PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla., March 31, 2010 – LPGA and World Golf Hall of Fame member Judy Rankin has been named the recipient of the 2010 EWGA Leadership Award and will receive her honor on Wednesday evening, April 13 at the 2011 EWGA Golfpalooza (formerly known as the EWGA Conference) being held at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort in Amelia Island, Florida.
A regular Golf Channel, ABC and ESPN analyst and on-course reporter, Rankin is considered the authority of women’s golf on the airwaves. A 26-time winner on the LPGA Tour, its leading money winner in both 1976 and 1977, and player of the year in 1977, Judy was the first-ever female player to cross the $100,000 earnings mark in one season. She was the LPGA’s Rolex Player of the Year in 1976 and ’77 and won the Vare Trophy for low scoring average in 1973, 1976, and 1977. In 1977, she set an LPGA record of 25 top-ten finishes in a season, a record that still stands today. Chronic back problems curtailed Rankin’s stellar career, forcing her into full retirement in 1983. Since retiring from the sport, she has remained active in golf as a commentator and is well known for her insightful commentary.
In 1999, Rankin was awarded the Patty Berg Award by the LPGA and the Richardson Award by the Golf Writers Association of America for outstanding service to the game of golf. For all of her personal accomplishments, the highlight of her golf career occurred in a non-playing capacity when she captained the United States Solheim Cup team to victory in 1996 and 1998. Judy was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2000.
“What an exciting start to our 20th anniversary celebration at the 2011 Golfpalooza. We are so pleased to be able to honor Judy, a true trailblazer for women’s golf,” says Pam Swensen, CEO of the EWGA. “We look forward to her sharing some of the highlights of her outstanding career as a player and now as one of the few female golf reporters on TV.”
The EWGA presents its annual Leadership Award to recognize individuals who have made longtime and outstanding contributions to women’s golf by paving the way for female golfers – whose dedication to the game has inspired others to follow in their footsteps. Past honorees have included Patty Berg, Peggy Kirk Bell, Judy Bell, Judy Dickinson, Michelle McGann, Alice Dye, Kathy Whitworth, Shirley Spork, Marlene Hagge, Renee Powell, Golf For Women Magazine, Linda Vollstedt, Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott, M.G. Orender, Zayra Calderon, Cindy Davis, and the 2009 recipient, Annika Sorenstam.
The 2011 EWGA Golfpalooza is a four-day event packed with fun golf tournaments for players of all skill levels, a star studded lineup of renowned speakers and instructors, golf instruction opportunities, new product demonstrations and shopping marketplace, parties and social events, awards, recognition and learning opportunities for EWGA chapter volunteers, and more.
Since its founding in 1991 as the Executive Women’s Golf Association, the EWGA has enriched the lives of more than 100,000 women connecting them to learn, play, and enjoy golf for business and fun. This association delivers a wide range of golf, social and networking activities for both new and experienced golfers at chapters throughout the United States and international chapters in Canada. The EWGA is headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. For more information, see www.ewga.com
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