Born and raised in Santa Cruz, California, Juli Simpson Inkster graduated from Harbor High School in 1978 and played college golf at San Jose State, which was close to her home. Juli was an All-American at SJSU in 1979, 1981, and 1982. She was also All Nor-Cal 1979–1981 and SJSU Athlete of the Year in 1981, and is a member of the San Jose State Sports Hall of Fame. From 1980 to 1982, Inkster won three consecutive U.S. Women’s Amateurs, with her initial victory coming three weeks after her marriage to Brian Inkster.
She became the first woman since 1934 to win three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles. She was a member of the winning U.S. Curtis Cup team in 1982 and was also a member of the World Cup team in 1980 and 1982. She won the 1981 California State Amateur Championship, was California’s 1981 Amateur of the Year, and 1982 Bay Area Athlete of the Year.
