2023 LPGA Pros Bios

Golf Fore Catholic Schools

Karen Noble

  • Has been the Director of Golf Instruction at Fairmount CC in Chatham, NJ since 2010.
  • Recently inducted into the NJSGA Hall of Fame for her accomplishments as one of the best amateur golfers from the state of NJ.
  • Member of the LPGA Teaching and Coaching Division.
  • Formerly the Teaching Professional at Sunningdale Country Club, Scarsdale NY for 6 years, 2001-2006 working with Top 100 Instructor Michael Breed.
  • Formerly the Teaching Professional at Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Bernardsville, NJ for 2 years with Top 100 Instructor Mike Adams.
  • Competed on the LPGA tour for 8 years, 1992-1999 with best finish being a tie for 2 nd in the LPGA Championship.
  • Three time winner of the NJ State Women’s Amateur Championship.
  • Runner up in 1988 USGA Women’s Amateur.
  • Represented the United States in 2 International competitions – the USGA Curtis Cup and World Amateur team winning both team events.
  • Competed in 8 USGA Women’s Opens.
  • Graduated from Wake Forest University and was named Team MVP and Most Outstanding Female Athlete in 1989. Since has been named one of the Top 50 Female Golfers from the ACC Conference.

 

Sinead Sexton

  • Former Irish Women’s and Girls International
  • Honoray Life Member of Lahinch Golf Club, Ireland
  • MSc Sport Management, University of Stirling, Scotland
  • BBS Business and Management, Maynooth University, Ireland

 

Leta Lindley

18 years LPGA Tour Member
Current Legends of the LPGA Tour Member
Winner 2008 LPGA Corning Classic
33 Career LPGA Top 10’s
Runner-Up 2022 US Senior Women’s Open

Laurie Rinker

Laurie is from Stuart, Florida. She won 2 times on the LPGA Tour. She has won 4 times on the LPGA Legends Tour. Her brothers Larry Rinker and Lee Rinker played the PGA Tour. She is married with two sons.

Monique Thoresz

Monique is the PGA Director of Instruction at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, NY. Prior to joining Quaker Ridge, Monique was the Director of Instruction at The Apawamis Club for twelve seasons and was a Senior Teaching Professional at Westchester Country Club for eight years prior to that. Monique has been honored four times as a US Kids Top 50 Instructor and was named a 2021 and 2022 GRAA Top 100 growth of the Game Teaching Professional. In 2017, she received the Metropolitan PGA’s Player Development Award. Monique is also the co-founder of the annual Girls to the Tee program, a free clinic for junior girls from the metropolitan New York region that is now in its 15th season.

Val Skinner

  • 20-year member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour
  •  Six-time winner on the LPGA Tour, 10 wins worldwide
  •  Member of three Golf Halls of Fame
  • Member of the 1996 U.S. Solheim Cup Team
  • Served as Captain of the 2003 United States PING Junior Solheim Cup Team
  • Ranked in the top 15 in the world 7 of 20 seasons while on the LPGA Tour
  • Served as a Golf Analyst for CBS Sports and the Golf Channel for 13 years
  • Named Big Eight Female Athlete of Year (1980 and 1982) and GOLF
  • Magazine’s Collegiate Player of the Year (1982) and led nation in scoring
    while attending Oklahoma State University
  • 3-Time Collegiate All-American

 

CJ Reeves

  • 2018-2023 Top 50 LPGA Teacher
  • 2019-2021 Metropolitan PGA Senior Player of the year
  • Recipient of Metropolitan PGA Teacher of Year (first female)
  • US Senior Women’s Open Qualifier 2018,2019,2022

 

Kim Williams

Kim Williams is an LPGA professional with over 20 years on tour. She competed as a full-time professional LPGA tour player from 1987 to 2012. Her professional career includes numerous top 10 finishes. As time permits, she continues to play in tournaments including the Senior LPGA Championship, the USGA Senior Women’s Open, the Tennessee Women’s Open, and select LPGA tournaments.

Jordan Lintz

Lintz competes in 3-5 professional tournaments each year. Currently, a member of the Legends Tour, Lintz competed in her first LPGA Senior Women’s Championship and finished T26th. Additionally, this year, Jordan had a T3rd place finish in the 2022 LPGA Team Championships, 4th Place CT Women’s Open and T15 in the LPGA Professionals National Championships at Kingsmill Resort. Her most recent LPGA Major was in 2020, qualifying for the KPMG PGA Women’s Championships by finishing T2nd in the 2019 LPGA Professionals National Championships.

 

Anne Marie Palli

  • 2 Wins on the LPGA Tour

Anne Marie Palli credits her father, Ed Oldfield and Jesus Arruti from Spain as the individuals most influencing her career…Recipient of the French Academy of Sport Gold Medal…Her father, Jean, was a French basketball star and her grandfather was a French rowing champion…Enjoys racquetball, reading, aerobic dancing, horseback riding and music. Palli captured 28 amateur titles. She was the European champion twice, French champion six times and Spanish Junior champion five times. She also won the Dutch, Spanish and Moroccan Amateurs twice each. She captured the French Junior title three times and the British Girls title once. She is the first European player to have won on the LPGA in 1983 The Samaritain Turquoise Classic.

 

Martha Wells

Martha Wells is a Penn State graduate with a degree in Biology and she played four years on the PSU Women’s Golf Team. The native of Homer, NY has been a Class A PGA of America member for 25 years. She has held Assistant and Head Professional positions at the Phoenician, Desert Forest GC, Phoenix Country Club, Medicine Hat Golf and CC (Alberta, Canada), Radisson Golf Club, the Country Club of Ithaca, Cortland Country Club, and most recently Skaneateles Country Club, where she is in her fifth season as the Head Golf Professional. She is serving her second term on the National PGA Player Development Adult Committee, and has been Chairwoman of the CNYPGA Player Development Committee for 6 years and a Board member for 10+ years. Martha has been awarded honors by the CNYPGA, including Golf Professional of the Year, Merchandiser of the Year (4 times) and the Player Development Award (2 times).

WENDY FERRARA

LPGA CLASS A TEACHING PROFESSIONAL

Since the age of 7, Wendy has enjoyed competitive amateur golf at local and state levels. She pursued collegiate golf while earning her BS with honors in Physical Therapy from Ithaca College in 1989. She has specialized in Sports and Orthopedic rehabilition for the past 20 years with concentration in golf biomechanics and performance programs. Wendy is an active member of the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Division and has attended & instructed golf enhancement programs nationally. Her combination of therapeutic skills and teaching expertise is invaluable to golfers of all ages and abiltiy levels. *Certified FlexorSwing Instructor *Certified Titleist Performance Provider *Certified SpiderTech Taping Practitioner

Jackie Gallagher-Smith

Born Marion, IN
reside: Jupiter, Fl
Played LPGA 17 years
Winner of 1999 Giant Eagle Classic
2022 Inducted into Indiana Golf Hall of Fame
14 Hole in ones
Winner 2022 Florida SR Women’s Open
1994 National Golf Foundation Golf Family of Year
College golf at LSU 3 time winner.

Lee Ann Walker

Walker started playing golf at the age of 13 and won the North Carolina State Amateur Champion in 1993 and  was Co Champion in 1994. She turned professional in 1995, and her rookie year on the LPGA was 2000. She won the Florida Hospital Futures Golf Classic in 2003. My parents and my golf instructor, Ted Kiegiel have been the most influential people in my golf career. I am now a realtor and residential contractor in Southport, NC.

Lizzy Blomgren

Lizzy Blomgren is the Program Director of New York City & Westchester County for First Tee of Metropolitan New York. With an unwavering commitment spanning over 8 years, she is working to redefine the golfing landscape in the New York City area. Lizzy is a Class A member of the PGA of America and a Certified US Kids Coach. Her coaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that education is the cornerstone of improvement. She is constantly seeking out new knowledge to empower her students to elevate their game. Lizzy’s passion truly shines when working with a diverse range of individuals, from juniors and adults taking their first swing to seasoned players striving for mastery. Beyond technical skills, Lizzy fosters an environment of camaraderie and personal growth.

Moira Dunn

3 time NYS women’s amateur champFlorida International University 1990-1994Joined tour 1994 on first attempt2004 Giant Eagle LPGA Championship winnerActive on LPGA 20+ years

Denise Killeen

Married John Killeen on Feb. 3, 1996…John caddies on the LPGA Tour…Maiden name is Baldwin…Competed as Denise Baldwin from 1992-95…Gave birth to son Andrew Patrick (Drew) in 1998…Gave birth to daughter Kaleigh in 2000. Competed on the LPGA tour from 1992-2005. In 2005, named head coach of the women’s golf team at Kennesaw (Ga.) State University. Currently playing LPGA Legends tour and teaching golf at BridgeMill Athletic club. Won the 2022 SC Womens Open and competed in the 2022 LPGA Senior Championship both the 2022 and 2023 US Senior Open.

Tish Certo

Tish is a native of Niagara Falls, NY and grew up playing in Western New York. She graduated from Arizona State University, having ‘Walked onto” the top rated women’s golf team, earning a partial golf scholarship. Tish played on the LPGA tour from 1996-2001 having already earned her Class A PGA membership. This is her 29th year of membership. Tish was the 2010 Female Player of the Year for the Metropolitan Section of the PGA while working at the former Willow Ridge CC in Harrison NY as the Director of Instruction. She has also been part of the professional staff at Ardsley CC in Dobbs Ferry. Currently she is the lead instructor at the Island Country Club on Marco Island, FL.

 

Jane Sirmons

Former Member of the LPGA Tour. Winner of the 2019 Women’s Senior Met Open and the 2021 Met PGA Women’s Senior Championship. Currently Director of Instruction at Cold Spring Country Club on Long Island.  Winter home on the west coast of Florida at The Longboat Key Golf Resort.

 

Michelle Dobek

Chicopee, Massachusetts.
Florida International University.
Division 1 Golf.
LPGA Tour, Class A member.
LPGA Teaching Professional at Fairview CC, Greenwich, CT

 

Michelle MurphyLPGA Tour member 1998, 2000 and 20012X winner on Epson TourPlayed in 10 USGA Women’s Opens2023 USGA Senior Women’s Open competitor2023 NJ Women’s Open senior champion2023 CNY PGA pro junior champion-65Former Hamilton College assistant men’s and women’s golf coachGlass artist focused on borosilicate glass and cold working

Jean Bartholomew

Jean Bartholomew grew up in Garden City, New York, and graduated from Duke University, where she finished second in the NCAA Championship. After playing on the European, Japan LPGA and Asian Tours, she played on the LPGA tour regularly from 1996 through 2009, winning over $900,000 and recording ten top-ten finishes. Jean has been teaching since 2009, having worked at The Creek in Locust Valley, NY, Fountains Country Club in Lake Worth, FL, and PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. She is currently teaching at Engineers CC. Jean competes on the LPGA Legends Tour, in the LPGA Teaching Division events and in the occasional LPGA tour event. She has qualified for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship every year since 2009 and has played in all the U.S. Senior Women’s Opens.

Jean was the winner at the2018 and 2020 Women’s Met Open as well as in 2009. Jean has won the LPGA National Teaching & Club Professional Championship four times, in 2009, 2012, 2013
and 2014. She set the course record (62) at Kingsmill in the last round of that event in 2009. She was the longest driver on the LPGA tour in 1998 and was among the longest drivers in almost
every year she competed. Newsday selected her one of the “Elite 33” Long Island athletes of all time, and she was one of the first group of inductees to the Nassau County High School Athletics Hall of Fame.

Kelly Lagedrost

Kelly Lagedrost is the Head Golf Professional/Director of Golf at Brooksville Country Club. She began her golf career at the age of 8 at BCC. She attained the title of Florida High School State Champion while attending Hernando High School and was named Female Student Athlete of the Year while at USF. Kelly served one year as USF’s Women’s Head Golf Coach. She was a member of the LPGA and Futures Tour for 10 years. Kelly is a current LPGA Class A Teaching Professional.

Clarissa Childs

Clarissa’s professional golf career began after graduating from the University of South Carolina where she served as the assistant women’s golf team coach. She competed at the highest level in the sport as a full-time tour player for 12 years before returning to collegiate coaching at Newberry College, where her teams went on to win two conference championships in record fashion. In 2017, Clarissa accepted the position as Executive Director of the Women’s South Carolina Golf Association which is recognized throughout the United States as one of the premiere organizations in women’s golf. Founded in 1949, the WSCGA has grown to over 275 member clubs with more than 14,000 women golfers who play as amateurs receiving GHIN handicaps. In her Executive Director role, Clarissa dedicates her passion for the sport by upholding the traditions, policies and ethical values for which the game of golf is known. A Certified USGA Rules Official, Clarissa also serves as a Member of the Carolinas Golf Council. As a true visionary, Clarissa demonstrates her entrepreneurial skills by facilitating and directing the efforts of a select group of talented individuals to achieve success. She is renowned for growing and enhancing women’s golf in South Carolina and beyond. A life-long resident of South Carolina, Clarissa enjoys hunting, fishing, boating and dedicating her time as a dog rescue volunteer.

Wendy Modic, PGA Member