Chief Petty Officer Laura Pirruccello has been named the 2024 Coast Guard Elite Female Athlete of the Year.
Pirruccello, 42, a piccolo player in the Coast Guard Band, became the first female golfer in Coast Guard history to qualify for the Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM) World Military Golf Championship last year. In addition, she claimed victories at numerous competitive tournaments, including the Connecticut State Golf Association and Connecticut Women’s Golf Association Tournament of Champions, besting 75 of the state's top female golfers.
Pirruccello said she was “shocked and honored” by the recognition. “My father taught me how to golf when I was nine – we did it to simply spend time together,” she said, adding that she’s only recently begun to think of herself as a competitive golfer.
Growing up, music had been her focus. “Flute and piccolo were what I excelled at,” she said. Even so, when she got music and academic scholarships to attend the University of North Texas, she was awarded a scholarship to play Division 1 golf there, as well. “Even in college, there were many aspects of golf I didn’t quite grasp,” she said.
That changed when she joined the Service. As a member of the band, Pirruccello shared the stage with the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City and music legends such as Beyonce, U2, and Bruce Springsteen. During her off hours, she hung out with her husband and two kids, joined Armed Forces Sports (AFS), and worked on her golf game. “Playing for the Coast Guard has broadened my horizons and made me realize where my game is weak,” Pirruccello said. “I’ve been able to compete with so many inspirational golfers. Over the last two years, I’ve made a lot of progress.”
One turning point was the humbling experience of working with a swing coach, Sue Cart of Stonington Country Club. “She watched my swing and said ‘okay, what part of that do you want to keep?’” Pirruccello said. “I kept nothing, rebuilt everything, and changed 30 years of bad habits.”
She started to see the impact of the changes when she placed third at last year’s U.S. Armed Forces Golf Championship. Pirruccello made the All-Armed Forces Team and was selected to represent the U.S. at the World Military Golf Championships in Zimbabwe.
Then came a massive setback.
“I was trying on my new Team USA uniforms for the tournament when I got a phone call from the coach saying it was not safe, so they were cancelling the trip,” she said. “I ‘d worked so hard and was in peak form. It was so disappointing.”
Rather than dwelling on it, Pirruccello found some state and other competitive tournaments to play in. “I had the best tournament scores of my life and was finally seeing the progress from my hard work,” she said. “My game was reaching another level.”
She carried that momentum into the new season. When MyCG caught up with Pirruccello, she was competing at the 2025 U.S. Armed Forces Golf Championship and in fourth place. But she noted she was in a different frame of mind than she’d been the previous year.
“Last year I qualified for Team USA and I was a nervous wreck,” she said. “A lot of the good players were not there. I felt like I snuck into that third position to go to Zimbabwe. This year I’m approaching it differently. Right now, I’m in fourth place and they’re taking four people. But if I don’t go that’s okay. I just need to stay composed and do my best. I’m holding my own with these women who are really fantastic and that feels great.”
Two days later, she was back in touch with the good news that she’d finished in fourth place and was going to the world championship in Kenya later this year.
“I’m thrilled,” she said. “The best part was sharing every shot with my dad and caddie. To share this together was priceless.”
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