Addie's Baddies: The Golf Baddie Mount Rushmore

We've established the rules of what makes a baddie. We've pointed out a few examples of them in greater golf landscape. And now it's time to discuss the origins—identifying the OG Golf Baddies, the baddie Mount Rushmore, if you will.

I've previously floated around a few names: early 2000s Tiger, Adam Scott, Chi Chi Rodriguez' Masters caddies in that one picture that goes viral every year...but I've been withholding those who really, truly inspired this whole thing in the first place. So far we've only really explored those who have followed the blueprint, but the ones we're highlighting today made the blueprint.

These are the baddies who shaped golf for the better, understood their marketing power, and did so unapologetically.

The following legends are the ones who inspired my love for the game, and reminded me to be myself and play my game my way—which is the sexiest thing any of us could ever do. These women will inspire you and push you on and off the golf course, so maybe take some notes.

Jan Stephenson

Getty Images

We're coming in hot with an absolute golf diva...dare I say THE golf diva. She notoriously posed in a bathtub filled with golf balls, staking her claim as one of the most talked about golfers of her era—but Jan Stephenson was an all around character.

She was a fashion icon, harnessing all the glory of 80s style. Big sweeping hair, bright colors, color coordination—she bridged the gap between power dressing (think like perfect tailoring and shoulder pads) with sportswear (maybe not leg warmers but definitely something as close to a leotard we could get).

Getty Images

At times, Stephenson's legacy is reduced to her being the golfer who embraced the "sex sells" mentality—I mean, she was on the 1977 cover of Sport Magazine’s “Sex In Sports” issue, making her the first woman to pose for the cover—but Stephenson was also an absolute stick.

The Aussie not only walked the walked but she talked the talk. By the end of her Hall of Fame-worthy career she has amassed 16 LPGA wins including eight majors. In 2019, she was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

She was one of the first golfers I could recall that was also a bit of a beauty queen, and I mean that in the best way possible. Embracing your appearance, whether its through style, hair and make up whatever the case may be isn't real done enough in women's golf in my opinion.

So much of the game is rooted in tradition and often times the best in the world simply just want to be seen as world class athletes without placing emphasis on looks—which is certainly understandable. But we're seeing the shift happening in real time with the WNBA and the PWHL, where these women are flexing their style and their love for getting glam before they go out and compete. They're posing in Vogue and for GQ—they're marketing themselves outside of their sport to draw attention to their sport, a code I don't believe golf as a whole has quite cracked yet.

And I'd make the case that Jan was truly ahead of her time. In an era where social media can be one of the biggest tools to leverage yourself, where you can tailor your image exactly how you want—she wouldn't thrived. Some of the most popular female golf influencers draw inspiration from Stephenson, playing homage to her (as they should), reiterating that you know what...sex absolutely does sell, and controlling it on their terms.

For some perspective on Jan and evolution of the sex appeal in women's golf conversation, this decade old USA Today article is a good read! It also mentions some insane lore about Stephenson and an alleged visit she had to a cult deprogrammer. A true baddie has a lot of layers to unpack.

Lorena Ochoa

I don't think I've ever stated this in writing but Lorena Ochoa is my undisputed GOAT. This woman has a very special place in my heart and if there's any golf's ____ Mount Rushmore conversation to be had, she's on every single one of my lists.

Lorena Ochoa literally rewired by brain chemistry as a child. The way I thought about golf, the way I practiced golf, everything is all because of her.

Getty Images

She was a straight up beast on the course. I've never seen someone more accurate, and she was the first pro golfer I ever saw IRL. (Shoutout to the old LPGA event hosted at Kingsmill in Williamsburg, Va.)

In eight seasons, she won 27 titles, including two major championships, and was ranked World No. 1 for 158 consecutive weeks (a record at the time). But I'd argue, the end of her career is actually more impressive.

She did all that before 30.

Ochoa knew she wanted to play a maximum of 10 years on tour and then she was done...and she meant every word. She didn't even need the extra two years to feel like she accomplished everything wanted. Retiring before the age of 30, with absolutely no remorse and it's legendary behavior.

By 30, I'm just hoping that my brain will fully develop, but my GOAT Ochoa said she wanted a family and to work on her foundation, which has been integral to developing golf in Mexico for the youth. I got to witness first hand what her impact in on the game in Latin America is like, and it further reinstated my Lorena Ochoa stan-hood.

She's gracious. She makes you feel like the only person in the world when she speaks to you, and she's remained one of the best ambassadors of the game even when she's not competing. Similarly to Stephenson, Ochoa is a master marketer in her way—and golf will benefit from her contributes for decades to come.

LaRee Sugg

If you don't know the name LaRee Sugg—you're about to get school. Class is now in session.

Getty Images

Sugg was the third black woman to ever play on the LPGA Tour, succeeding Althea Gibson and Renee Powell. Competing during the 90s and into the early 2000s before becoming the first women's golf head coach at the University of Richmond – a small private Division I school.

She's clearly a style icon. (This Spiderman fit lives in my mind rent free!!!!)

And she's someone I've looked up to for most of my life, given that she and I grew up in the same area in Virginia. 804 born and bred.

Sugg is a pioneer, barrier breaker, and the physical embodiment of resilience.

In 1991, during her senior season at UCLA, Sugg and her team had a shot at the national title. Going up against San Jose State, Sugg was in one of the later groups and things were heading down to the wire. But like any character developing moment, there's always a sprinkle of drama. On the 13th hole, Sugg was issued an ill-timed, two-stroke penalty for placing and hitting her ball in front of the tee markers. She told me herself this wasn't the case and yet she accepted the penalty anyway.

Why? If she know she didn't do it, why take on a penalty to hurt your chances of winning? Well because Sugg knew the ugly side of being the only Black woman on a golf course. Rather than stand up for herself, she accepted the consequences of an incorrect accusation so she wouldn't come off as combative.

But karma tends to show up right on time. Sugg and her team dug deep enough to make up six strokes and force a playoff. On the first hole of the playoff, Sugg had a 25-foot birdie putt that would secure the title...and she drained it. Earning UCLA their first NCAA women's golf title.

Her pro career was yet another example on experience. Over the course of her career, Sugg participated in Q-School a total of 10 times. For many, we'd hang it up, but she knew her dream and she would do anything to see it through.

I had the pleasure of chatting with my hometown hero last spring, and her story is a special one. LaRee Sugg is a testament to knowing your worth and letting the work you put in speak volumes—eventually you end up exactly where you're meant to be.

JoAnne "Big Mama" Carner

Rounding off my Baddie Mount Rushmore is golf's one and only Big Mama.

I really don't have much else to say other than that she's the literal blueprint. JoAnne Carner was the first to be the one who rips darts while throwing them on the course. As much as we praise John Daly and Charley Hull, let's show a little love to now 86 year old legend.

In 2023, Carner went viral for posting an 80 at the U.S. Senior Women's Open.

Though I'm unfamiliar with her game (the height of her career was about 20 years before I was born), I bask in the glory of old clips and pictures of her. Carner looks like a hoot.

Getty Images

She had this energetic aura to her—she's said to be relentlessly honest, refreshingly funny and intensely competitive...a few things I may need to add to the baddie rubric.

Also, with a nickname like Big Mama, there was no way she wasn't going to be on this list.

RELATED: Celebrating 75 Years of the LPGA With the Legends Who Built It