Episode 26: Ellen Port

Ellen Port is one of the most decorated golfers of any generation. She’s won seven USGA events, an accomplishment that puts her in the stratosphere of nine-time USGA winners Bobby Jones and Tiger Woods. Jack Nicklaus and JoAnne Gunderson Carner have eight. 

However, Port’s journey is different than the other golfers on the list. She began playing golf seriously in her mid-20s when she grabbed an old pair of her dad’s Wilson blades before heading to St. Louis for a teaching job. She was hooked. In a staggering eight years, Port had secured a spot on the Curtis Cup Team in 1994. She also played in 1996 and captain the team in her home state of Missouri in 2014. Port isn’t done yet, she’s hoping to win an 8th USGA event, which would give her a title in four different decades. 

Port isn’t just a national champion. She had dominated the Missouri golf scene. She’s in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame, and Missouri Golf Association Hall of Fame. She won the Metropolitan Amateur Champion 16 times and also won the men’s Metropolitan Senior Amateur Championship in 2022.

We talk about her love of the game and her mentality on the course. She picks out a few highlights from her USGA championships and tells an incredible story about the wildlife in Alaska during the 2022 US Women’s Senior Am. She talks about her Curtis Cup experience as a player and captain and gives us a few things she’s feeling good about for the future of women’s amateur golf. 

Port’s Seven USGA Championship Victories
1995 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur
1996 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur
2000 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur
2011 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur
2012 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur
2013 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur
2016 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur

Amateur Golf Links:

AmateurGolf.com
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