Alice Ritzman (born March 1, 1952) is an American professional golfer, 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 week ...
from 1978 to 1998.
Early career
Ritzman was born in
Kalispell, Montana
Kalispell (, Montana Salish: Ql̓ispé, Kutenai language: kqayaqawakⱡuʔnam) is a city in, and the county seat of, Flathead County, Montana, United States. The 2020 census put Kalispell's population at 24,558. In Montana's northwest region ...
, on March 1, 1952. She won the Montana Junior Championship three times. She also won the Montana State Women's Amateur Championship in 1972 and 1973. She was inducted in the Montana State Women's Golf Association's Hall of Fame in 1991. She attended college at
Eastern Montana College
Montana State University Billings (or MSU Billings) is a public university in Billings, Montana. It is the state's third largest university. Its campus is located on 110 acres in downtown Billings. Formerly Eastern Montana Normal School at its ...
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 ...
.
Ritzman was coached by
Harvey Penick
Harvey Morrison Penick (October 23, 1904 – April 2, 1995) was an American professional golfer and coach, who coached many Hall of Fame players. Late in life, he became a best-selling writer. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in ...
in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, where he worked as the golf coach at the
University of Texas
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
. Penick wrote a book on golf in which he refers to Ritzman as "little Alice Ritzman".
Some notable results:
* She has five career holes-in-one.
* Her best results were three playoff losses she suffered: to
Kathy Whitworth
Kathrynne Ann Whitworth (September 27, 1939 – December 24, 2022) was an American professional golfer. During her playing career she won 88 LPGA Tour tournaments, more than anyone else on the LPGA or PGA Tours. Whitworth was also a runner-up ...
at the 1981
Coca-Cola Classic
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
, to
Hollis Stacy
Hollis Stacy (born March 16, 1954) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1974, winning four major championships and 18 LPGA Tour events. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in the veterans cate ...
Betsy King
:''Betsy King was also a childhood name for Lizzie Lloyd King.''
Betsy King (born August 13, 1955) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1977 and won six major championships and 34 LPGA Tour victories in a ...
at the 1986 Rail Charity Classic.
* During her first full year on Tour in 1979, Ritzman established an LPGA all-time record, which still stands, by carding three eagles in one round at the 1979
Colgate European Open
The Colgate European Open was a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1974 to 1979.Rochester International.
* She played in 401 LPGA events.
* Crossed the $1 million mark in career earnings in 1992.
* When she retired in 1998, she had the highest ranking on the career money list (43) as a non-winner with $1,490,016.
Later career
Ritzman retired from professional golf in 1998 to become a golf commentator for
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
. She stills plays golf on the
Legends Tour
The Legends of the LPGA, formerly known as the Women's Senior Golf Tour (2000–2005) and the Legends Tour (2006–2021), is a professional golf tour for women aged 45 and older. It is based in the United States and is the official senior tour of t ...
Ritzman is a real estate agent in Kalispell, Montana. She teaches golf to the boys and girls at
Flathead High School
Flathead High School is an American public secondary school located in Kalispell, Montana. It is one of two high schools in District #5 of the Kalispell Public Schools.
History
Flathead High school was founded in the late 1890s. Its original ...
. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of School District 5 of the Kalispell Public Schools. She has a tournament named after her at
Buffalo Hill Golf Club
Buffalo Hill Golf Club is a public 27-hole parkland golf course located in Kalispell, Flathead County, Montana. The course was founded in 1918. Prior to becoming a golf course the land was owned by the affluent Conrad family† and used as a bu ...