Rancho Mirage, Calif., April 2, 2008 – Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) member Sandy LaBauve has been selected as the 2008 honoree of the Rolex For the Love of the Game Award. The award honors individuals who have made significant contributions and a commitment to promoting women’s golf. Honorees are selected by a committee that includes representatives from Rolex, the LPGA and the Kraft Nabisco Championship. LaBauve was honored at last night’s Kraft Nabisco Championship Gala, where she received a Rolex timepiece to commemorate the occasion.
“Rolex has a great admiration for Sandy LaBauve and her accomplishments in mentoring and teaching the next generation of junior players,” said Rolex Vice President, Director of Communications Peter Nicholson. “Rolex recognizes the future of the game is dependent on successful junior programs like LPGA-USGA Girls Golf. Sandy’s love of the game becomes a special gift for others.”
LaBauve, a Class A member of the LPGA and the PGA of America, is synonymous with girls golf. In 1989, she led the way to introducing the game to girls in a girls-only environment in Phoenix. Inspired by her mother, Sherry Lumpkin, a junior girls golf program was formed specifically to create a network for girls to learn to play golf, build friendships and sample competition in a non-competitive environment. The program was, and is, structured in a way to support success and empower girls with the self confidence needed to meet today’s challenges.
Today, LaBauve’s program is known as LPGA-USGA Girls Golf, a highly successful program that will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year. Girls Golf has reached more than 60,000 girls since 1989 and currently has 200 sites around the country. LPGA-USGA Girls Golf is organized as a partnership between the LPGA and the United States Golf Association (USGA).
“My mother always had a positive approach to the game and her creativity got me hooked on the game,” said LaBauve. “It was this inspiration that I wanted to share with young girls with the hope that they, too, could enjoy the game. I am thrilled to see how the program has grown in the last two decades and I am incredibly honored to be recognized by Rolex with this award. I truly love this game and am thrilled to share my passion with golfers of all ages who are interested in taking up the game.”
LaBauve was won numerous awards during her career. She was named as one of the top-100 instructors in the country by GOLF Magazine (1991-2007), one of the top-50 instructors by Golf for Women magazine, 1991 Western Section LPGA co-teacher of the year and the 2003 Linda Vollstedt Award for national contributions to women’s golf. She and her husband, Mike, are teaching professionals at Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz.
“Without Sandy’s vision and commitment to growing golf interest in junior golfers, the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Program wouldn’t be the success it is today,” said LPGA Commissioner Carolyn F. Bivens. “We are proud that Sandy is an LPGA member, celebrate her lifelong love of the game and are thrilled that Rolex has chosen to honor her with its Rolex For the Love of the Game award.”
About Rolex
Rolex of Geneva is one of the world’s foremost watchmakers, with an unrivalled reputation for quality craftsmanship. Since its inception in 1905, the privately owned company has introduced a series of revolutionary innovations, starting with the first truly waterproof watch, the Oyster, in 1926 and the first self-winding watch in 1931. To ensure the precision of the more than 170 Oyster models, each Rolex chronometer undergoes a year-long production process supported by rigorous quality-control procedures. Some 4,000 watchmakers – at Rolex headquarters in Geneva, at more than 20 international subsidiaries and at authorised Rolex dealers around the world – comprise an unparalleled after-sales service network, ensuring continued technical excellence. Chief Executive Officer Patrick Heiniger, the company’s third CEO since its creation, guides Rolex’s nearly 6,000 employees worldwide.
About the Ladies Professional Golf Association
As the longest-running women’s professional sports organization in the world, the LPGA features a membership comprised of world-class LPGA Tour professionals and dedicated Teaching and Club Professionals (T&CP). Today’s LPGA Tour features the most talented global sampling of professional athletes competing in 35 events on six continents with total prize money of more than $60 million. In addition to its dynamic Tour members, nearly 1,200 certified T&CP members serve the golf industry in teaching, coaching and management positions, and oversee programs aimed at increasing the involvement of women, girls and youth in golf. The not-for-profit LPGA’s Vision is to inspire, empower, educate and entertain by showcasing the best golf professionals in the world. Its Mission is to be a leader in the world of sports, to promote economic empowerment for all members, and to serve as role models on and off the course. The LPGA is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Fla. For more information on the LPGA, log on to www.LPGA.com.
Contact:
Peter Nicholson, Rolex, pnicholson@rolexusa.com, 212-758-7700
Connie Wilson, LPGA, connie.wilson@lpga.com, 386-274-6271
