Vicky Hurst

Vicky Hurst Bio

Vicky Hurst (born June 19, 1990) is an American professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour. She turned professional as a 17-year-old in 2008, while still in high school, and quickly emerged as one of the most promising young players in women’s golf. Playing on the Futures Tour that year, she won five times and set a Tour record for single season earnings with $93,107.

Standing 5 feet 8 inches tall, Hurst has built a career defined by length off the tee and a steady competitive record across developmental and major tours. She is widely recognized for her composure as a teenager on professional courses and for the strong amateur résumé she posted before skipping college to join the paid ranks.

Early Life and Background

Hurst was born at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, where her mother, Koko Hurst, a native Korean, was completing a round of golf when her water broke on the 16th hole. Koko won the round before going to the base medical center to give birth. Hurst’s father, Joe Hurst, met Koko while he was stationed in Korea in the 1980s and was a retired Air Force colonel. The family eventually settled in Melbourne, Florida, where Vicky grew up immersed in the game.

Her early years were marked by a deep connection to golf on both sides of the family. She has an older sister, Kelly, also an accomplished golfer, who later joined the University of Florida golf team. Hurst attended Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy and graduated in June 2008, part-way through her Futures Tour rookie year, balancing her high school coursework with a full professional schedule.

In April 2006, when Vicky was 15, her father died suddenly of a massive stroke while she was practicing for the LPGA Ginn Open, where she had received a sponsor exemption. She withdrew from that tournament and stated that she would dedicate the rest of her career to his memory, a theme that has continued to shape her approach to the game.

Path to Professional Golf

Hurst had a standout amateur career that began in her early teens. In 2005, she won the Florida Women’s State Golf Association Junior Girls’ Championship, was named the FWSGA Junior Player of the Year, and finished second at the Florida high school girls’ golf championship. The following year, she was runner-up at the U.S. Girls’ Junior and tied for second at the FWSGA Junior Girls’ Championship. In 2006, less than two weeks after turning 16, she played in the U.S. Women’s Open, signaling her readiness for elite-level competition.

She was named Florida Junior Player of the Year in 2006-07 and qualified again for the U.S. Women’s Open in 2007. That year, she won three American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) events and earned spots on the 2007 U.S. PING Junior Solheim Cup Team and the Canon Cup, representing the East Team. She ended 2007 as the top-ranked amateur in the Polo Golf Rankings and was named the 2007 AJGA Player of the Year.

In the fall of 2007, as her senior year of high school began, Hurst faced a choice between pursuing a college golf career, for which she was heavily recruited, and turning professional. She entered and won the Futures Tour qualifying school in November, then announced in December that she would skip college and join the Futures Tour in 2008 while completing high school. She also received sponsor exemptions to three LPGA Tour events that year, missing the cut in two and finishing tied for 21st in the third.

Vicky Hurst Career

Futures Tour Breakthrough (2008)

Hurst’s first full season as a professional came in 2008 on the Futures Tour. She won five times during the year and set a Tour record for single-season earnings with $93,107, an extraordinary haul for a 17-year-old balancing her rookie campaign with her final year of high school. Her dominant play was recognized with two major individual honors, the Futures Tour Rookie of the Year award and the Futures Tour Player of the Year award.

Those results automatically qualified her for full playing status on the LPGA Tour for the 2009 season. Her success in 2008 also brought her first major endorsement agreements, including deals with Callaway Golf and Under Armour, partnerships that have remained part of her professional profile.

LPGA Tour Era (2009–Present)

Hurst’s first tournament as an LPGA member was the 2009 season-opening SBS Open at Turtle Bay, where she finished tied for 15th and led the field in driving distance. She completed her rookie year leading the LPGA Tour in driving distance with an average of 272.5 yards, a number that underscored the power game that had defined her Futures Tour success. That same season marked her transition into the most competitive tour in women’s golf.

Since joining the LPGA Tour in 2009, Hurst has continued to compete at the top level of the sport. Her best finishes in LPGA major championships include a tie for 11th at the 2012 Chevron Championship, a tie for 18th at the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open, and a tie for 17th at the 2012 Women’s British Open, along with a tie for 44th at both the 2013 Women’s PGA Championship and the 2013 Evian Championship. She remains an active presence on tour and on the developmental Epson Tour, where her eight career wins are recorded.

Driving Style and Strengths

Hurst is best known for her exceptional length off the tee, a hallmark of her game since her rookie year on the LPGA Tour. Her power has allowed her to compete on long, demanding layouts and to attack par-fives more aggressively than many of her peers. Combined with the early professional poise she showed as a teenager, her distance has been the foundation of her competitive identity.

Notable Events and Milestones

Among her signature achievements, Hurst’s 2008 Futures Tour season stands out, with five wins and a single-season earnings record of $93,107. Her appearance in the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open, less than two weeks after turning 16, marked one of the earliest major-championship starts of her career. She has also represented the United States in junior team events, including the 2007 U.S. PING Junior Solheim Cup Team and the Canon Cup.

Vicky Hurst Career Wins

Vicky Hurst has accumulated eight professional wins on what is now known as the Epson Tour, formerly the Futures Tour. Her breakthrough came during her 2008 rookie season, when she won five times and set the Tour’s single-season earnings record. She has also added further titles on the developmental circuit, including one unofficial victory and earnings at the Duramed Invitational.

Epson Tour Highlights

Hurst’s first Futures Tour victory came in 2008, part of a five-win campaign that made her the Tour’s Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year. She has continued to add wins on the developmental circuit in the years since, with her career total on the Epson Tour standing at eight. Her dominance as a 17-year-old remains one of the defining storylines of her professional record.

Other Wins and Performances

Beyond her Futures Tour success, Hurst recorded a tie for 21st in one of her three LPGA Tour sponsor-exemption appearances in 2008, an early signal of her readiness for the game’s top level. She has also posted a tie for 15th at the 2009 SBS Open at Turtle Bay in her first start as an LPGA member, leading the field in driving distance. Her major-championship appearances include a tie for 11th at the 2012 Chevron Championship, the best major finish of her LPGA career to date.

Vicky Hurst Family

Family Background and Racing Lineage

Hurst comes from a family with deep ties to golf and military service. Her mother, Koko Hurst, is a native Korean who was playing a round at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., when she went into labor with Vicky on the 16th hole. Her father, Joe Hurst, met Koko while stationed in Korea in the 1980s and served as a retired Air Force colonel before his death in April 2006. Her older sister, Kelly Hurst, is also an accomplished golfer who went on to join the University of Florida golf team.

Personal Life

Vicky Hurst resides in Melbourne, Florida, the same community where she attended Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy and built her early golf game. Following her father’s sudden passing in 2006, she publicly committed to dedicating the rest of her career to his memory, a pledge that has continued to resonate throughout her time on tour. She maintains an active presence through her social media channels and continues to be represented by sponsors including Callaway Golf and Under Armour.

2025 Season Performance

Entering the 2025 season, Vicky Hurst remained an active competitor on the LPGA Tour and the Epson Tour, continuing to draw on the experience she has built since joining the LPGA in 2009. Her career-best major finish, a tie for 11th at the 2012 Chevron Championship, remains a benchmark for her play in the game’s biggest events. Her longstanding status as one of the Tour’s longest hitters, dating back to her 2009 rookie season, has continued to shape her competitive approach on demanding setups.

Hurst’s ongoing record on the Epson Tour, which includes eight career wins, gives her a flexible competitive schedule that allows her to balance developmental events with starts on the LPGA Tour. This dual-tour approach has been a hallmark of her career and offers a steady platform for rebuilding momentum during the 2025 campaign. Her power game and experience position her to remain a threat in events where length off the tee is a decisive advantage.

Looking ahead through the rest of 2025, Hurst’s outlook is shaped by her continued ability to qualify for and contend in LPGA Tour events while also posting strong finishes on the Epson Tour. Her history of leading the LPGA in driving distance and her proven record of winning on developmental circuits suggest that she will continue to be a familiar name on leaderboards. With the support of her longtime sponsors and the dedication she has carried since her father’s passing, she remains focused on producing consistent results in the season ahead.