Lindsay Burn Wortham '69: From Tennis to Tee
Back in the ‘60s and well into the ‘70s, Lindsay Wortham was the preeminent female tennis player in Central Virginia. In fact, the 1969 Collegiate graduate was so successful that her résumé included a host of city, state, and mid-Atlantic age-group championships and forays deep into tournaments at the national level.
She played at Stratford College for two years, then transferred to University of Virginia where she competed on the club team before tennis became a full fledged intercollegiate sport for women. When it did, she stayed in Charlottesville, headed the Cavaliers’ program for a season, and put the same zeal into coaching that she did whenever she took to the court herself.
“Tennis was a pleasure,” she said. “I loved every part of it: practicing, competing, the challenge. I loved seeing my girls be successful, come together as a team, and win matches.”
She played at Stratford College for two years, then transferred to University of Virginia where she competed on the club team before tennis became a full fledged intercollegiate sport for women. When it did, she stayed in Charlottesville, headed the Cavaliers’ program for a season, and put the same zeal into coaching that she did whenever she took to the court herself.
“Tennis was a pleasure,” she said. “I loved every part of it: practicing, competing, the challenge. I loved seeing my girls be successful, come together as a team, and win matches.”
Still highly competitive into adulthood, she won Richmond city titles
in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, but a slow transformation was occurring.
“I was realizing that tennis wasn’t the end-all, be-all,” she said. “I knew there was more.”
As in her marriage to Coley Wortham in 1976.
As in her career as the manager of Hampton House.
As in the birth of her children Ginny in 1985 and Coleman in 1988.
As in golf.
Lindsay’s introduction to what would become her new athletic passion came at the urging of Boodie McGurn, a 1971 Collegiate graduate whom she’d known for many years.
“Boodie needed a playmate so she dragged me out there,” Lindsay said with a laugh. “She was sort of a mentor. I wouldn’t be playing if it wasn’t for her.”
Lindsay was soon refining her game, discovering an outlet for her competitive instincts, and developing into one of the top female golfers in Central Virginia thanks to her skill, diligence, passion, and tenacity, the same formula that served her so well on the tennis court.
In 2006, she defeated Kristine Rohrbaugh 5-and-4 for the Richmond Women’s Golf Association title. This past summer, she defended her crown with a playoff victory over her friend Boodie, a four-time RWGA champion.
“You want to play your best and want her at her best and let the chips fall where they may,” Lindsay said. “I can’t even think about ‘It’s Boodie’ when we’re playing. I have to play my game, play the ball in front of me, and just think about playing golf.”
The transcendent event in Lindsay’s golf career, however, came later in the summer when she earned one of 132 spots, then fired 79 and 83 to advance to the match-play round of 64 in the United States Golf Association Senior Women’s Amateur in Sunriver, OR.
“Just qualifying was icing on the cake,” she said. “The girl I played (Sandy Woodruff of Santa Cruz, CA) played lights out, killed me six ways to Sunday, but I loved every minute of it. It was way cooler than any tournament I ever played in tennis.
“I learned so much about myself. I learned there’s plenty of room for improvement. I want to get better. I want to try again. What a blast! It really whetted my appetite.”
While Lindsay’s prodigious accomplishments have been well documented in the local media, she’s more than just an athlete. She’s a community volunteer and has served on the boards of many organizations, among them Collegiate’s alumni association, Richmond Sports Backers, CARITAS, and the Virginia Athletics Foundation.
She’s a proud mom, too, and with her husband has exulted in their children’s accomplishments. Ginny is a 2003 Collegiate alumna who earned multiple All-Metro and All-League of Independent Schools citations in tennis and helped the Cougars win their first state title. She graduated in May from Washington & Lee where she was a three-time tennis All-American and an integral part of the Generals’ run to the Division III national championship last spring.
Coleman, a 2007 Collegiate alumnus and now a UVA freshman, played on two state championship football teams and, with All-Prep League performances, helped the Cougars capture back-to-back league titles in golf.
“Athletics has been a big part of my life,” Lindsay said. “It’s so great to see it as part of theirs because it’s such a learning ground for life. You want to see your children succeed. Golly day, nothing is better than that.” — Weldon Bradshaw
Back
“I was realizing that tennis wasn’t the end-all, be-all,” she said. “I knew there was more.”
As in her marriage to Coley Wortham in 1976.
As in her career as the manager of Hampton House.
As in the birth of her children Ginny in 1985 and Coleman in 1988.
As in golf.
Lindsay’s introduction to what would become her new athletic passion came at the urging of Boodie McGurn, a 1971 Collegiate graduate whom she’d known for many years.
“Boodie needed a playmate so she dragged me out there,” Lindsay said with a laugh. “She was sort of a mentor. I wouldn’t be playing if it wasn’t for her.”
Lindsay was soon refining her game, discovering an outlet for her competitive instincts, and developing into one of the top female golfers in Central Virginia thanks to her skill, diligence, passion, and tenacity, the same formula that served her so well on the tennis court.
In 2006, she defeated Kristine Rohrbaugh 5-and-4 for the Richmond Women’s Golf Association title. This past summer, she defended her crown with a playoff victory over her friend Boodie, a four-time RWGA champion.
“You want to play your best and want her at her best and let the chips fall where they may,” Lindsay said. “I can’t even think about ‘It’s Boodie’ when we’re playing. I have to play my game, play the ball in front of me, and just think about playing golf.”
The transcendent event in Lindsay’s golf career, however, came later in the summer when she earned one of 132 spots, then fired 79 and 83 to advance to the match-play round of 64 in the United States Golf Association Senior Women’s Amateur in Sunriver, OR.
“Just qualifying was icing on the cake,” she said. “The girl I played (Sandy Woodruff of Santa Cruz, CA) played lights out, killed me six ways to Sunday, but I loved every minute of it. It was way cooler than any tournament I ever played in tennis.
“I learned so much about myself. I learned there’s plenty of room for improvement. I want to get better. I want to try again. What a blast! It really whetted my appetite.”
While Lindsay’s prodigious accomplishments have been well documented in the local media, she’s more than just an athlete. She’s a community volunteer and has served on the boards of many organizations, among them Collegiate’s alumni association, Richmond Sports Backers, CARITAS, and the Virginia Athletics Foundation.
She’s a proud mom, too, and with her husband has exulted in their children’s accomplishments. Ginny is a 2003 Collegiate alumna who earned multiple All-Metro and All-League of Independent Schools citations in tennis and helped the Cougars win their first state title. She graduated in May from Washington & Lee where she was a three-time tennis All-American and an integral part of the Generals’ run to the Division III national championship last spring.
Coleman, a 2007 Collegiate alumnus and now a UVA freshman, played on two state championship football teams and, with All-Prep League performances, helped the Cougars capture back-to-back league titles in golf.
“Athletics has been a big part of my life,” Lindsay said. “It’s so great to see it as part of theirs because it’s such a learning ground for life. You want to see your children succeed. Golly day, nothing is better than that.” — Weldon Bradshaw
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