FRANKLIN, Ind. (SMU/IGF) – Two members of SMU's 1979 AIAW National Championship women's golf team will be inducted into the Indiana Golf Hall of Fame on Thursday. Therese Hession and Kyle O'Brien Stevens are part of the first class in history that will include three female inductees. In addition to their National Championship, both were LPGA Tour members and collegiate coaches.
Hession was an Indiana Girls State Junior Champion in 1973 and was the first Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) champion in girl's golf in 1973-74 as a member of the Ladywood-St. Agnes (Cathedral) High School team. In 1977, Hession won the Indiana State Amateur Championship, and earned medalist honors at the 1978 Indianapolis City Championship. Following her standout prep career, Hession went on to help lead the Mustangs to their first AIAW National Championship in 1979, earning First-Team All-America honors.
She competed for 11 seasons on the LPGA TOUR, making over 250 event appearances, and was a Top-150 Career Money Earner at the conclusion of her career.
Hession is currently the head coach at Ohio State University, a position she has held for over 25 seasons. Her teams have amassed 10 Big Ten Conference Championships and have 15 NCAA Championship appearances.
A former president of the Women's Golf Coaches Association, Hession is a member of the Women's Golf Coaches Association Coaches Hall of Fame and Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame.
O'Brien Stevens won the Indiana Girls State Junior Championship in 1975 before going on to win the IHSAA individual championship and mental attitude award in 1975, while helping North Central (Indianapolis) High School to the team championship. She also earned runner-up accolades at the 1975 US Girls Junior Amateur Championship.
Joining Hession on the Mustangs' 1979 AIAW National Championship team, O'Brien Stevens won the individual National Championship and was a two-time First-Team All-American (1979 & 1980). Indianagolf.org Magazine named her the Collegiate Player of the Year in 1979, and she went on to earn Golf Digest LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors in 1981.
While on tour, O'Brien Stevens posted five top-ten finishes, which included a pair of runner-up performances, before her career was cut short by multiple back surgeries.
She returned to the Hilltop to coach the women's golf team from 1986-1992, and was the Director of Women's Athletics from 1989-1992. O'Brien Stevens is a member of the Women's Golf Coaches Player Hall of Fame, SMU Athletics Hall of Fame, Texas Sports Hall of Fame, Southwest Conference Hall of Fame and Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
With the induction of these women, the Indiana Golf Hall of Fame will include 97 individuals, comprised of Major Championship winners, PGA & LPGA Professionals, USGA & PGA Presidents, State Champions, golf course architects and other Indiana golf contributors. The ceremony takes place Thursday at the Hillcrest Country Club in Indianapolis.
The Indiana Golf Hall of Fame is a part of the Indiana Golf Foundation, which exists to 'teach life lessons through the game of golf.' The Indiana Golf Foundation also includes The First Tee of Indiana, Indiana Junior Golf Program and Gongaware Indiana Junior Golf Academy. The Indiana Golf Foundation is a 501 c3 organization and is funded by the generosity of golfers across Indiana.
