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Follow UGA Golf on Twitter l Instagram l Facebook ATHENS, Ga. — Terri Moody Hancock, one of the most decorated golfers in the University of Georgia’s history, has been elected to the Georgia State Golf Association’s Hall of Fame, the organization announced on Wednesday.An Athens native, Hancock was the first female to earn a full athletic scholarship to UGA and went on to become the school’s first individual national champion in women’s athletics in any sport.Hancock was a two-time All-America at Georgia and the school’s first women’s golfer to compete on the LPGA Tour. She attended the Athens Academy (1973-77) where she was a two-time state high school champion while competing on the boy’s golf team. While at UGA, Hancock led the team to 16 victories in a three-year span, including winning five individual titles of her own. In 1981 during her senior year, she won the first individual national championship in UGA women’s athletics history at the AIAW National Championship, also becoming just the fourth UGA student-athlete to win an individual national title. Hancock was the 1981 Broderick Award winner for women’s golf as the nation’s top collegiate golfer. She was also the 1981 National Golfer of the Year, becoming only the third UGA student-athlete to win a national player of the year award in any sport. Hancock qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship each year while at UGA in 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1980 and earned low amateur honors at the 1979 U.S. Women’s Open. In 1980, she was a member of the Curtis Cup Team, where she helped the United States to a 13-5 victory over Great Britain and Ireland. She also won the 1976 Georgia Women’s Amateur Championship. After her collegiate golf career came to an end, Hancock earned her LPGA Tour card and competed on the professional circuit for five years. She then retired from competing on Tour full-time to focus on starting a family. In 1997, Hancock was named to the University of Georgia’s Circle of Honor, which is designed to pay tribute to extraordinary student-athletes and coaches who by their performance and conduct have brought honor to the university. She was inducted into the National Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2000 and the State of Georgia’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.The Georgia Golf Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 also includes Tommy Brannen, a well-known club professional with a successful competitive record who is the longtime PGA Master Golf Professional at Augusta Country Club; Bruce Heppler, the longtime head men’s golf coach at Georgia Tech; and William Lewis, a lifelong advocate and contributor to the game who built both a successful playing and teaching professional career.The Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, which is dedicated to the preservation of Georgia’s golf traditions, heritage, achievements and excellence, was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly in 1982. Headquartered in Augusta, the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame began inducting members in 1989 and held an induction ceremony in Augusta annually through 2009. During the 2010 legislative session, the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame Authority and Commission was abolished. The Georgia State Golf Association then entered into an agreement with the Georgia Department of Economic Development to manage the ongoing activities associated with the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame. The GSGA is authorized to host the annual induction banquet and store and display Hall of Fame members’ memorabilia in the recently opened Georgia Golf Hall of Fame Room inside Murray Golf House at Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta. The induction ceremony was revived in 2011 at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek and is now held annually.
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