University of Richmond Athletics
Sugg Inducted into Chesterfield Sports Hall of Fame
04/18/2026 | General, Women's Golf
Chesterfield, Va.— University of Richmond Deputy Athletics Director LaRee Sugg was one of four individuals inducted into the Chesterfield County Sports Hall of Fame Friday evening at a ceremony at Stonebridge Recreation Center. Sugg was joined by Morgan Moses (football), Stan Morgan (cross country), and Will Bates (soccer) in the Hall's Class of 2026, its third induction class since the institution was founded in 2024.
Sugg has been a part of the Richmond Athletics department since 2001, when she joined UR as the first head coach of the women's golf program. Prior to becoming a Spider, Sugg, a native of Petersburg, Va., and a graduate of Chesterfield's Matoaca High School, was one of the nation's top golfers.
Sugg thanked several of her former teachers and administrators from her time as a high school student in her enshrinement speech Friday and recalled how being the only girl on the school's golf team "gave me confidence to hold my own in a male-dominated industry."
Sugg also addressed the group of current high school athletes who were being recognized at the event, encouraging them to "dream big, always believe in what is possible, have faith that God will always make a way, and allow your heart to remain open to the possibility of something positive happening, because often it does."
Sugg competed 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.
Sugg played at UCLA 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.
Sugg also recorded third-place finishes at both the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship and the U.S. Women's Public Links Championship.
The Chesterfield Sports Hall of Fame honors athletes, coaches, and contributors whose achievements have shaped the county's sports history. Inductees are commemorated with a permanent display at the River City Sportsplex in Midlothian, Va.
