Patrice M. "Patti" Rizzo (born June 19, 1960) is an American professional golfer and golf instructor.

Amateur career

Rizzo was born in Hollywood, Florida. A collegiate All-American at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

, among her significant victories as an amateur were the Eastern Women's Amateur and Mexican Amateur in 1980, a year when she was also runner-up to

Juli Inkster Juli Inkster (born Juli Simpson; June 24, 1960) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. With a professional career spanning 29 years to date, Inkster's 31 wins rank her second in wins among all active players on the LPGA ...

at the U.S. Women's Amateur and individual winner when the U.S. team won the 1980

Espirito Santo Trophy The Espirito Santo Trophy (World Women's Amateur Team Championships) is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for women organised by the International Golf Federation. The inaugural event was held in 1964. It was instituted by the Fre ...

. Her performance in the 1980 season resulted in '' Golf Digest'' ranking her the No.1 female amateur in the U.S. The following year her wins included the North and South Women's Amateur at Pinehurst and she earned medalist honors at the 1981 U.S. Women's Amateur. ''

Golf Magazine ''Golf Magazine'' is a monthly golf magazine. It was started in April 1959 by Universal Publishing and Distributing, who sold it to Times Mirror in 1972. Time Inc. acquired it in 2000. It was acquired by Howard Milstein in 2018. It was the world ...

'' ranked her the No. 1 collegiate player for 1981.

Professional career

In 1982, Rizzo joined 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 week ...

where she earned Rookie of the Year honors. She played on the Tour regularly for 10 years during which time she won four tournaments. Growing disenchanted with pro golf, Rizzo quit the LPGA in 1991. After not playing any golf at all for several months, Rizzo accepted an invitation to play in a

LPGA of Japan Tour The LPGA of Japan Tour is a professional golf tour for women organised by the Japan Ladies Professional Golfers' Association. It is the second richest women's golf tour in the world. The U.S.-based LPGA Tour is the most important women's tour, but ...

event. Rizzo won it and soon afterwards accepted a one-year exemption to play the LPGA of Japan Tour.Golfer Gives Career On Lpga A 2nd Shot
/ref> Rizzo won three tournaments in Japan in 1992, bringing her total victories there to nine. Rizzo was the head coach of the

Barry University Barry University is a private Catholic university in Miami Shores, Florida. Founded in 1940 by the Adrian Dominican Sisters, it is one of the largest Catholic universities in the Southeast and is within the territory of the Archdiocese of Mia ...

women's golf program from 2004 until 2010 when she became coach at the

Amateur wins

*1980 Trans-National, Eastern Amateur, Mexican Amateur,

(individual winner) *1981 North and South Women's Amateur, South Atlantic Harder Hall Invitational

Professional wins

LPGA Tour (4)

LPGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

LPGA of Japan Tour (9)

*1985 (1) Daio Paper Elleair Ladies Open *1986 (1) Takara Invitational *1988 (2) Takara Invitational, Daio Paper Elleair Ladies Open *1989 (1)

Daikin Orchid Ladies Golf Tournament The Daikin Orchid Ladies Golf Tournament is an annual event on the LPGA of Japan Tour. It was first held in March 1988 at the Ryukyu GC in Okinawa Prefecture. The prize money in 2021 was ¥120,000,000 with ¥21,600,000 going to the winner. Winn ...

*1991 (1)

Yukijirushi Ladies Tokai Classic The Sumitomo Life Vitality Ladies Tokai Classic is an annual event on the LPGA of Japan Tour. It is usually played in September and in recent years at the Shin Minami Aichi Country Club Mihama Course, Mihama, Aichi. It was founded in 1970. The pu ...

*1992 (3) Nasu Ogawa Ladies Pro Golf Tournament, Takara World Invitational,

Fujitsu Ladies The Fujitsu Ladies is an annual golf tournament for professional female golfers on LPGA of Japan Tour. It is generally played in October and in recent years at the Tokyu Seven Hundred Club, Chiba, Chiba. It was founded in 1983. Winners *2022 ...

Other (2)

*1985 (1) Sun City International *1989 (1) Mazda Champions (with Mike Hill)

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur *

: 1980 (winners)

References

External links

*
Patti Rizzo profile – Barry University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rizzo, Patti American female golfers Miami Hurricanes women's golfers LPGA Tour golfers College golf coaches in the United States Golfers from Florida Sportspeople from Hollywood, Florida 1960 births Living people