Suzy Whaley (born November 10, 1966) is an American professional golfer.

Early life

Whaley is from

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

Professional career

Whaley is an LPGA Teaching and Club Professional (T&CP) member who played on the LPGA Tour in 1993. In 2003, she became the first woman in 58 years to qualify for a

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

event when she qualified for the 2003 Greater Hartford Open, after winning the 2002 Connecticut PGA Championship. She was also the first woman to win a PGA individual professional tournament. Whaley's achievement, however, is questioned by some because the regional qualifying tournament she won was aided by her being allowed to play the course off tees 699 yards shorter than the men she competed against in that regional qualifying. Whaley played 6,239 yards, while the men had to play 6,938 yards (a 10% shorter course). This anomaly was addressed later by the PGA, under the "Whaley rule", introduced in 2003, which requires all entrants at qualifying tournaments, whether male or female, to play off the same tees. In 2014, Whaley became the first female officer in the

PGA of America The Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America) is an American organization of golf professionals that was founded in 1916. Consisting of nearly 29,000 members, the PGA of America's undertaking is to establish and elevate t ...

, as PGA secretary. In November 2018, became the first woman president of the

. She is currently recognized by Golf for Women as a top 50 female instructor and is a board member and advisor for numerous organizations, including ''Golfer Girl Magazine.''

Personal life

While at University of North Carolina she played on their golf team. ESPN described her in 2003 as "a 36-year-old club pro who played briefly on the LPGA tour." At the time, her mother was her caddie. Both of her daughters and a niece play golf, and have participated in the ''Girls Junior PGA National Championships''.

Awards and honors

In 2021, Whaley was inducted into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame.

References

External links