Hall of Fame

Hometown: Utica, N.Y.
Residence: Tampa, F.L

Born and raised in Utica, Moira Dunn-Bohls put together one of the most prolific women’s amateur careers in NYSGA history leading to her ascent into the LPGA Tour.

Dunn-Bohls began playing golf at the age of 7, and has credited her parents and coach Herb Moreland as strong early golf influences. She first rose to prominence in 1989, winning the NYS Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship before emerging as a true force in the early ‘90s. Rattling off wins at the NYS Women’s Amateur Championship in 1992, 1993, and 1994, she became one of only eight players to win three Women’s Amateur titles, and one of four to do it consecutively. 

Her early titles were marked by commanding performances, including a 10 & 9 victory over Rochester’s Jan LaVigne in the 1993 final at Stafford Country Club, where Dunn-Bohls shot one-over-par throughout the 27-hole match to win her second consecutive Women’s Am crown. 

Her first Oak Hill Cup bid in 1992 came against a familiar rival, Sally Dee of Syracuse. The two had faced off five times in match play previously, the most recent having been Dee’s championship victory over Dunn-Bohls at the NYS Women’s Am a year prior in 1991. The pair were unquestionably the two best female amateurs in New York State at the time. 

On the heels of winning the Women’s Western Amateur Championship a month prior, where she defeated the No. 1 ranked golfer from South Florida, Dunn-Bohls entered the 1992 Women’s Am championship match at Oneonta Country Club a more polished and well-rounded player. 

She shot four-under through the first 18, winning five holes on the back nine to take a commanding lead into the afternoon round. Dunn-Bohls continued playing near-flawless golf and eventually closed it out on the 33rd hole, only losing four holes across the match to win 4 & 3 over Dee, and clinch her first Women’s Amateur title.

At the same time, she was excelling at the collegiate level at Florida International University (FIU), where she was named an Academic All-American in 1993, and a Second-Team All-American in 1993 and 1994.

Though it took 244 starts before she would clinch her first professional victory, in 1994, Dunn-Bohls qualified for the LPGA Tour on her first attempt, beginning a professional career that spanned nearly two decades. 

Her perseverance paid off in 2004 when she won the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic, her lone victory on Tour. In a remarkable twist, Dunn-Bohls credited a $300 putter she spotted at a local discount shop the night before the event for sparking the confidence that propelled her to a two-stroke victory. 

Throughout her LPGA career, Dunn-Bohls competed in more than 300 events with several top-10 finishes, earning $2.5 million over a 20-year period. After her playing days, she spent summers coaching at Cedar Lake Club in New York, and winters working with players in Florida.

In recognition of her accomplishments, Dunn-Bohls was inducted into the Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame in 2019, an honor celebrating both her local roots and her national impact on the sport.

Career Highlights

• New York State Golf Association

• 3x NYSGA Women’s Amateur Champion (1992, 1993, 1994)

• NYSGA Girls’ Junior Amateur Champion (1989)

• National Amateur Competitions

• Winner, Women’s Western Amateur Champion (1992)

• Runner-up, Doherty Championship (1993)

• Collegia Golf at Florida International University

• Second-Team All-American 1993-94

• Academic All-American 1993

• LPGA Tour

• Qualified for the LPGA Tour on her first attempt

• Won the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic (2004)

• $2,519,237 in career earnings on the LPGA Tour

• Inducted into the Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame 2019

• Spends time teaching golf at the Cedar Lake Club (summer) and Tampa area (winter)