Judy Bell from United States plays an iron shot off the 3rd fairway during the 11th Curtis Cup Match golf competition between Great Britain & Ireland and the United States on 21st May 1960 at the Lindrick Golf Club in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England.

Judy Bell, the first female president of the U.S. Golf Association, died Monday. She was 89.

Bell entered hospice care in Aug. of 2024 after dealing with myriad health problems for the past couple of decades. She passed in her Colorado home on Monday, the USGA said.

“Judy Bell was more than a leader, she was a force of nature whose vision and compassion shaped the very soul of the game,” USGA CEO Mike Whan said. “She broke barriers not for the sake of recognition, but to make the game better and more welcoming for everyone. All of us at the USGA mourn her passing and celebrate the extraordinary life of a woman whose impact will continue to be felt for generations."

The World Golf Hall of Fame member, who won the USGA's Bob Jones Award in 2016, was born in Wichita, Kansas, on Sept. 23, 1936. A three-time Kansas State Amateur champion, Bell played on two Curtis Cup teams and competed in 38 USGA championships, making her first U.S. Women's Open start when she was only 13 years old. Two years later, she advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Girls' Junior, falling to the great Mickey Wright.

During the third round in the 1964 U.S. Women’s Open at San Diego Country Club, Bell shot 31-36—67, setting the then 9- and 18-hole championship scoring records.

In 1968, Bell served her first year on the USGA Women’s Committee, eventually serving as chairman from 1981-84. She was named captain of the 1986 and 1988 U.S. Curtis Cup teams. In 1987, Bell became the first woman named to the USGA’s Executive Committee. Then, in 1996, came a historic feat when she was named president of the USGA, the first woman to hold the title in the more than 100-year history of the organization. She was also the first woman to work as a rules official at the Masters.

While president, Bell introduced the “For the Good of the Game” grants program that helped the USGA dedicate more than $65 million toward improving the lives of communities through accessible golf.

She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001.

Bell's health issues began in 1993 when she had a heart bypass surgery. She also endured a long battle with stomach cancer that started in 2001. As she aged, Bell dealt with high blood pressure and arthritis, according to the USGA.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Judy Bell, first female president of the U.S. Golf Association, dies at 89

Reporting by Cameron Jourdan, Golfweek / Golfweek

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