LaRee Sugg
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{{Infobox golfer
| name = LaRee Sugg
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1969|11|11}}
| birth_place = Petersburg, Virginia
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| college = UCLA
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| yearpro = 1992
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| extour = LPGA Tour
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LaRee Pearl Sugg (born November 11, 1969) is an athletic director for Richmond University since 2005. 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. She made appearances at the U.S. Women's Open and Women's British Open. Apart from the LPGA, Sugg played on the LGPA Futures Tour, Ladies European Tour and Ladies Asian Golf Tour during the 1990s. During her career, Sugg won the 1998 Aurora Health Care Futures Classic. She also was third at the 1993 Singapore Ladies Open and 1997 Indonesian Ladies Open.
Early life and education
Sugg was born on November 11, 1969, in Petersburg, Virginia.{{cite magazine |author= |date=January 1982 |title=Teeing Up for a Pro Golf Career |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RXzds5FD_J8C&pg=PA71 |magazine=Ebony |page= 71 |access-date=1 January 2019}} She began golfing at the age of six and won over thirty titles as a junior golfer.{{cite news |last1=Coats |first1=Bill |title=Sugg Stand Out Boldly in Golf's World of White |work=St Louis Post-Dispatch |date=25 July 1996 |page=3D}} 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.{{cite magazine |author= |date=27 July 1992 |title=Golfer Hopes to be Role Model for Black Women |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=38EDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA50 |magazine= Jet |page=50 |access-date=1 January 2019}} 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.{{cite news |title=Sugg, UCLA Recover From Two-Shot Penalty for Title |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-05-26-sp-3755-story.html |access-date=1 January 2019 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=26 May 1991}} She graduated from UCLA with an English degree.
Career
For her golfing career, Sugg started with the LGPA Futures Tour in 1991. The following year, Sugg joined the Ladies European Tour as a professional golfer while remaining on the Futures Tour.{{cite web |title=LaRee Sugg |url=https://richmondspiders.com/staff.aspx?staff=4 |website=Richmond Spiders |accessdate=1 January 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Glover |first1=Tim |title=Golf: Sugg struggles to gain recognition: Johnson stays in touch with the leaders |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/golf-sugg-struggles-to-gain-recognition-johnson-stays-in-touch-with-the-leaders-2320191.html |accessdate=2 January 2019 |work=Independent |date=1 May 1993}} That year, Sugg attempted to get a LPGA Tour card but failed to qualify.{{cite news |last1=Pine |first1=D.W. |title=Sugg wearing 'trailblazer' mantle |work=Atlanta Constitution |date=10 July 1992 |page=E7}} While Sugg continued to play for both the European and Futures Tours until 1994, Sugg briefly played on the Ladies Asian Golf Tour in 1993.
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.{{cite news |last1=Rude |first1=Jeff |title=25-Year-Old Debuts in Hawaii as LPGA's 1st Black in 17 Years |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/405393/25-YEAR-OLD-DEBUTS-IN-HAWAII-AS-LPGAS-1ST-BLACK-IN-17-YEARS.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928073541/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/405393/25-YEAR-OLD-DEBUTS-IN-HAWAII-AS-LPGAS-1ST-BLACK-IN-17-YEARS.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 28, 2018 |accessdate=1 January 2019 |work=Deseret News |date=20 February 1995}} 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 Ladies Asian Golf Tour and Futures Tour during the late 1990s.{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Kelsie |title=Suggs continues her role as a trailblazer |work=Boston Globe |date=30 June 2006}}{{cite news |last1=Blauvet |first1=Harry |title=Sugg set for fourth U.S Open appearance |work=Clarion-Ledger |date=23 May 1990 |page=9D}} During the 1990s, she won the 1998 Aurora Health Care Futures Classic. She also placed third at the 1993 Singapore Ladies Open and 1997 Indonesian Ladies Open.{{Cite press release|title=University of Richmond Women's Golf 2002-03|date=June 26, 2017|url=https://richmondspiders.com/documents/2017/6/26//03media_guide.pdf?id=4203|page=5|access-date=November 1, 2020}}
Sugg was the only African American woman golfer in the LPGA when she returned at the 2000 Cup Noodles Hawaiian Ladies Open.{{cite news |last1=Blauvelt |first1=Harry |title=Sugg lone African-American on LPGA Tour |work=Desert Sun |date=16 February 2000 |page=C3}} That year, she reached 8th place at the 2000 Wegmans Rochester International.{{cite book |last1=Hudson |first1=David L. |title=Women in Golf: The Players, the History, and the Future of the Sport |date=2008 |publisher=Praeger |isbn=9780275997847 |page=112 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1sGBbaGWszUC&pg=PA112 |accessdate=1 January 2019}} Sugg played at the U.S. Women's Open multiple times during her LPGA major career.{{cite web |title=Major Championship Records |url=https://www.lpga.com/tournaments/major-championship-records |website=Ladies Professional Golf Association |access-date=March 10, 2025}} When the Women's British Open became a major during 2001, she did not make the cut.{{cite news |title=Women's British Open |work=The Sunday Oregonian |date=August 5, 2001 |page=C11}} Sugg ended her LPGA career that year when she lost her tour card for a second time.
After leaving the LPGA, Sugg moved on to the University of Richmond and became the inaugural head coach of their women's golf team in 2002. At Richmond, Sugg briefly coached the men's golf team in 2005 before working as an assistant athletic director for the university from 2005 to 2008. From 2008 onwards, she continued her athletic director career with Richmond as an associate director and deputy director.