Golfer Cathy Gerring followed the footsteps of her father and brother.
When Cathy Gerring started playing golf at age 11 it was no surprise. Her father was Bill Kratzert Jr., the long-time pro at Fort Wayne Country Club, and her brother was long-time PGA player Bill Kratzert.
Gerring quickly followed in their footsteps, winning the Indiana State Junior Championship in 1976 at age 15 and successfully defending the title in 1977. She then won her first of three Fort Wayne Women's City titles in 1979.
After being a standout on the Elmhurst High School boys team -- there was no girls team -- Gerring then went to Ohio State on a golf scholarship. In 1982 and 1983 she won the Big Ten medalist honors, and earned all-American honors. She also holds the conference record for lowest tournament score at 214 in 1983. Gerring became the third women's golfer to be inducted into the Ohio State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997, following Rosie Jones and Meg Mallon.
After graduating from Ohio State University, Gerring spent two years trying to qualify for her LPGA Tour card. She qualified for the tour on her third attempt in 1984. She married Jim Gerring in 1986.
She played 24 tournaments in 1985, with her highest finish being a seventh, but Gerring received national notice in 1986 when she finished second in three tournaments -- losing all three in playoffs. That streak continued in 1987, when she lost to Jane Geddes in a playoff at the Kemper Open.
After giving birth to son Zachary and playing six tournaments in 1989, Gerring came back to the tour in 1989, but really got hot in 1990. Playing in 30 tournaments, she won $487,326, to finish fourth on the money list, and titles at the Lady Keystone Open, Stratton Mountain LPGA Classic and the Trophee Urban World Championship. She had 13 top-10 finishes that season, and was honored by her peers as the Bounceback Player of the Year.
Gerring struggled to get back on pace in 1991, earning $57,304, but she was determined to return to top form. Then a freak accident changed her future. While standing in a buffet line at the LPGA's Sara Lee Classic in April 1992, Gerring suffered severe burns on her face and hands when a fuel canister used to keep food warm exploded.
As she recovered, Gerring missed more than three years on the LPGA Tour, where she has earned $823,659. She now lives with her husband and two sons in Dublin, Ohio.
