Debbie Austin (born February 1, 1948) is an American

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

. Austin was born in

Oneida, New York Oneida () is a city in Madison County in the U.S. state of New York. It is located west of Oneida Castle (in Oneida County) and east of Wampsville. The population was 10,329 at the 2020 census, down from 11,390 in 2010. The city, like b ...

. She first played on the

LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly ...

in 1968 and went on to win seven tournaments, including five in 1977 when she tied with

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, Ranki ...

for most on tour. She was named Player of the Year in 1977 by ''

Golf Magazine ''Golf Magazine'' is a monthly golf magazine. One of the first "special interest" magazines of its kind, it was started in April 1959 by Arnold Abramson and Robert Abramson, the owners of Universal Publishing and Distributing Corporation, who sol ...

''. She won the Wills Qantas Australian Ladies Open in 1978. A recurring tendonitis problem plagued her during 1979 and 1980, but she returned to winning form in 1981 by winning the Mayflower Classic. With that victory, she established the tradition of the winner taking a plunge into the pool with General Chairman John B. Smith. She has held a variety of positions since the end of her tour career, including a stint as a coach for the

Rollins College Rollins College is a Liberal arts college, private liberal arts college in Winter Park, Florida. It was founded in November 1885 and has about 30 undergraduate majors and several master's programs. Florida's fourth oldest post-secondary institut ...

ladies' golf team in

Winter Park, Florida Winter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 29,795 according to the 2020 census. It is part of the Greater Orlando, Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winter Park was foun ...

. She spent several years associated with

Westchester Country Club Westchester Country Club is a private country club located in Harrison, New York. Founded in 1922 as a destination for sportsmen, it was known to professional golfers and spectators for more than four decades as the home of the Westchester Cla ...

in New York. She resides in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

and is the former head coach of the Bishop Moore Catholic High School girls' golf team. She is now retired but plays regularly at her home course, Orange Tree Golf Club. The junior tees at

are named after her.

Professional wins (8)

LPGA Tour wins (7)

Other wins (1)

*1978 Wills Qantas Australian Ladies Open

References

External links

* * American female golfers Rollins Tars women's golfers LPGA Tour golfers College golf coaches in the United States Golfers from New York (state) Golfers from Orlando, Florida People from Oneida, New York 1948 births Living people 20th-century American sportswomen {{US-golf-bio-stub