A HALL OF FAME GOLFER, Judy Rankin began her broadcast career in 1984, a rare female walking the fairways with and reporting on PGA Tour professionals.
“I was quite sure I was going to be a miserable failure,” Rankin told Golf Digest.
That was 24 years ago, and Judy is still walking those fairways, a bright spot in any golf telecast. She is knowledgeable and understated, old school you might say.
Rankin’s good instincts as a player carry over to her commentary. Judy won’t ever over-commentate or call attention to herself in any way. She makes a few incisive comments and is then silent. TV is a visual medium, after all. They’re TV shows, not TV tells.
Rankin, a 26-time winner on the LPGA Tour, also knows how to talk to players. At the completion of the British Open, she handled the Greg Norman interview with her usual grace.
Rankin was raised by her father and is at ease in a male-dominated environment.
“I like being one of the guys,” Judy has said. “I like to be treated well, but not special.”
−The Armchair Golfer
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I think the players like Judy too. They always seem happy to talk to her.
I especially liked her interview with Greg Norman at the end of the final round. Very respectful – none of those annoying and insensitive questions that Jim Huber was asking on TNT.
CLASS. She exudes it.