Lisa Kiggins

Professional golfer Lisa Kiggens was born in Salinas in 1972 but made her name as a resident of Bakersfield.

Kiggens started golfing at eight years old and quickly advanced through the amateur ranks. She reigned as the Kern County women’s amateur champion from 1986 through 1990 and also became a standout as a collegian.

In her lone year at UCLA she captured three individual titles, including the Pac-10 Conference championship. She was a member of the Bruins' 1991 national championship team and a first-team All-American, earning honors as the university’s freshman of the year and outstanding athlete.

At age 20 she turned professional, qualifying for the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour on her first attempt.

She earned her first tour victory in 1994, shooting a career-best round of 66 on the way to a win at the Rochester International. The following year she posted four top-20 finishes.

Kiggens retired from competitive golf following the 2001 season and now serves and a commentator for The Golf Channel. In 2007 she was inducted into the Bob Elias Kern County Sports Hall of Fame.