Gabi Ruffels played her first 18 holes with her dad’s clubs in December of 2014 after a career as a tennis phenom. By April, she was down to a five handicap. The Aussie native landed a scholarship to USC, her mother’s alma mater, won the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur and notched a pair of top-15 finishes in LPGA majors before turning pro in 2021.
Coming to the game so late means golf still feels fresh to Ruffels, who loves to play more than practice. All signs pointed to her being on the LPGA earlier than this, but on her way to play a practice round for 2022 LPGA Q-School, it dawned on Ruffels that she never signed up.
A paperwork error sent her back to the Epson Tour for the 2023 season, where she won three times and topped the money list. Ruffels handled the mistake with great grace and called it a big year of learning.
Ruffels relies heavily on her brother and pro golfer Ryan, often sending him questions about how to play certain shots or advice on course management. While mom caddied for her on the Epson Tour, she’s had veteran LPGA caddie John Killeen on the bag to start the 2024 season.
Here’s a look at the phenom through the years:
Gabriela Ruffels catching her ball from her caddie on the 7th hole during the quarterfinal round…Gabriela Ruffels during the semifinal round at the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Old Waverly Golf…Gabriela Ruffels during the semifinal round at the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Old Waverly Golf…Gabriela Ruffels with her caddie, Justin Silverstein, at the second hole during the final round at…Gabriela Ruffels plays her second shot at the second hole during the final round at the…Gabriela Ruffels plays her third shot at the 16th hole during the final round at the…Gabriela Ruffels and Albane Valenzuela during the final round at the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur at…Gabriela Ruffels, left, and Albane Valenzuela during the final round at the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur…Gabriela Ruffels plays her second shot at the 19th hole during the final round at the…Gabriela Ruffels watching her tee shot at the 17th hole during the quarterfinal round at the…Gabriela Ruffels holds the Robert Cox Trophy after winning the 2019 U.S. Women's Amateur at Old…Gabriela Ruffels is congratulated by her caddie after she sunk her putt to win the final…Gabriela Ruffels with her caddie, Blair Stockett, at the 35th tee during the final round at…Gabriela Ruffels watching her tee shot at the third hole during the first round of stroke…Gabriela Ruffels plays her tee shot at the sixth hole during the quarterfinal round at the…Gabriela Ruffels walking up to her ball on the fourth hole during the semifinal round at…Gabriela Ruffels plays her second shot at the 15th hole during the semifinal round at the…Rose Zhang watching her tee shot at the 18th as Gabriela Ruffels walks behind her during…Gabriela Ruffels plays her tee shot at the 23rd hole during the final round at the…Gabriela Ruffels watching Rose Zhang putt on the 26th hole during the final round at the…RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 11: Amateur Gabriela Ruffels of Australia waits to tee off on…RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 11: Amateur Gabriela Ruffels of Australia plays a tee shot on…Sep 12, 2020; Rancho Mirage, California, USA; Gabriela Ruffels chips in at the 2nd green during…Gabriela Ruffels plays a shot in the practice area during the practice round at the 2020…ORLANDO, FL - FEBRUARY 24: Gabi Ruffels (AUS) watches her tee shot on 1 during the…ORLANDO, FL - FEBRUARY 24: Gabi Ruffels (AUS) looks over her tee shot on 1 during…ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 31: Gabi Ruffels of the USC Trojans is congratulated by her teammates…May 30, 2019; Charleston, SC, USA; Gabriela Ruffels tees off on the 8th hole during the…Sep 12, 2020; Rancho Mirage, California, USA; Gabriela Ruffels chips in at the 2nd green during…Dec 10, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Gabriella Ruffels prepares to putt on the 1st green during…Gabriela Ruffels tees off on the 17th hole during the third round of the ANA Inspiration…Dec 10, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Gabriella Ruffels takes a tee shot off the 2nd tee…Dec 11, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Gabriela Ruffels drives off the first tee during the second…Gabriela Ruffels tees off on the 7th hole during the ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills Country…Gabriela Ruffels walks on the 7th green on Sunday, April 4, 2021, at ANA Inspiration at…Jun 25, 2021; John's Creek, Georgia, USA; Gabriela Ruffels signals after her shot from the sixth…Gabriela Ruffels hits her second shot on the 18th hole during the second round of the…Gabriela Ruffels of Austalia tees off on nine during round three of the Chevron Championship at…Jun 25, 2023; Springfield, New Jersey, USA; Gabriela Ruffels chips the ball onto the 3rd green…Australia's Gabriela Ruffels, second from right, receives the winner's check of $30,000 Saturday at South Bend…Four Winds Invitational champion Gabriela Ruffels of Melbourne, Australia, holds her championship trophy as she celebrates…
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