Reilley Rankin

Reilley Rankin
Personal information
Full nameReilley Rankin
Born (1979-04-17) April 17, 1979 (age 45)
Beaufort, South Carolina, U.S.
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceHilton Head, South Carolina, U.S.
Career
CollegeUniversity of Georgia
Turned professional2001
Current tour(s)LPGA Tour (joined 2004)
Former tour(s)LPGA Futures Tour
Professional wins2
Number of wins by tour
Epson Tour2
Best results in LPGA major championships
Chevron ChampionshipT9: 2005
Women's PGA C'shipT9: 2006
U.S. Women's OpenT42: 2008
Women's British Open4th: 2007
Evian ChampionshipDNP
Achievements and awards
Heather Farr Player Award2013

Reilley Rankin (born April 17, 1979) is an American professional golfer, currently playing on the LPGA Tour.

Amateur career

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Rankin was a three-time American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Rolex All-American from 1995 to 1997. She was a three-time All-American at the University of Georgia where she was the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman of the Year in 1997, the NCAA Freshman of the Year in 1998, and the 1997–98 SEC Player of the Year. She won four consecutive collegiate tournaments in 1998, the same year she was a semifinalist at the Women's Western Amateur. She was forced to take two years off from competition in 1999 and 2000 after breaking her back but came in 2001 to lead the Georgia to the NCAA Championship title. She graduated from Georgia in 2001 with a degree in Child and Family Development.[1]

Professional career

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Rankin turned professional in July 2001, playing on the Futures Tour. She played two tournaments on the Futures Tour in 2001, and then played a full season in 2002 and 2003. In 2003, she won two events which earned fifth place on the Futures Tour money list and full membership on the LPGA Tour for the 2004 season. Her best finish to date on the LPGA Tour is a tie for second at the 2007 Mizuno Classic. In 2010, she fell to 139th on the final official LPGA money list, requiring her to return to LPGA qualifying school in order to retain her LPGA playing privileges for 2011. She finished in the top 10 at the qualifying tournament.[2]

Personal life

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On June 4, 1998, during the summer between her sophomore and junior years at the University of Georgia, Rankin was severely injured after jumping from a cliff into a lake about 70 feet below. Her injuries included a broken back, a broken sternum and bruised heart, lungs and aorta. She was confined to a body cast for three months.[3][4][5]

Professional wins (2)

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Futures Tour wins (2)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner-up
1 May 24, 2003 Northwest Indiana Futures Golf Classic[6] −5 (x-x-70=211) Playoff South Korea Soo Young Moon
2 Aug 21, 2003 Betty Puskar Futures Golf Classic[7] −10 (67-67=134) 2 strokes United States Lisa Strom

References

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  1. ^ "LPGA Official Biography" (PDF). LPGA.com. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  2. ^ "Gary Gilchrist Coached Nicole Hage and Reilley Rankin Earn 2011 LPGA Tour Cards". Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy. December 14, 2010. Archived from the original on December 24, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  3. ^ "I broke my back and almost died, but I never doubted that I would play – and win – again". Sports Illustrated. May 1, 2001. Archived from the original on June 23, 2004. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  4. ^ "Back from the fall". SavannahNow.com. Retrieved May 22, 2001.
  5. ^ "Classic Profile: Reilley Rankin". Onlineathens.com. March 5, 2000. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  6. ^ "Reilley Rankin Wins Futures Tour Tournament". georgiadogs.com. May 26, 2003. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  7. ^ "Final Results from the Betty Puskar Futures Golf Classic". TheGolf Channel. August 10, 2003. Retrieved May 28, 2011.[permanent dead link]
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