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Ladies of the Links Featured Player: Angela Stanford

Dec 13th 2020

Angela Stanford was born in Fort Worth, Texas on November 27, 1977. She began playing golf at the age of 10 and won the first of four straight Forth Worth Girls Championships in 1993. In 1996, she claimed the Texas State 4A High School Championship and the PING Texas State Junior Championship. Stanford credits her father for her early success and as one of the most influential people in her career.

After graduating from high school, Stanford enrolled at Texas Christian University and played collegiately under Angie Larkin, who she also credits as being highly influential in her career. Stanford dominated at the collegiate level, winning nine times. She was named Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year in 1997 and Player of the Year in 1999. In addition, Stanford was All-American and All WAC four times. Stanford capped off her collegiate career with the WAC Championship in 2000.

Closing out her amateur career, Stanford reached the semifinals in the British Amateur Championship and was a member of the 2000 Curtis Cup Team. Following the 2000 U.S. Women’s Amateur, Stanford turned professional, teeing it up on the Futures Tour. Taking little time to make an impact, Stanford won the last event on the tour in 2000 and earned exempt status on the LPGA Tour after placing 4th at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament.

Stanford’s first two seasons on the LPGA Tour were a bit uneventful. Her best finish as a rookie in 2001 was a tie for 15that the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic. She came close to the winner’s circle in 2002, finishing second at the First Union Betsy King Classic.

Stanford came into her own the following season, winning her first title at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, leading all four rounds. A week later, Stanford nearly became a back-to-back winner, earning a spot in a playoff at the U.S. Women’s Open with a long putt on the last hole, but lost to HilaryLunke. She capped off a great third season with a spot on the U.S. Solheim Cup Team.

In 2004, Stanford reached a milestone of $1 million in career earnings and the Michelob ULTRA Open. Although she didn’t record a win for the season, Stanford finished tied for fourth at the McDonald's LPGA Championship and a fifth-place finish at the Kellogg-Keebler Classic. She came up just short of another victory in 2005, finishing tied for third at the Canadian Women’s Open.

Stanford again excelled at the Canadian Women’s Open in 2006, finishing a season’s best second place. She also finished tied for second at the Franklin American Mortgage Championship. The following season, Stanford surpassed the $2 million in career earnings but her second LPGA Tour win still eluded her, finishing a season-best third at the MasterCard Classic and the SemGroup Championship.

The 2008 season was special for Stanford, winning at both the Bell Micro LPGA Classic and the Lorena Ochoa Invitational. She also surpassed $1 million for the season, good enough for ninth on the money list. In addition, Stanford surpassed $3 million in career earnings and had 10 top-ten finishes and was a member of the LPGA Player Executive Committee.

Stanford continued her excellent play to begin the 2009 season, winning the SBS Open at Turtle Bay. In doing so, she surpassed $4 million in career earnings. In addition to her win, Stanford finished second twice and earned over $1 million for her second consecutive season. She posted a 1-2-1 record for the winning U.S. Solheim Cup Team.

In 2010, Stanford didn’t earn a victory, but had several top-ten finishes, including runner-up at the Sybase Match Play Championship, seventh at the Loren Ochoa Invitational, and eighth at the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Using her length to her advantage, Stanford led the LPGA Tour in eagles for the second straight season with 13.

Although once again out of the winner’s circle in 2011, Stanford remained remarkably consistent, recording nine top-ten finishes and seven top-five finishes. She was a member of the Solheim Cup Team for the fourth time, but failed to earn a point in three matches. Stanford earned her fifth LPGA Tour victory in 2012 at the HSBC Women’s Champions. In addition, she won the inaugural Kia Community Assist Award which recognizes excellent contributions to charity.

Consistency being the trademark of her career, Stanford finished 12th on the money list in 2103 and 19th in 2014, making 40 of 49 cuts, including 12 top-ten finishes and nine top-five finishes. She reached the $8 million mark in career earnings in 2013 and participated in her fifth Solheim Cup Team. Although Stanford dropped to 34th on the money list in 2015, she made 23 cuts in 27 events, finished tied for second at the Toto Japan Classic and earned a spot on her sixth Solheim Cup Team.

Approaching the age of 40, Stanford still showed she had plenty left in the tank. In 2016, she recorded four top-ten finishes including a season-best tied for second at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational. Stanford ended the season with just under $500,000 in earnings and nearly $10 million for her career. In 2017, Stanford had three top-ten finishes with a season-best third at the Kingsmill Championship. For the season, she made 23 cuts in 29 events and finished 52nd on the money list.

The long wait for a major championship came to an end for Stanford in 2018 during her 18th season, earning a one-shot win at The Evian Championship. Stanford put together one of her best seasons, earning over $950,000 and made 20 cuts in 25 tournaments.

Stanford struggled during the 2019 season, dropping to 102nd on the money list after missing ten cuts in 22 events. She entered the 2020 season 12th on the all-time money list with over $12 million. She rebounded this season with 12 cuts in 14 events, including a win at the Volunteers America Classic and two other top-ten finishes. The 43-year-old Stanford has 98 career top-ten finishes and momentum on her side entering the U.S. Women’s Open and the CME Group Tour Championship.