Judy Rankin

 ( Official Website ) 

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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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

In 2024, she became the first woman to be awarded the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism.

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Personal life

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.

Chris Lewis (2025). 9781416537168, Free Press. . ISBN 9781416537168

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.

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Professional wins

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LPGA wins (26)

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)

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 by par on first hole
7	1973	GAC Classic	Gerda Boykin Sandra Palmer	Won with par on third extra hole Boykin eliminated by 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 by 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 by 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 by par on first hole
16	1981	Elizabeth Arden Classic	JoAnne Carner Sally Little	Little won with par on third extra hole Carner eliminated by par on second hole

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Other wins (2)

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

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See also

• List of golfers with most LPGA Tour wins

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External links

Categories: Official Website, American Female Golfers, Lpga Tour Golfers, World Golf Hall Of Fame Inductees, American Golf Commentators, Golfers From St. Louis, Golfers From Texas, American Women Sports Commentators, Sportspeople From Midland, Texas, 1945 Births, Living People, 21st-century American Women, 20th-century American Sportswomen

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