Last updated: August 2026
| Full Name | Judy Torluemke Rankin |
| Born | February 18, 1945, St. Louis, Missouri |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Former Professional Golfer / Broadcaster |
Judy Rankin is an American former professional golfer and longtime golf broadcaster, widely regarded as one of the LPGA Tour’s pioneering figures. She built a long and varied career across both playing and commentary, though no specific, independently verified net worth figure for her has been published, so no number is stated here.
Early Life & Family
Born Judy Torluemke on February 18, 1945, in St. Louis, Missouri, Rankin was a golf prodigy: she won the Missouri Amateur at age 14 in 1959, achieved low amateur honors at the U.S. Women’s Open the following year, and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated at age 16 in 1961.
Rise to Fame
Rankin turned professional in 1962 at just 17 years old. She went on to win 26 LPGA Tour events plus two other professional victories, and topped the LPGA money list in both 1976 and 1977, becoming the first player to win more than $100,000 in a single season on the LPGA Tour (over $150,000 in 1976).
Career History
Although she never won a major championship, Rankin finished as runner-up four times. Chronic back problems forced her into early retirement from full-time competition in 1983, at age 38. She went on to captain victorious U.S. Solheim Cup teams in 1996 and 1998, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2000. From 1984 to 2018 she worked as a golf commentator for ESPN and ABC, and from 2010 to 2022 she served as the lead LPGA analyst for the Golf Channel, becoming the first woman to work full-time on broadcasts of a men’s tour. In 2024 she received the PGA of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism, the first woman to be given the honor.
How They Built Their Wealth
Rankin’s wealth was built through prize money from her playing career — including two money-list titles in an era when LPGA purses were far smaller than today’s — combined with over three decades of network and cable broadcasting income as a respected golf analyst. No specific net worth figure for her has been independently verified.
Personal Life
Rankin married Walter ‘Yippy’ Rankin in 1967, and the couple had a son, Walter Jr. (‘Tuey’), born in 1968. The family lived in Midland, Texas. Yippy Rankin died in 2012 at age 71. Judy Rankin was diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer in 2006.