Elmsford, NY (April 1, 2009)¡å»Louise Suggs, the first female inductee into the World Golf Hall of Fame and one of the 13 founders of the LPGA in 1950, will be recognized for her pioneering career achievements by the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association at their 58th National Awards Dinner on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. Suggs will receive the Gold Tee Award, the MGWA¡¯s highest honor.
Suggs enjoyed a brilliant amateur career before she turned professional in 1948. In 1947,
she won the U.S. Amateur Championship and the next year added the British Amateur Championship title and a U.S. Curtis Cup team selection to her resume. Suggs wasted no time making her mark as a pro and in the 1949 U.S. Women¡¯s Open she beat defending champion Babe Zaharias by 14 strokes, a victory margin that remains to this day a championship record. In fact, Suggs, who competed in 29 U.S. Women¡¯s Opens, has more top©five (14 times) and top©10 (19 times) finishes than anyone in the championship¡¯s history. Her other Women¡¯s Open win came in 1952 and she was runner©up on five occasions.
With a total of 58 professional victory credits, including 11 majors, Suggs has accrued many honors and accolades off the golf course. In 1966, she became the first woman ever elected to the Georgia Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2007, Suggs earned the USGA¡¯s Bob Jones Award, the association¡¯s highest honor that is bestowed on an individual in recognition of their distinguished sportsmanship in golf. Louise knew Bobby Jones well and she accompanied him on one of the last (if not the last) rounds that the legendary amateur played. In 2008, she was honored by the Golf Writers Association of America with the William D. Richardson Award for her consistent and outstanding contributions to golf.
Suggs served for three years as president of the LPGA (1955©1957) and in 2000 the association created the Louise Suggs Trophy, which is presented annually to the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year. In his foreword to Suggs¡¯ book, Par Golf for Women, Ben Hogan wrote: ¡°If I were to single out one woman in the world today as a model for any other woman aspiring to ideal golf form it would be Miss Suggs.¡±
Suggs joins an elite club of distinguished individuals who have received the Gold Tee Award that includes Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Phil Mickelson, Patty Berg, Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam.
The MGWA¡¯s National Awards Dinner is the largest (and longest running) golf dinner held annually in the U.S. All of golf¡¯s governing bodies actively support the dinner¡å»the USGA, PGA of America, the LPGA, PGA TOUR and Champions Tour¡å»and some 700 industry leaders and local golfers attend. Proceeds from the dinner are distributed to the Metropolitan (New York) area scholarship programs and the MGA Foundation. More than $950,000 has been raised over the years for charitable endeavors.
For advance table and ticket sales reservations or additional information, please contact Kate Keller at (914) 347©4653 or kkeller@mgagolf.org. Tickets also may be obtained online with a credit card at www.metgolfwriters.org.
Contact:
Pat Norton (203) 454©4401
