Judy Rankin

Judy Rankin

Born: February 18, 1945
Age: 79
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Biography

Judy Torluemke Rankin (born February 18, 1945) is an American professional golfer and golf broadcaster. A member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, she joined the LPGA Tour in 1962 at age 17 and won 26 tour events. Rankin is currently the lead analyst for the LPGA Tour telecasts on Golf Channel, and works select PGA Tour events as an on-course reporter.

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Amateur career

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Rankin won the Missouri Amateur at age 14 in 1959. The next year she was the low amateur at the U.S. Women's Open, and was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1961 at age 16. She turned pro the following year.

Professional career

Rankin's first LPGA Tour win came in 1968 and she won 26 events, topping the money list in 1976 and 1977. She finished in the top ten on the money list eleven times between 1965 and 1979, and was the first to win over $100,000 in a season on the LPGA Tour (over $150,000 in 1976).

Although Rankin did not win a major championship, she was a four-time runner-up. Her best finishes were a second at the 1976 LPGA Championship and tied seconds at the 1972 Titleholders Championship, 1972 U.S. Women's Open, and 1977 LPGA Championship. Rankin won the Colgate Dinah Shore Winner's Circle (currently the ANA Inspiration) in 1976 and the Peter Jackson Classic (later renamed the du Maurier Classic) in 1977; both events were later elevated to major status, but are not counted as majors in the years in which Rankin won. Her 26th and final win on tour was in August 1979 at Jericho, New York.

Rankin was LPGA Player of the Year twice (1976, 1977) and won the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average three times. She retired from full-time competition at age 38 in 1983 due to chronic back problems, and later captained the victorious Solheim Cup teams in 1996 and 1998. Rankin became the first player voted into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame in 2000 under the veterans category, and she was also inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2000.

In 2002, she was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.

Rankin is a golf commentator for ESPN/ABC Sports and the Golf Channel. She has also been a professional advisor for the magazines Golf Digest and Golf For Women.

She was awarded a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame in April 2013.

Personal

Rankin was known as Judy Torluemke (pronounced Tor-lum-kee), until her marriage to Walter "Yippy" Rankin in 1967. They lived in Midland, Texas, and have a son, Walter Jr., known as "Tuey," born in 1968. After a battle with throat cancer, Yippy died at age 71 on February 24, 2012. Tuey's wife is the sister-in-law of PGA Tour golfer Geoff Ogilvy.

Rankin was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2006. She completed treatment by August 2006 and returned to her on-air work on ABC Sports in time to cover the 2006 Women's British Open.

Professional wins

LPGA wins (26)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin
of victory
Runner(s)-up
1 Nov 10, 1968 Corpus Christi Civitan Open +3 (75-69-69=213) Playoff Sandra Spuzich
2 Jun 27, 1970 George Washington Golf Classic −7 (74-70-68=212) 1 stroke Sandra Haynie
3 Jul 19, 1970 Springfield Jaycee Open −10 (71-70-68=209) 1 stroke Leslie Holbert
4 Sep 27, 1970 Lincoln-Mercury Open −2 (69-71-77=217) 1 stroke Kathy Whitworth
5 Oct 15, 1971 Quality First Classic −2 (71-72-71=214) Playoff Jane Blalock
6 Mar 10, 1972 Lady Eve Open −9 (69-71-70=210) Playoff Kathy Whitworth
7 Oct 10, 1972 Heritage Village Open −7 (69-72-71=212) 5 strokes Betty Burfeindt
8 May 6, 1973 American Defender-Raleigh Classic +1 (73-72-72=217) 2 strokes Chako Higuchi
9 May 13, 1973 Lady Carling Open −4 (75-67-73=215) 4 strokes Sandra Haynie
10 Aug 5, 1973 Pabst Ladies Classic −4 (69-71-72=212) 3 strokes Debbie Austin
11 Oct 14, 1973 GAC Classic −8 (69-67-70-66=272) Playoff Gerda Boykin
Sandra Palmer
12 Jun 2, 1974 Baltimore Classic −2 (71-73=144) 1 stroke Susie Berning
Carol Mann
Marilynn Smith
Kathy Whitworth
13 Aug 24, 1975 National Jewish Hospital Open −9 (68-68-71=207) 2 strokes Jane Blalock
Sandra Haynie
14 Feb 1, 1976 Burdine's Invitational −3 (73-69-71=213) 3 strokes Pat Bradley
15 Apr 4, 1976 Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle −3 (74-72-71-68=285) 3 strokes Betty Burfeindt
16 Apr 18, 1976 Karsten-Ping Open −11 (68-68-69=205) 7 strokes Sandra Post
17 Jun 27, 1976 Babe Zaharias Invitational −1 (74-69-69-75=287) 1 stroke Jane Blalock
18 Jul 18, 1976 Borden Classic −11 (68-70-67=205) 5 strokes Pat Bradley
Hollis Stacy
19 Nov 20, 1976 Colgate-Hong Kong Open Even (71-72-73=216) 3 strokes Chako Higuchi
20 Feb 20, 1977 Orange Blossom Classic −8 (69-70-69=208) 5 strokes Joyce Kazmierski
21 Feb 27, 1977 Bent Tree Classic −7 (63-77-69=209) 4 strokes Clifford Ann Creed
22 Jun 19, 1977 Mayflower Classic −4 (68-72-72=212) 2 strokes Jane Blalock
23 Jul 3, 1977 Peter Jackson Classic −4 (72-66-74=212) 3 strokes Pat Meyers
Sandra Palmer
24 Aug 6, 1977 Colgate European Women's Open −15 (69-71-71-70=281) 6 strokes Nancy Lopez
25 Aug 13, 1978 WUI Classic −9 (71-69-70-73=283) 2 strokes Pam Higgins
Debbie Massey
26 Aug 13, 1979 WUI Classic −4 (76-71-71-70=288) 2 strokes Beth Daniel

Note: Rankin won the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle (now the ANA Inspiration)
and the Peter Jackson Classic (later the du Maurier Classic) before they became major championships.

LPGA Tour playoff record (4-12)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1968 Corpus Christi Civitan Open Sandra Spuzich Won with par on second extra hole
2 1970 Women's Golf Charities Open Sandra Haynie
Marilynn Smith
Smith won with birdie on first extra hole
3 1971 Quality First Classic Jane Blalock Won with par on second extra hole
4 1972 Lady Eve Open Kathy Whitworth Won with eagle on first extra hole
5 1973 Sealy-Faberge Classic Kathy Cornelius Lost to par on first extra hole
6 1973 La Canadienne Jocelyne Bourassa
Sandra Haynie
Bourassa won with birdie on third extra hole
Rankin eliminated with par on first
7 1973 GAC Classic Gerda Boykin
Sandra Palmer
Won with par on third extra hole
Boykin eliminated with par on first hole
8 1973 Corpus Christi Civitan Open Sharon Miller Lost to birdie on second extra hole
9 1975 Charity Golf Classic Amy Alcott
Sandra Haynie
Haynie won with par on fourth extra hole
Rankin eliminated with par on first hole
10 1975 Birmingham Classic Maria Astrologes
JoAnne Carner
Astrologes won with birdie on first extra hole
11 1975 American Defender Classic JoAnne Carner Lost to par on first extra hole
12 1976 Girl Talk Classic Pat Bradley
Bonnie Lauer
Sandra Post
Bradley won with par on second extra hole
Lauer and Post eliminated with birdie on first hole
13 1976 Peter Jackson Classic Donna Caponi Lost to par on first extra hole
14 1977 American Cancer Society Classic Pam Higgins Lost to par on first extra hole
15 1979 Mayflower Classic Laura Baugh
Hollis Stacy
Stacy won with par on second extra hole
Rankin eliminated with par on first hole
16 1981 Elizabeth Arden Classic JoAnne Carner
Sally Little
Little won with par on third extra hole
Carner eliminated with par on second hole

Other wins (2)

  • 1974 (1) Colgate European Open
  • 1977 (1) LPGA National Team Championship (with JoAnne Carner)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]


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