Latest news with #JudyRankin
USA Today
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Judy Rankin says it's 'dreamlike' receiving honorary degree from University of St. Andrews
When Judy Rankin first received an email from the University of St. Andrews last December, she thought it was a prank and asked a couple friends to look it over. Six months later, when her day in Scotland finally arrived, 80-year-old Rankin said it felt like a dream being awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) from the historic and prestigious school. Previous honorary graduates include Arnold Palmer, Renee Powell, Bob Dylan, Hillary Clinton and Dame Judi Dench. "I think almost anybody can imagine when this comes to your email one day in December, you can't think it's possibly real, why you and what did you do to deserve this," Rankin told Golfweek. "Let me just say I've enjoyed this as much as anything I've done in a very long time, maybe as much as anything I've ever done." Rankin, 80, won 26 times on the LPGA before blazing a trail in television. She covered five Open Championships at the Old Course, including Jack Nicklaus' farewell in 2005 and Tiger Woods' completion of the career grand slam in 2000. "I feel like I know this golf course like the back of my hand, and I only ever played it once," Rankin told the graduates, "but I've been around it with some of the really great players in the world, both men and women." Rankin was accompanied on the trip by good friend Sandra Post, the first Canadian to play on the LPGA, as well as close family friends from Midland, Texas. Her brother, sadly, had some travel woes. Rankin was on her own when she first arrived in St. Andrews. "Here it was OK to be myself," she said. "It was a little coming home of sorts. I'm sure there are lot of people in the game and lot of people in television who feel that way, too." Rankin turned pro at the age of 17 and has said that if she hadn't gone to the LPGA, she wanted to attend the University of Missouri and study journalism. As it turns out, she didn't need a degree to become a broadcast legend. For her speech – Rankin said it wasn't meant to be a "forever talk" – she thought about it a little bit over time and wrote down a few things the day before. 'Find joy in small things; as you age, they will stack up and it'll become a whole library of the small things that made you smile," she told the graduates. "And when you think back on them, they'll make you smile again. "Be grateful. Find contentment, and you will have a good life.'
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
KPMG Women's PGA raises purse to $12 million, adds Featured Groups to broadcast lineup
The 11th edition of the KPMG Women's PGA will feature more bells and whistles than ever before, not to mention more money. On Tuesday, tournament officials announced a purse increase to $12 million, matching the U.S. Women's Open for the highest prize fund on tour. For perspective, just four years ago the purse was $4.5 million. The 156-player field, which features the top 100 players in the Race to CME Globe rankings, will take on the Fields Ranch East course June 19-22 at PGA Frisco. It marks the second major championship for the young course, which opened in May 2023. Steve Stricker won the PGA Senior in a playoff against Padraig Harrington two years ago. Advertisement In addition to the strong purse and field, the championship's broadcast coverage will include nearly 100 hours of live, streaming and ancillary coverage across NBC, Golf Channel and Peacock. And, for the first time, Featured Groups presented by KPMG and T-Mobile for Business, will be available on Peacock. LPGA Hall of Famer Judy Rankin and Grant Boone will be in the booth for Featured Groups coverage. For several years ago, KPMG has been the driving force behind the LPGA's enhanced stats offerings with the season-long KPMG Performance Insights. Once again, the championship will offer KPMG Champcast, which uses the same ShotLink Pro technology from the PGA Tour along with new AI-enhanced features. This year, players will receive a KPMG Performance Insights Daily Recap that includes hole-by-hole AI-powered analysis and AI-generated scoring targets of where the cut might fall and the winning score. 'KPMG's commitment to excellence extends to women's golf, and through our collaboration with the PGA of America and LPGA Tour, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship is the best event on the LPGA Tour,' Paul Knopp, KPMG U.S. Chair and CEO said in a statement. Advertisement 'The high purse, top courses, comprehensive broadcast coverage, and technology are all ways we are setting the standard. Technology is changing business and sports and, similar to the AI enablement we deliver for our clients, we're equipping LPGA players with new AI capabilities through KPMG Performance Insights, enabling them to take their game to new heights.' This article originally appeared on Golfweek: KPMG Women's PGA raises purse to $12 million, adds Featured Groups
