LaRee Sugg Inducted Into National Black Golf Hall Of Fame

Pioneering golfer played professionally for a decade before transition to coaching and college athletics administration.

PART I

In a wide-ranging conversation, the newest member of the National Black Golf Hall of Fame delved into topics from her early exposure to golf to her professional career and beyond. As just the third Black woman in history to earn full LPGA membership, her unique and candid perspectives on the game of golf and women’s sports are fascinating and well worth noting.

Junior golf champion, NCAA All-American, LPGA trailblazer, collegiate coach, athletics administrator – this is a story of accomplishment and triumph demolishing roadblocks and obstacles.

Welcome to Golf

Dropped off every morning at her grandparent’s house in Petersburg, VA, little LaRee Sugg knew that when she got off the bus after school, she would be accompanying her grandfather to the golf course. Dr. James C. Nelson, a professor at Virginia State University, was passionate about the game, and even arranged his class schedule to accommodate playing time.

“I went where he went,” recalled LaRee, “and he went to the golf course.”

Eventually riding in the cart became too boring for the energetic 6-year old, and she asked her grandfather if she could play. He took her seriously, obtained a set of cut down clubs and even had tiny spikes put on her saddle shoes.

Dr. Nelson, who grew up caddying from the age of seven at Springdale Golf Course next to Princeton University, became LaRee’s first coach. His impact was profound and she didn’t realize at the time how special the memories they created would become. Playing together, and traveling around the country for junior events and college visits forged a strong bond between the two.

“The golf course was our happy place. The normal routine was go to school, do homework and then play nine.”

Her earliest golfing idols were Nancy Lopez and, surprisingly, Tom Watson. During inclement weather events, she even wrote “I am Tom Watson” on her golf balls to remind her that Watson played his best in horrid conditions.

She also found their games similar, noting that “I was a good ball striker, and had to work hard on my short game. It was my Achilles heel. Like Watson, I’d hit it close but didn’t make a lot of putts.”

It wasn’t until LaRee began competing and excelling in junior golf (eventually winning over 30 titles) that it became truly apparent how unusual her presence was. At their home course, seeing and playing with other Black golfers was common, but not as she began climbing the competitive rungs.

Embracing the Role

At a young age, LaRee already had an idea that she was a pioneer, and it was to be a role she never shied away from.

She recalled that when she and her grandfather traveled in the South to compete at clubs that clearly had no African American members, they were often greeted cordially. She attributed that possibly to the fact that her talent as a junior player was a novelty to the white members.

Looking back on those experiences today, she said, “I now reflect that I was either shielded from or did not experience harsh words of racism, but I keenly understood it was one thing for me to be accepted as a guest for the week to compete, but there would not be invitations for people who looked like me to join.”

But she embraced the challenge, crediting her family for fostering that trailblazing spirit in her, explaining, “Whatever you wanted to accomplish in life you were going to be the first or only one. That was the norm. There weren’t many Black golfers out there, and you knew that you were going to be the only one.”

A history buff, LaRee was well aware of Althea Gibson and Renee Powell, who became the first Black LPGA members in 1963 and 1967, respectively. Becoming the third was her goal, and she was up to the task and the pressure that came with it.

“I also understood and embraced that responsibility. You grew up thinking that it was my responsibility to succeed so you could open the door for the next generation to succeed. That was the assignment. You didn’t dwell on the obstacles, you just understood that’s what you do.”

Bruin Blue

LaRee got a taste of California at the Junior World Championship and following a visit to the UCLA campus, decided to move across the country and become a Bruin. The list of impressive alumni, like Arthur Ashe and Jackie Robinson, was also a factor in her decision, as was the Amy Alcott scholarship she received.

“I was the first generation that understood that I could get a scholarship to play golf, and I wanted to go to a good academic school, where I could balance being a student-athlete,” she explained. “UCLA seemed like the perfect fit for me.”

And it was.

As the only Black woman playing golf at a Division 1 (D1) university, all eyes were upon her. Once again, she met the challenge, earning All-American honors and, in 1991, leading her team to their first team NCAA title in women’s golf.

On the final day, it seemed an impossible task. She suffered an excruciating stroke and distance penalty leading to a double bogey, and the team was down six strokes to San Jose State with two holes left to play.

“All week, I’d been telling my team that we were going to win,” she recalled. “We rallied and I made an incredible up and down. It was the lob wedge of my life to save par.”

The Bruins miraculously overcame the six-stroke deficit to tie and force a sudden death playoff after 72 holes . Not surprising to those who know her, on the first hole LaRee sank a 25-foot birdie putt for the win.

That certainly helped make up for the controversial penalty that still causes her to cringe. It was called by her opponent and, while she didn’t agree, LaRee knew the importance of accepting the ruling. As a matter of fact, it fanned the flames of her competitive fire and gave her even more motivation in the playoff.

“Yes, I’m still mortified by that,” she said of the penalty. “When I made the playoff putt, it was a little redemption for me. I was mad at the situation, and I also felt the pressure. I didn’t want any implication that I was doing anything against the rules. Not accepting that penalty would always tarnish that.”

Instead, she is enshrined in UCLA history, knowing that her accomplishments may positively influence others who look like her to become Bruins.

Coming in Part 2

Life on the LPGA Tour and beyond.