Leslie Spalding (born February 22, 1969) is an American
professional golfer
A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...
and golf coach, who played on the
LPGA Tour
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekl ...
from 1995 to 2005.
Early career
Spalding was born in
Billings
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Met ...
,
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
. As a high school student, she was the 1986-87 Montana State Class AA High School champion. After being a runner up in 1987 and 1990, she went on to win the 1991 and 1992 Montana State Women's Amateur Championships. At the
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...
(where she studied telecommunications and film), she was the 1990 Neva McCall/Alabama Intercollegiate champion and the 1991 Women's Southern Intercollegiate (WSIC) champion.
Spalding turned professional in August 1992. In 1993-94, prior to joining the LPGA, she competed on the
Futures Tour
The Epson Tour, previously known as the LPGA Futures Tour, and known for sponsorship reasons between 2006 and 2010 as the Duramed Futures Tour and between 2012 and 2021 as the Symetra Tour, is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour ...
. In 1995, she competed on the Golf Coast Tour and qualified for the LPGA Tour by tying for 16th at the
LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament
In professional golf, the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S.-based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the ...
, to earn exempt status for the 1996 season.
Some notable LPGA Tour results:
* She has two career
holes-in-one.
* Her lowest score was a 64.
* Her best result was tied for third place at the
ShopRite LPGA Classic
The ShopRite LPGA Classic, known in full for sponsorship reasons as The ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, is a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour in Galloway, New Jersey, near Atlantic City. It took place annually from ...
in 2001.
Later career
Spalding retired from professional golf in 2005 to become an independent golf teacher, she was first contracted by the Peter Yegen Golf Club in Billings, Montana.
Current life
Spalding was head coach of the
Montana State University – Bozeman
Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 68 fields, and doctoral degrees in 35 field ...
Bobcat women's golf team from 2007 to 2011.
Montana State Bobcats profile
On August 1, 2011, it was announced that Spalding resigned from Montana State in order to accept a position at San Diego State University
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spalding, Leslie
American female golfers
Alabama Crimson Tide women's golfers
LPGA Tour golfers
College golf coaches in the United States
Golfers from Montana
Sportspeople from Billings, Montana
Sportspeople from Bozeman, Montana
1969 births
Living people