Danielle Downey, professional golfer and Spencerport star, died in accident

Danielle Downey was one of those rare high school athletes whose talent seemed limitless.

One of the most decorated athletes in Spencerport High School history, Downey played on both the girls basketball team and the boys golf team in the 1990s.

She was named All-Greater Rochester in basketball and received the Spencerport Sports Booster Club Award and the Selendar Award as Senior Academic Athlete of the Year and Most Outstanding Senior Athlete.

“Danielle is one of the best student-athletes in our history at Spencerport,” former athletic director John Pelin said in a 2014 interview. “She was one of the most competitive and mentally strong athletes I have seen in my 35 years.”

Downey’s winning streak continued during her college years at Auburn University. She was the New York State Women’s Amateur champion three years in a row (1999-2001). During her time with the Tigers, she won three tournaments, including the 2000 SEC singles title, was named to the All-SEC team four times (first team three times), and led Auburn to SEC championships in 2000 and 2003, while her tied second place finish at the 2002 NCAA Championship is the best finish in school history. She also qualified for the match play portion of the tournament at the 2002 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarborough, defeating future LPGA star Paula Creamer 2-1 in the first round.

Downey turned professional in 2003 and played for several years on the Futures Tour – the developmental circuit of the LPGA Tour – and won the Lima Memorial Hospital Futures Golf Classic in 2004. She had seven top-10 finishes before finally earning her LPGA eligibility in 2006.

Downey struggled to compete at the highest level of women’s golf. She played parts of five seasons from 2006 to 2010 and earned just over $152,000. In 50 career LPGA starts, she made the cut 15 times and finished in the top 10 once, a tied fourth at the 2008 Bell Micro LPGA Classic.

After a stint as a caddie for other professionals, Downey returned to her alma mater in 2012, completed her degree, and filled in for head coach Kim Evans, who was battling cancer. She led the Auburn Tigers to the NCAA Championship, where they finished sixth, the team’s best tournament finish in eight years.

In 2013, Downey was named the school’s director of golf operations, overseeing both the men’s and women’s teams, handling things such as travel, equipment, the daily operations of the golf house, and other administrative duties.

“She was happy with her life and the direction it was taking, with her work at Auburn and her role on the team,” said Jon Hoecker, the head professional at Brook-Lea Country Club, where he coached Downey for about 15 years.

On January 30, 2014, Downey was killed in a car accident in Auburn at the age of 33. An Alabama State Police report later stated that she had been drinking with friends at a local restaurant the night of the accident.

“She was a special girl and it is tragic that her life ended this way,” Hoecker said.

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