Judy Rankin

Judy Rankin ( 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.

From 2010 through 2022, Rankin 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 and ABC.

Early life and amateur career In 1945, Rankin was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1959, at the age of 14, she won the Missouri Amateur. The next year she was the low amateur at the U.S. Women's Open. In addition, she was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1961 at age 16.

Professional career In 1962, she turned professional. 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).

Rankin did not win a major championship but she was a four-time runner-up. Her best finishes were a solo second at the 1976 LPGA Championship and joint runner-up finishes at the 1972 Titleholders Championship, 1972 U.S. Women's Open, and 1977 LPGA Championship. Rankin also won the 1976 Colgate Dinah Shore Winner's Circle (currently the ANA Inspiration) and the 1977 Peter Jackson Classic (later renamed the du Maurier Classic); 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.

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.

Broadcasting career From 1984 until 2018, Rankin worked as a golf commentator for ESPN and ABC. In 2010, she became the lead LPGA analyst for the Golf Channel. 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.

Awards and honors In 1976 and 1977, Rankin was LPGA Player of the Year She won the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average three times: in 1973, 1976, and 1977 In 2000, Rankin became the first player voted into the LPGA Hall of Fame under the veterans category, In 2000, she was also inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. In 2002, Rankin was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. In 2013, she was awarded a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. In 2024, she became the first woman to be awarded the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism.

Professional wins (28) LPGA Tour wins (26) Note: Rankin won the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle (now the Chevron Championship)and the Peter Jackson Classic (later the du Maurier Classic) before they became major championships.

LPGA Tour playoff record (4–12) Sources:

Other wins (2) 1974 (1) Colgate European Open 1977 (1) LPGA National Team Championship (with JoAnne Carner)