LaRee Sugg
Quick Facts
Biography
LaRee Pearl Sugg (born November 11, 1971) is an Associate Athletic Director of the Richmond Spiders. Before joining Richmond, Sugg became the third African American woman to play on the LPGA Tour in history. Sugg played on the LPGA tour from 1995 to 1996 and 2000 to 2001 with multiple appearances at the United States Women's Open Championship and Women's British Open. Apart from the LPGA, Sugg played for the LGPA Futures Tour and won the 1998 Aurora Health Care Futures Classic.
Early life and education
Sugg was born on November 11, 1971 in Petersburg, Virginia. She began golfing at the age of six and won over thirty titles as a junior golfer. With a golf scholarship, Sugg went to the University of California, Los Angeles for her post-secondary education. During her four years at UCLA, she was on the college's golf team. At the 1991 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship, Sugg started the 13th hole in front of the tee markers and was given a two-stroke penalty. At the playoff hole during the NCAA championship, Sugg scored a birdie and won the championship for UCLA. She graduated with UCLA with an English degree.
Career
For her professional golfing career, Sugg started with the Ladies European Tour and LGPA Futures Tour in 1992. At the time, Sugg had attempted to get a LPGA Tour card but failed to qualify. In 1995, Sugg became the third ever African American woman to play in the LPGA and the first since Renee Powell, who ended her career in 1978. After playing for two years, Sugg lost her LPGA tour card in 1996 due to her season's winnings. After leaving the LPGA, Sugg continued to play on the Futures Tour and the Ladies Asian Golf Tour during the late 1990s. She won her first Futures Tour event at the 1998 Aurora Health Care Futures Classic.
Sugg was the only African American woman LPGA golfer when she returned at the 2000 Cup Noodles Hawaiian Ladies Open. That year, she reached 8th place at the 2000 Wegmans Rochester International. Sugg ended her LPGA tour career in 2001 when she lost her LPGA tour card for a second time. Throughout her LPGA career, Sugg played in ten women's major golf championships with multiple appearances at the United States Women's Open Championship and Women's British Open. After leaving the LPGA, Sugg moved on to the University of Richmond to become a golf coach in the early 2000s. She later became an assistant athletic director from 2005 to 2008 before becoming Associate Athletic Director in 2008.