Judy_Rankin

Judy Rankin

Judy Rankin

American professional golfer and broadcaster

Judy Rankin (née Torluemke; 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.

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Since 2010, Rankin has served as the lead analyst for LPGA Tour telecasts on the Golf Channel. She previously served as an expert analyst for golf coverage on ESPN/ABC.[1]

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,[2] and was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1961 at age 16.[3] She turned pro the following year.[4][5]

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).[6]

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.[7][8]

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,[9] 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,[9][10] 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.

She was awarded a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame in April 2013.[11]

Broadcasting career

From 1984[12] until 2018,[13] Rankin worked as a golf commentator for ESPN and ABC. In 2010, she became the lead LPGA analyst for the Golf Channel.[1]

She has also been a professional advisor for the magazines Golf Digest and Golf For Women.

Personal life

Rankin was known as Judy Torluemke (pronounced Tor-lum-kee),[3] 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.[14] After a battle with throat cancer, Yippy died at age 71 on February 24, 2012.[15][16] Tuey's wife is the sister-in-law of PGA Tour golfer Geoff Ogilvy.[17][18]

Rankin was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2006.[19] 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)

More information No., Date ...

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)

More information No., Year ...

Other wins (2)

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "Judy Rankin". NBC Sports Pressbox.
  2. [2]
    "Faces in the crowd: Judy Torluemke". Sports Illustrated. August 8, 1960. p. 7. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  3. [3]
    Brown, Gwilym S. (August 21, 1961). "A small but handy prodigy". Sports Illustrated. p. 23. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  4. [4]
    "Tabs Torluemke threat in Jaycee". Milwaukee Sentinel. July 31, 1965. p. 4, part 2.
  5. [5]
    "Golfing gallery". St. Petersburg Independent. Florida. March 11, 1966. p. 17A.
  6. [6]
    Murray, Jim (March 5, 1977). "Judy Rankin...most consistent golfer in game". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Florida. (Los Angeles Times). p. 2D.
  7. [7]
    "Drought over for Rankin". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. August 14, 1979. p. 24.
  8. [8]
    "Rankin discovers gold at end of the rainbow". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. UPI. August 14, 1979. p. 13.
  9. [9]
    "LPGA votes Rankin into Hall of Fame". Victoria Advocate. Texas. wire reports. May 3, 2000. p. 2B.
  10. [10]
    Ferguson, Doug (May 3, 2000). "Judy Rankin voted into LPGA Hall of Fame". Kingman Daily Miner. Arizona. Associated Press. p. 7.
  11. [11]
    "Judy Rankin joins St. Louis Walk of Fame". KSDK. April 29, 2013. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  12. [12]
    Nidetz, Steve (August 11, 1989). "Bad Back, Good Luck Push Rankin Toward Career As Golf Commentator". Chicago Tribune.
  13. [13]
    "LPGA Season Ends Sunday with Live Telecast on ABC; $1 Million Bonus on Line". ESPN Press Room. 13 November 2018.
  14. [14]
    Martin, Frank W. (November 1, 1976). "Judy Rankin Cracks the $100,000 Earnings Mark for Women Golfers, but She's Far Behind the Men". People. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  15. [15]
    Sternberg, Stina (February 27, 2012). "Yippy Rankin is laid to rest". Golf Digest Woman. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  16. [16]
    Leonard, Tod (March 22, 2012). "Rankin making emotional return to TV golf". U-T San Diego. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  17. [17]
    Rankin, Judy (March 10, 2009). "Rankin shares her insider's perspective on Ogilvy". PGA Tour. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  18. [18]
    Lewis, Chris (2007). The Scorecard Always Lies: A Year Behind the Scenes on the PGA Tour. Free Press. p. 233. ISBN 978-1-4165-3716-8. judy rankin tuey.
  19. [19]
    "Hall of Fame Golfer Rankin Is Being Treated for Cancer". The Washington Post. June 10, 2006. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
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