Morgan Pressel


Morgan Pressel is an American professional golfer, currently playing on the LPGA Tour. In 2001, as a 12-year-old, she became the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women's Open. She was the 2005 American Junior Golf Association Player of the Year, and won the 2006 AJGA Nancy Lopez Award. She turned pro at age 17, and is the youngest-ever winner of a modern LPGA major championship, when at age 18 she won the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship and vaulted to a career-high fourth in the world rankings.

Childhood and family life

Born in Tampa, Florida, to Mike Pressel and Kathy Krickstein Pressel, she attended Banyan Creek Elementary School, Omni Middle School, and graduated in 2006 from the Saint Andrew's School in Boca Raton, a private school affiliated with the Episcopal Church. She has stated that her Jewish faith plays a large role in her life.
Following her mother's death from breast cancer in September 2003, 15-year-old Pressel moved in with her maternal grandparents, Evelyn Krickstein and Dr. Herb Krickstein at St. Andrews Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida. Dr. Krickstein, a retired physician and pathologist is also her coach, while her two younger siblings stayed with their father. Her grandparents are the parents of former top-10 tennis player Aaron Krickstein, Pressel's uncle and the Director of Tennis at St. Andrews Country Club.
Pressel's younger sister Madison played collegiate golf for the University of Texas and won on the Symetra Tour in 2014.
In January 2013, Pressel married Andy Bush, a senior vice president at Octagon Global Events. The two met at a pro-am event in 2007.

Amateur career

In 2001, as a 12-year-old, she became the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women's Open. This record stood until 2007, when Lexi Thompson beat the record by several months.
At the age of 17, she was one of three co-leaders starting the final round of the 2005 U.S. Women's Open at Cherry Hills in suburban Denver. Pressel was tied for first on the 18th fairway when Birdie Kim holed out from the bunker just ahead to secure a one-stroke lead. Pressel then needed a birdie to tie, but made a bogey on the 18th to lose by two strokes. Her second-place finish gave her a share of the low amateur honors with Brittany Lang. Pressel played in a total of seven LPGA events in 2005 and made the cut in all of them, with a scoring average of 70.96 in 28 rounds.
In 2005, Pressel won the North and South Women's Amateur at Pinehurst, and the most important amateur event, the U.S. Women's Amateur. Pressel also finished her amateur career as 2005 Girls Rolex Junior Player of the Year.
During her amateur career, she won 11 AJGA titles, including all five AJGA Invitationals: the "AJGA Slam".
Pressel finished sixth in the first stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament in September 2005 and advanced to the final stage in December. She turned professional in November, after appealing to the LPGA to become a member as a 17-year-old. LPGA rules state that members must be 18 years old. At the five-round Final Qualifying Tournament in Daytona Beach, she finished tied for sixth to earn her tour card for 2006. She played part-time on the tour until her high school graduation in May 2006.
Pressel earned her first victory in 2007 at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and became the youngest-ever winner of a modern LPGA major at, a record that would stand until Lydia Ko won the 2015 Evian Championship at the age of 18 years, 4 months and 20 days. On her flight home to Florida after her win, Pressel had her golf clubs stolen. The win moved her from 17th in the world rankings to fourth.
Pressel made her first hole-in-one as a professional golfer on July 15, 2007, at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio. It was a par 3 – hole 6 for the tournament. It was not enough to win, though; Se Ri Pak won the event for the fifth time.
Pressel qualified for the 2007, 2009 and 2011 Solheim Cup teams; earning a spot on the 2007 team in her second full-year on the LPGA Tour as a 19-year-old. Through 2011, she was undefeated in Solheim Cup singles play.
In the 2012 Sybase Match Play Championship, Pressel was in contention for her third LPGA Tour victory in the semi-finals when she was 2 up after 11 holes to opponent Azahara Muñoz. Pressel won the 12th hole but a slow play penalty resulted in the loss of the hole instead. She would lose the match and Muñoz went on to win the tournament.
On April 26, 2015, Pressel came in second at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in San Francisco. She and Lydia Ko finished at 8-under-par 280 with Ko making a birdie on the par-5 closing hole while Pressel missed a birdie effort to end the tournament. Ko won on the second playoff hole. Pressel's last victory was in 2008 at the Kapalua LPGA Classic.
She is represented by Wasserman Media Group and has endorsement deals with Callaway Golf, Polo Ralph Lauren, Royal Bank of Canada, and Audemars Piguet.

Professional wins (5)

LPGA Tour wins (2)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin
of victory		Runner-upWinner's
share
1Apr 1, 2007Kraft Nabisco Championship74-72-70-69=285−31 stroke Brittany Lincicome
Catriona Matthew
Suzann Pettersen		300,000
2Oct 19, 2008Kapalua LPGA Classic72-72-67-69=280−81 stroke Suzann Pettersen225,000

LPGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
12009Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Eunjung YiLost to birdie on first extra hole
22015Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic Lydia KoLost to birdie on second extra hole

LPGA of Japan Tour wins (1)

Wins (1)

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order before 2019.
^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013
LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
T = tied

Summary

* Includes matchplay and other events without a cut.

World ranking

Position in Women's World Golf Rankings at the end of each calendar year.
YearWorld
ranking		Source
200625
200712
200819
200923
201017
201116
201238
201347
201452
201524
201655
2017127
2018180
201953

Pressel's career-high in the world rankings is fourth, in the spring of 2007.

Team appearances

Amateur
Professional