Judy Rankin

Judy Rankin
 Golfer 
Personal information
Full name Judy Torluemke Rankin
Born February 18, 1945
St. Louis, Missouri
Height 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Nationality  United States
Residence Midland, Texas
Spouse Walter "Yippy" Rankin (m. 1967–2012)
Children Walter "Tuey" Rankin Jr.
Career
College None
Turned professional 1962
Former tour(s) LPGA Tour (1962–83)
Professional wins 28
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour 26
Other 2
Best results in LPGA major championships
Western Open T4: 1964
Titleholders C'ship T2: 1972
ANA Inspiration T44: 1983
Women's PGA C'ship 2nd/T2: 1976, 1977
U.S. Women's Open T2: 1972
du Maurier Classic T5: 1979
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame 2000 (member page)
LPGA Tour
Money Winner
1976, 1977
LPGA Player of the Year 1976, 1977
LPGA Vare Trophy 1973, 1976, 1977
GWAA Female
Player of the Year
1976, 1977
LPGA William and
Mousie Powell Award
1998
LPGA Patty Berg Award 1999
USGA Bob Jones Award 2002
LPGA Komen Award 2007
Old Tom Morris Award 2010

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.[1]

Amateur career

Rankin was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and 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.

Professional career

Rankin won 26 events on the LPGA Tour. She topped the money list in 1976 and 1977 and finished in the top ten on the money list eleven times between 1965 and 1979. She did not win a major championship, 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 Kraft Nabisco) in 1976 and the Peter Jackson Classic (later renamed the duMaurier) in 1977; both events would later be elevated to major status, but are not counted as majors in the years in which Rankin won.

Rankin was LPGA Player of the Year twice and won the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average three times. She retired from full-time competition at the age of 38, due to chronic back problems. She captained the victorious American teams in the 1996 and 1998 Solheim Cups. 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.[4]

Personal

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.[5] After a battle with throat cancer, Yippy died at age 71 on February 24, 2012.[6][7] Tuey's wife is the sister-in-law of PGA Tour golfer Geoff Ogilvy.[8][9]

Rankin was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2006.[10] 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 United States Sandra Spuzich
2 Jun 27, 1970 George Washington Golf Classic −7 (74-70-68=212) 1 stroke United States Sandra Haynie
3 Jul 19, 1970 Springfield Jaycee Open −10 (71-70-68=209) 1 stroke United States Leslie Holbert
4 Sep 27, 1970 Lincoln-Mercury Open −2 (69-71-77=217) 1 stroke United States Kathy Whitworth
5 Oct 15, 1971 Quality First Classic −2 (71-72-71=214) Playoff United States Jane Blalock
6 Mar 10, 1972 Lady Eve Open −9 (69-71-70=210) Playoff United States Kathy Whitworth
7 Oct 10, 1972 Heritage Village Open −7 (69-72-71=212) 5 strokes United States Betty Burfeindt
8 May 6, 1973 American Defender-Raleigh Classic +1 (73-72-72=217) 2 strokes Japan Chako Higuchi
9 May 13, 1973 Lady Carling Open −4 (75-67-73=215) 4 strokes United States Sandra Haynie
10 Aug 5, 1973 Pabst Ladies Classic −4 (69-71-72=212) 3 strokes United States Debbie Austin
11 Oct 14, 1973 GAC Classic −8 (69-67-70-66=272) Playoff West Germany Gerda Boykin, United States Sandra Palmer
12 Jun 2, 1974 Baltimore Classic −2 (71-73=144) 1 stroke United States Susie Berning, United States Carol Mann,
United States Marilynn Smith, United States Kathy Whitworth
13 Aug 24, 1975 National Jewish Hospital Open −9 (68-68-71=207) 2 strokes United States Jane Blalock, United States Sandra Haynie
14 Feb 1, 1976 Burdine's Invitational −3 (73-69-71=213) 3 strokes United States Pat Bradley
15 Apr 4, 1976 Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle −3 (74-72-71-68=285) 3 strokes United States Betty Burfeindt
16 Apr 18, 1976 Karsten-Ping Open −11 (68-68-69=205) 7 strokes Canada Sandra Post
17 Jun 27, 1976 Babe Zaharias Invitational −1 (74-69-69-75=287) 1 stroke United States Jane Blalock
18 Jul 18, 1976 Borden Classic −11 (68-70-67=205) 5 strokes United States Pat Bradley, United States Hollis Stacy
19 Nov 20, 1976 Colgate-Hong Kong Open Even (71-72-73=216) 3 strokes Japan Chako Higuchi
20 Feb 20, 1977 Orange Blossom Classic −8 (69-70-69=208) 5 strokes United States Joyce Kazmierski
21 Feb 27, 1977 Bent Tree Classic −7 (63-77-69=209) 4 strokes United States Clifford Ann Creed
22 Jun 19, 1977 Mayflower Classic −4 (68-72-72=212) 2 strokes United States Jane Blalock
23 Jul 3, 1977 Peter Jackson Classic −4 (72-66-74=212) 3 strokes United States Pat Meyers, United States Sandra Palmer
24 Aug 6, 1977 Colgate European Women's Open −15 (69-71-71-70=281) 6 strokes United States Nancy Lopez
25 Aug 13, 1978 WUI Classic −9 (71-69-70-73=283) 2 strokes United States Pam Higgins, United States Debbie Massey
26 Aug 12, 1979 WUI Classic −4 (76-71-71-70=288) 2 strokes United States Beth Daniel

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

LPGA Tour playoff record (4–12)

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

Other wins (2)

See also

References

  1. "Rankin and Andrade sign with Golf Channel". Golf Channel. January 21, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  2. "Faces in the crowd: Judy Torluemke". Sports Illustrated: 7. August 8, 1960. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Brown, Gwilym S. (August 21, 1961). "A small but handy prodigy". Sports Illustrated: 23. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  4. "Judy Rankin joins St. Louis Walk of Fame". KSDK. April 29, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  5. 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.
  6. Sternberg, Stina (February 27, 2012). "Yippy Rankin is laid to rest". Golf Digest Woman. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  7. Leonard, Tod (March 22, 2012). "Rankin making emotional return to TV golf". U-T San Diego. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  8. Rankin, Judy (March 10, 2009). "Rankin shares her insider's perspective on Ogilvy". PGA Tour. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  9. Lewis, Chris (2007). The Scorecard Always Lies: A Year Behind the Scenes on the PGA Tour. Free Press. ISBN 978-1-4165-3716-8.
  10. "Hall of Fame Golfer Rankin Is Being Treated for Cancer". The Washington Post. June 10, 2006. Retrieved May 3, 2013.

External links