Deb Richard

Deb Richard (born June 3, 1963) is an American former professional golfer who was a member of the LPGA Tour for twenty years during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

Early life Richard was born in Abbeville, Louisiana in 1963. She was raised in Manhattan, Kansas.

Richard first found success as an amateur golfer by winning the Kansas state high school golf championship three consecutive years for Manhattan High School (1979–1981). In the summer of 1982, she won the Kansas Women's Amateur for the first time.

Amateur career While competing for coach Mimi Ryan's Florida Gators women's golf team at the University of Florida from 1982 to 1985, she won seven tournaments including three consecutive Southeastern Conference (SEC) individual championships. As a senior in 1985, she was the individual runner-up, by a single stroke, at the NCAA Women's Golf Championship.

She also won a number of other prestigious tournaments during the era. In 1983, she won the Kansas Amateur again. In 1984, Richard won the prestigious U.S. Women's Amateur; a few months later she was part of the U.S. team that won the Espirito Santo Trophy in Hong Kong.

In 1985, she graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in advertising.

Professional career Richard played on the LPGA Tour for twenty years (1986–2005), during which she won five Tour events and finished in the top-10 in over seventy events. Her five wins included: the 1987 Rochester International, 1991 Women's Kemper Open, 1991 The Phar-Mor in Youngstown, 1994 Safeco Classic and 1997 Friendly's Classic. Her best finishes in the LPGA majors included a tie for tenth place in the 1996 Kraft Nabisco Championship, a tie for fifth in the 1991 LPGA Championship, a tie for ninth in the 1986 U.S. Women's Open, and ties for fourth in the 1988 and 1998 du Maurier Classic. In 1992, Richard was selected for the U.S. Solheim Cup team. Her career earning as a professional golfer totaled $2,759,551.

She has also received a number of awards for her charitable activities.

Awards and honors While at University of Florida, Richard was a first-team All-SEC selection all four years and a first-team All-American her junior and senior years. In 1985, during her senior year, she was recognized as the SEC Golfer of the Year, In 1985, she also won the Broderick Award as the nation's outstanding female collegiate golfer. Richard has been inducted into the Kansas Golf Hall of Fame.

Professional wins (6) LPGA Tour wins (5)

LPGA Tour playoff record (2–2)

Other wins (1) 1991 JBP Cup LPGA Match Play Championship

U.S. national team appearances Amateur Espirito Santo Trophy: 1984 (winners)

Professional Solheim Cup: 1992