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Tina Tombs Inducted Into Arizona Golf Hall of Fame

by thesundevils.com
Oct 19, 2020

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Sun Devil Women's Golfer Tina Tombs (1981-85) was officially inducted into the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame.
 
The Arizona Golf Hall of Fame Committee selected four new inductees to the Hall of Fame back in October of 2020, featuring three modern candidates and one representative from the Legacy Division. Tina Tombs is joined in the 2020 class by Mark Woodward and John Gunby, along with the Desert Mashie Golf Club.

"When I think about my career, I feel overwhelmed," Tombs told the Arizona Golf Association. "I have put my heart and soul into this game. I am blessed to have received so much from the game of golf and its beautiful community. I wake up every morning and I am filled with gratitude, even more so after this year, that my office is the golf course. It is the honor of my career to be recognized by the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame!"
 
While a member of Sun Devil Women's Golf, Tombs was a two-time All-American, earning the distinction after each of her final two seasons (1984 & 1985). Tombs helped elevate the program under the direction of legendary Head Coach Linda Vollstedt. The 1984 team finished second at the NCAA Championships, the highest finish in school history at the time. The following year, the Sun Devils finished in the Top-5 again (3rd) thanks to the contributions of Tombs and her All-American teammates Heather Farr and Danielle Ammaccapane. She was a part of two consecutive Western Collegiate Athletic Association championships (1984 & 1985). 
 
While at ASU, Tombs was consistently ranked in the Top-10 female amateur golfers nationally. She became just the fourth Conference medalist in program history, taking home the 1984 Pac-10 Individual Championship. The three-time Pac-10 All-Conference selection left Arizona State as arguably the most decorated female Sun Devil golfer, helping Arizona State Women's Golf reach new heights.  She graduated from Arizona State with a B.S. in Physical Education and a Minor in Anatomy and Physiology. In 2006, Tombs was inducted into the Sun Devil Athletics Hall of Fame.
 
Not only do Tombs' accomplishments at Arizona State make her worthy of this recognition, she continues to give back to the game of Golf to this very day. Her impact in the Arizona Golf community can't be understated, as she has been instrumental in growing and popularizing the game in the desert. 
 
Following her playing career at Arizona State, Tombs qualified for the LPGA Tour in 1987. She would embark on a successful 14-year professional career highlighted by a win at the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic in 1990. Tombs went on to compete on the Ladies European Tour and Legends Tour later in her career.
 
She finished competing regularly on the Tour in 2001, but the impact Tombs had on the game had just begun. In 2002, she founded and is now President of Tina Tombs Golf at the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club in Phoenix. Not only is she the founder, but she also serves as Director of Instruction, carrying out responsibilities such as implementing all of the education and teaching programs at the Tina Tombs Golf Learning Center.
 
Her resume includes a long list of accolades as a golf instructor, as she has developed into one of the best teachers of the game in the World. Tombs has twice been named the LPGA National Teacher of the Year (2014 & 2018), one of the most prestigious honors an instructor can receive. She also earned the Arizona Golf Association's Updegraff Award in 2017, given annually to the person who best exemplifies the "Spirit of the Game". Other awards in her trophy case include 2014 and 2018 LPGA Central Section Teacher of the Year; 2015 Marilynn Smith Service Award; Golf Digest's Best Teachers in Arizona, 2017-20; Teaching and Club Pro's Top 50 LPGA Teachers, 2017-20; and GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher since 2019 (list compiled by TinaTombsGolf.com). 
 
Tombs joins several others with Arizona State connections in the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame. Her teammate and Sun Devil legend Heather Farr as well as six-time National Champion Head Coach Linda Vollstedt were part of a loaded 2002 class. In 2018, Sun Devil for Life Pia Nilsson was inducted into the Hall of Fame because of her contributions as a collegiate in Tempe and as an instructor. 
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
For the latest updates and information on the Sun Devil Women's Golf program, follow our Twitter/Instagram accounts (@SunDevilWGolf), like our Facebook page (facebook.com/sundevilwgolf/), and visit our website (thesundevils.com). 
 

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