Jane Geddes (born February 5, 1960) is a retired American professional golfer. She joined the LPGA Tour in 1983 and won two major championships and 11 LPGA Tour events overall. Geddes was the Vice President of Talent Relations of WWE.[1]
| Jane Geddes | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 5, 1960 Huntington, New York, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Residence | Connecticut, U.S. |
| Partner | Gigi Fernández |
| Children | 2 |
| Career | |
| College | Florida State University |
| Turned professional | 1983 |
| Former tour(s) | LPGA Tour (1983–2003) |
| Professional wins | 15 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| LPGA Tour | 11 |
| Ladies European Tour | 1 |
| LPGA of Japan Tour | 1 |
| ALPG Tour | 2 |
| Best results in LPGA major championships (wins: 2) | |
| Chevron Championship | T5: 1986 |
| Women's PGA C'ship | Won: 1987 |
| U.S. Women's Open | Won: 1986 |
| du Maurier Classic | 2nd: 1985 |
| Women's British Open | T18: 2002 |
Career
editGeddes was born in Huntington, New York. She played college golf at Florida State University and was a member of the school's national championship team in 1981. She joined the LPGA Tour in 1983, posting runner-up finishes three times from 1984 to 1985.
Geddes broke through for her first professional victory when she won the 1986 U.S. Women's Open by defeating Sally Little in an 18-hole playoff. Then she won again the very next week. The year 1987 was her best, as she posted five victories, including the Mazda LPGA Championship, and four second-place finishes, finishing third on the money list. In all, seven of Geddes' 11 career wins came from 1986 to 1987.
Geddes won twice in 1991 and her last win was at the 1994 Chicago Challenge. Geddes finished in the Top 20 on the money list nine times, and posted 14 Top 10 finishes in majors in addition to her two major championship wins. In 2000, she was recognized during the LPGA's 50th Anniversary in 2000 as one of the LPGA's top-50 players and teachers. She retired from the LPGA Tour following the 2003 season.
Geddes co-founded an Internet e-commerce company named Planesia, which she sold in 2001. She received a degree in criminology from the University of South Florida in 2003, and later received a law degree from Stetson University College of Law in Florida. She also served as assistant captain of the U.S. Solheim Cup team in 2002 and 2003. In January 2007, she joined the LPGA Tour as Senior Director of Tournament Business Affairs. She was later promoted to Vice-President of Competition. In 2009, she was promoted again to Senior Vice President of Tournament Operations and Players Services.
In September 2011, Geddes left the LPGA to become VP of Talent Relations for World Wrestling Entertainment.[2] On March 4, 2015, it was reported that Geddes had parted ways with the WWE.
In April 2017, Geddes was named CEO of Executive Women's Golf Association (EWGA), a Florida not-for-profit corporation whose mission is to connect women to learn, play and enjoy golf for business and for fun. The EWGA was acquired by the LPGA and she became the Executive Director of the LPGA Amateur Golf Association.
From 2016 to 2019 she served as the Executive Director of the International Association of Golf Administrators.
In 2019 she left both positions in the LPGA Amateur Golf Association and International Association of Golf Administrators.[3]
Personal life
editShe currently resides near Stamford, Connecticut, with her partner, former professional tennis player Gigi Fernández, and their twins, Karson Xavier and Madison Jane.[4][5]
Professional wins (15)
editLPGA Tour (11)
edit| Legend |
|---|
| LPGA Tour major championships (2) |
| Other LPGA Tour (9) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 14, 1986 | U.S. Women's Open | −1 (74-74-70-69=287) | Playoff |  Sally Little
|
| 2 | Jul 20, 1986 | Boston Five Classic | −7 (71-70-72-68=281) | 1 stroke | Deb Richard
|
| 3 | Mar 1, 1987 | Women's Kemper Open | −12 (67-70-69-70=276) | Playoff | Cathy Gerring
|
| 4 | Mar 8, 1987 | GNA/Glendale Federal Classic | −2 (74-74-71-67=286) | Playoff | Robin Walton
|
| 5 | May 24, 1987 | Mazda LPGA Championship | −13 (72-68-68-67=275) | 1 stroke | Betsy King
|
| 6 | Jul 5, 1987 | Jamie Farr Toledo Classic | −8 (71-73-69-67=280) | 2 strokes | Jill Briles-Hinton Nancy Taylor
|
| 7 | Jul 19, 1987 | Boston Five Classic | −11 (73-70-67-67=277) | 1 stroke | Jody Rosenthal Donna White
|
| 8 | Jan 20, 1991 | The Jamaica Classic | −6 (71-72-64=207) | 3 strokes | Patty Sheehan
|
| 9 | Jun 9, 1991 | Atlantic City Classic | −8 (71-68-69=208) | 1 stroke | Amy Alcott Cindy Schreyer
|
| 10 | Jun 6, 1993 | Oldsmobile Classic | −11 (72-68-68-69=277) | 1 stroke | Tammie Green Trish Johnson Alice Ritzman
|
| 11 | Aug 21, 1994 | Chicago Challenge | −16 (68-69-68-67=272) | 3 strokes | Dale Eggeling Robin Walton
|
LPGA Tour playoff record (3–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1986 | U.S. Women's Open | Sally Little
|
Won 18-hole playoff (Geddes:71, Little:73) |
| 2 | 1987 | Women's Kemper Open | Cathy Gerring
|
Won with bogey on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1987 | GNA/Glendale Federal Classic | Robin Walton
|
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 4 | 1991 | The Phar-Mor in Youngstown | Deb Richard
|
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 5 | 1996 | HealthSouth Inaugural | Martha Nause Karrie Webb
|
Webb won with par on fourth extra hole Nause eliminated by par on first hole |
Ladies European Tour (1)
editLPGA of Japan Tour (1)
edit- 1987 Treasure Invitational
ALPG Tour (2)
editMajor championships
editWins (2)
edit| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | U.S. Women's Open | −1 (74-74-70-69=287) | Playoff 1 | Sally Little
|
| 1987 | Mazda LPGA Championship | −13 (72-68-68-67=275) | 1 stroke | Betsy King
|
1 In an 18-hole playoff, Geddes 71, Little 73.
Team appearances
editProfessional
- Solheim Cup (representing the United States): 1996 (winners)
- Handa Cup (representing the United States): 2006 (winners)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Wertheim, L. Jon (July 8, 2013). "Jane Geddes". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
- ^ Manahan, Theresa (September 28, 2011). "LPGA's Jane Geddes Leaving The Tour For Role With WWE". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ LinkedIn Profile
- ^ Crouse, Karen (August 29, 2010). "A Dream Deferred, Almost Too Long". The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ Best, Best (March 24, 2013). "Ex-LPGA golfer Jane Geddes now working for WWE". Newsday. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
External links
edit- Jane Geddes at the LPGA Tour official site
- Jane Geddes at the Legends Tour official site (also at former site)
- Jane Geddes at golf.about.com at the Wayback Machine (archived 2008-02-17)