Laurie Anne Rinker (born September 28, 1962) is an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s.

Laurie Rinker
Personal information
Full nameLaurie Anne Rinker
Born (1962-09-28) September 28, 1962 (age 62)
Stuart, Florida
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Sporting nationality United States
Career
CollegeUniversity of Florida
Turned professional1982
Former tour(s)LPGA Tour
Professional wins8
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour2
LPGA of Japan Tour1
Other5
Best results in LPGA major championships
Chevron Championship7th: 1984
Women's PGA C'shipT3: 1987
U.S. Women's OpenT21: 1986
du Maurier ClassicT7: 1995
Women's British OpenCUT: 2005

Amateur career

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Rinker was born and raised in Stuart, Florida. She attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where she played for coach Mimi Ryan's Florida Gators women's golf team from 1980 to 1982. She was recognized as an All-American in 1980 and 1982, and qualified for the LPGA Tour in the summer between her junior and senior year of college. She completed her education by traveling to the University of Florida during off weeks, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in finance in 1983.[1][2]

Professional career

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Rinker's best years in professional golf came in the mid-1980s, and included two LPGA Tour wins: the 1984 Boston Five Classic and the 1986 LPGA Corning Classic. Her best finishes in the LPGA majors included a seventh place in the 1984 Nabisco Dinah Shore, a tie for third in the 1987 LPGA Championship, and a tie for seventh in the 1995 du Maurier Classic. The most lucrative year of her career was 1987, when she earned $158,916 and had nine top-10 finishes.[2] To date, she has won over $1,200,000 as a professional golfer.

As the winner of the 2015 LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals Championship, she is qualified for the inaugural U.S. Senior Women's Open in 2018 through 2020 as an eligible winner of the past five editions of the said tournament.

Family

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Rinker's two brothers, Larry and Lee, have played on the PGA Tour.[1] She competed under her married name, Laurie Rinker-Graham, from 1992 to 2003. She has two sons, Brent and Timothy.[2]

Amateur wins

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Professional wins

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LPGA Tour wins (2)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runners-up
1 Jun 24, 1984 Boston Five Classic −2 (65-68-76-77=286) 3 strokes   Jackie Bertsch
  Ayako Okamoto
2 May 25, 1986 LPGA Corning Classic −10 (72-70-70-66=278) 3 strokes   Pat Bradley
  Beth Daniel

LPGA of Japan Tour wins (1)

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  • 1984 Chukyo TV Bridgestone Ladies Open

Other wins

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  • 1985 JCPenney Classic (with brother Larry Rinker)
  • 2015 LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals Championship.

Legends Tour wins (4)

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  • 2011 Women's Senior National Invitational
  • 2013 ISPS Handa Legends Open Championship
  • 2014 The Legends Championship
  • 2015 Chico's Patty Berg Memorial

Team appearances

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Professional

  • Handa Cup (representing the United States): 2013, 2014 (winners), 2015 (winners)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Biographical information from golfpodium.com". Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c "Biographical information from LPGA's official site" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 29, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
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