same season since they began. She won the silver medal at the World Games and placed 2nd at the World Championships. Before 2001 ended, Corr found herself at the top, the No. 1 ranked player in the World[1] and remained there for 2 years.
Since then, she has been a leading player in women's pool. The crowning achievement of her career came on 26 October 2012, when Corr was formally inducted into the Greatest Player wing of the BCA Hall of Fame.[1] Her Hall of Fame induction announcement stated "her quick rise to the top and her consistent dominance on American soil has earned her the only spot in this year's BCA Hall of Fame class."[4]
She has been runner-up at the World 9-ball Championship four times.
Titles and achievements
editPool
edit| Year | Tournament | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | All Japan Championship 9-Ball | Osaka, JAP |
| 2000 | Super Billiards Expo Players Championship | Valley Forge, PA |
| 2000 | WPBA Baltimore Classic | Baltimore, MD |
| 2000 | WPBA Affinix Software Los Angeles Open | Los Angeles, CA |
| 2001 | WPBA Cuetec Cues Players Championship | Valley Forge, PA |
| 2001 | WPBA Spring Classic | Alpine, CA |
| 2001 | WPBA Charlotte | Charlotte, NC |
| 2001 | WPBA Fall Classic | Albuquerque, NM |
| 2001 | WPBA Midwest Classic | Villa Park, IL |
| 2001 | WPBA Nationals | Lincoln City, OR |
| 2002 | WPBA Spring Classic | Alpine, CA |
| 2002 | BCA Open 9-Ball Championship | Las Vegas, NV |
| 2002 | WPBA Nationals | Miami, FL |
| 2003 | Super Billiards Expo Players Championship | Valley Forge, PA |
| 2003 | BCA Open 9-Ball Championship | Las Vegas, NV |
| 2003 | WPBA U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship | Albuquerque, NM |
| 2003 | WPBA Canadian Open | Windsor, Ontario |
| 2004 | BCA Open 9-Ball Championship | Las Vegas, NV |
| 2004 | WPBA Nationals | Lincoln City, OR |
| 2005 | WPBA Southeast Classic | Hollywood, FL |
| 2006 | Tournament of Champions | Uncasville, CT |
| 2006 | WPBA Carolina Classic | Rocky Mount, NC |
| 2006 | WPBA Florida Classic | Hollywood, FL |
| 2006 | WPBA Midwest Classic | Peoria, IL |
| 2007 | Tournament of Champions | Uncasville, CT |
| 2007 | WPBA Midwest Classic | Norman, OK |
| 2007 | BCA Open 9-Ball Championship | Las Vegas, NV |
| 2008 | Tournament of Champions | Uncasville, CT |
| 2014 | Super Billiards Expo Players Championship | Edison, NJ |
| 2016 | Super Billiards Expo Players Championship | Oaks, PA |
| 2016 | NAPT Inaugural 10-Ball Invitational | Herndon, Va |
| 2017 | WPBA U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 2017 | NAPT Summer 10-Ball Classic | Grayslake, IL |
| 2017 | NAPT Freedom Classic | Dickson City, Pa |
| 2017 | Desert Shootout | Las Vegas, Ne |
| 2018 | Super Billiards Expo Players Championship | Oaks, PA |
| 2018 | Coupe du Quebec Pro Event | Quebec, CAN |
| 2019 | Coupe du Quebec Pro Event | Quebec, CAN |
- 2001 Billiards Digest Player of the Year
- 2012 Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame
Snooker
edit| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1 | 1990 | Women's World Snooker Championship | Stacey Hillyard | 7–4 | [5][6] |
| Runner-up | 2 | 1991 | Women's World Snooker Championship | Allison Fisher | 2–8 | [7] |
| Winner | 3 | 1994 | WLBSA Halstead Ladies Classic | Allison Fisher | 3–2 | [8] |
| Winner | 4 | 1994 | WLBSA Pontins Spring Bowl | Lisa Quick | 4–1 | [9] |
| Winner | 5 | 1995 | Women's World Snooker Championship | Kim Shaw | 6–3 | [10] |
| Winner | 6 | 1995 | WLBSA Pontins British Ladies | Ann-Marie Farren | 4–1 | [11] |
| Winner | 7 | 1995 | WLBSA West Norwood Open | Kelly Fisher | 3–1 | [12] |
| Winner | 8 | 1996 | WLBSA Academy Fork Lift | Kelly Fisher | 4–2 | [13] |
| Winner | 9 | 1996 | WLBSA Connie Gough Memorial | Kim Shaw | 3–2 | [14] |
| Winner | 10 | 1996 | WLBSA James Brooks Classic | Kelly Fisher | 3–0 | [15] |
| Winner | 11 | 1997 | Women's World Snooker Championship | Kelly Fisher | 6–3 | [16] |
| Winner | 12 | 1997 | WLBSA Barratts Club National | Kelly Fisher | 3–2 | [17] |
| Winner | 13 | 1997 | WLBSA Ladies National | Kelly Fisher | 4–2 | [18] |
| Winner | 14 | 1997 | WLBSA UK Championship | Lynette Horsburgh | 4–3 | [19] |
| Winner | 15 | 1997 | WLBSA Pontins UK Championship | |||
| Winner | 16 | 1997 | WLBSA Scottish Masters | Kelly Fisher | 4–2 | [20] |
| Runner-up | 17 | 1998 | Women's World Snooker Championship | Kelly Fisher | 0–5 | [21] |
| Runner-up | 18 | 1999 | Women's World Snooker Championship | Kelly Fisher | 2–4 | [22] |
English billiards
edit| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1 | 1998 | World Ladies Billiards Championship | Emma Bonney | 403–219 | [3] |
| Winner | 2 | 1999 | World Ladies Billiards Championship | Kelly Fisher | 354–276 | [3] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Hall of Fame Inductees, 2011–2018". bca-pool.com. Billiard Congress of America. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ^ "Karen Corr". azbilliards.com. AZBilliards. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ^ a b c "World Ladies Billiards Champions". world-billiards.com. World Billiards Ltd. 22 June 2015. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Karen Corr Earns Enshrinement in Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame" (PDF). bca-pool.com. Billiard Congress of America. 19 July 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ^ "Hall of Fame: 1990 World Championship". wlbsa.wytech.co.uk. World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
- ^ Yates, Philip. "Corr keeps cool to win women's world title". Snooker Scene. No. December 1990. Everton's News Agency. p. 4.
- ^ Yates, Phil (11 November 1991). "Fisher confirms her status as champion – Snooker". The Times. London – via NewsBank. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- ^ "1994 Halstead Classic - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "1994 Pontin's Spring Bowl - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ "Karen Corr regains women's world title". Snooker Scene. Everton's News Agency. October 1995. pp. 14–15.
- ^ "1995 Pontins British Open - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "1995 West Norwood Open - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "1996 Academy Fork Lift Classic - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "1996 Connie Gough Memorial - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "1996 James Brooks Ladies Classic - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "Karen Corr wins 1996 world title a little late". Snooker Scene. No. July 1997. Everton's News Agency. pp. 12–13.
- ^ "1997 Barratts Club National Championship - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "1997 National Championship - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "1997 UK Ladies Championship - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "1997 Regal Scottish Masters - Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "Kelly Fisher: first woman to win at the Crucible". Snooker Scene. Everton's News Agency. June 1998. p. 29.
- ^ "World Champions". womenssnooker.com. World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 3 January 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
