University of Richmond Athletics
LaRee Sugg Named to 2026 Chesterfield Sports Hall of Fame Class
12/19/2025 | General, Women's Golf
Chesterfield, Va.— University of Richmond Deputy Athletics Director LaRee Sugg, will join the Chesterfield Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2026, an honor Chesterfield County announced in recognition of her decades-long impact as a golfer, coach, and athletics administrator.
A Petersburg, Va., native and graduate of Matoaca High School, Sugg was introduced to golf at a young age and developed into one of the region's most accomplished junior players. She earned Golf Magazine Junior All-American honors four times and won more than 30 junior tournaments, including the North and South Junior and Ohio State Junior Championships. At age 16, she qualified as an amateur to compete in an LPGA Tour event held in Portsmouth, Va.
Sugg continued her golf career at UCLA, where she competed from 1987-1991. During her senior season, she helped lead UCLA to the 1991 PAC-10 Championship and the 1991 NCAA Women's Golf Championship, clinching the national title with a winning birdie in a sudden-death playoff. That year, she earned All-American and All-PAC-10 honors and represented the United States at the Shiseido Cup International Team Championships. She also recorded third-place finishes at both the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship and the U.S. Women's Public Links Championship.
After graduating from UCLA with a degree in English in 1991, Sugg turned professional and competed on multiple tours worldwide. She played on the LPGA Tour during the 1995–96 and 2000–01 seasons, becoming the third African American woman to compete on the tour. Her professional career also included competition on the Women's Professional Golfers European Tour, the Futures Ladies Golf Tour, and professional tours in Asia. She qualified for six U.S. Women's Opens and four Women's British Opens. Her best LPGA Tour finish came in 2000 with an eighth-place result at the Wegmans Rochester International LPGA Golf Classic. In 1998, she won the Aurora Health Futures Classic in a sudden-death playoff.
In 2001, Sugg returned to Virginia to become the first head coach of the University of Richmond women's golf program. One year later, she was named CAA Coach of the Year. In 2005, she transitioned into athletics administration at Richmond, serving in senior leadership roles. She was promoted to Deputy Director of Athletics in 2019 and currently serves as Deputy Athletics Director for Policy and Sports Management, Senior Woman Administrator, and Chief of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
In recognition of her accomplishments in golf and higher education, Sugg was inducted into the National Black Golf Hall of Fame in September 2023.
The Chesterfield Sports Hall of Fame honors athletes, coaches, and contributors whose achievements have shaped the county's sports history. The Class of 2026 will be inducted at the Chesterfield Sports Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday, April 17, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at the Stonebridge Recreation Center. The banquet is presented by Virginia Credit Union. Tickets and additional information are available at www.chesterfieldsportshof.com.
