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Southern California PGA

Southern California PGA Foundation to Host Youth Golf Club Donation Ceremony

The event will be hosted at the Wilshire Country Club to Benefit Junior Golfers in Partnership With The Friends of Golf.
 
ONTARIO, CA (APRIL, 11th, 2023) The Southern California PGA Foundation (SCPGA) and the Friends of Golf (FOG) will be holding a ClubsForeYouth® Golf Club Donation Ceremony on Monday, April 24th, 2023, at Wilshire Country Club. The ceremony will provide nine underprivileged girls living in South Los Angeles with golf resources, including clubs, bags, and other equipment. In addition to equipment, the SCPGA Foundation is also granting instruction fees with local PGA Professional Dave Wurzer and instructor Doo Kang.  The SCPGA Foundation has already given away over 800 sets of golf clubs to at-risk youth, and this year’s event promises to be even more successful.
 
The ClubsForeYouth® event is part of the SCPGA Foundation’s ongoing commitment to providing opportunities for young people to learn and play the game of golf. The event brings together golfers, coaches, and volunteers from across Southern California to support junior golfers who may not have the resources to participate in the sport. By providing equipment and instruction, the event aims to encourage young people to develop their skills and pursue their passion for golf.
 
“We are thrilled to be hosting a ClubsForeYouth® event at Wilshire Country Club during the LPGA TOUR’s LA Championship week. This club donation brings awareness to the incredible work the SCPGA Foundation does to provide the next generation of golfers resources they need to participate in the game of golf,” said SCPGA President, Eric Lohman, PGA. “Golf is a sport that teaches important life skills, including discipline, focus, and perseverance, and we believe that every child should have the opportunity to learn and enjoy the game. We are grateful to the Wilshire Country Club for hosting us and to our generous partners at Friends of Golf for their support of this initiative. We look forward to making a positive impact on the lives of young people across Southern California at this event and beyond.”
 
The ClubsForeYouth® Golf Club donation ceremony promises to be a great success, and it is expected to have a positive impact on the lives of young golfers across Southern California with support from FOG, SCPGA partner Lag Shot, who is providing financial support and donating youth golf training aids, and Wilshire Country Club’s PGA Director of Golf, Rick Rielly and LPGA Teaching Professional Gina Umeck. The event is a testament to the generosity and community spirit of the golfing community, and it demonstrates the power of sport to bring people together for a good cause. Special guests in attendance will be SCPGA Foundation Chair, Tony Ledendre, PGA, plus FOG representative John Hoffman.
 
Upon conclusion of the ceremony, players will be invited to the driving range for a private group clinic hosted by LPGA Tour Professional Andrea Lee and LPGA Professional Gina Umeck, where they will be able to put their brand-new golf clubs to immediate use.
 
For more information on the event, or if you are a member of the media who would like to attend, please contact the Southern California PGA Foundation at info@scpga.com.
 
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PGA
The Southern California Section was established in 1924 and today is comprised of nearly 1,700 golf Professionals working at over 500 facilities within the Section. The mission of the Southern California Section (SCPGA) mirrors the purpose of the PGA of America: To promote the enjoyment and involvement in the game of golf and to contribute to its growth by providing services to golf professionals and the golf industry. For more information on the Southern California PGA, visit scpga.com, follow @scpga on Twitter, Instagram, and find us on Facebook

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Ben Hogan Award

Ryan Palmer to be Featured Guest at 2023 Ben Hogan Award

FORT WORTH, Texas (April 21, 2023) – Longtime PGA TOUR star and Texas Golf Hall of Fame member Ryan Palmer will be the featured guest at this year’s Ben Hogan Award presented by PNC Bank. Palmer joins Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa as active PGA TOUR stars to serve as a dinner speaker in the past five years.
 
Palmer, 46, has spent two decades on the PGA TOUR since his rookie season of 2004. He owns four career victories and has amassed more than $32 million in career earnings. Palmer also has claimed 11 runner-up finishes and 68 career top-10s. He finished 10th at the 2011 Masters Tournament and tied for fifth at the 2014 PGA Championship.
 
Palmer, a member of Colonial Country Club, was inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He also received the 2022 Arnie Award, Golf Digest’s highest honor, for his charitable endeavors.
 
He and his family established the Ryan Palmer Foundation in 2003 to create life-changing and brighter futures for communities and underserved families by offering access to education, self-care and personal development. Initiatives include aiding in dental care, the Ryan Palmer Foundation Healing Garde, Palmer Playhouse and the Palmer Sportszone at Children’s Hospital of Northwest Texas, grants for children to participate in junior golf tournaments at no cost and supporting the Northern Texas PGA Foundation’s Golf Park at PGA Frisco.
 
“We are truly honored to get the chance to hear from Ryan at this year’s dinner,” Harold Muckleroy, the Chairman of the Ben Hogan Award, said. “He is certainly an all-time golf great in the state of Texas and a wonderful ambassador for the game of golf.”
 
Born and raised in Amarillo, Texas, he played college golf at the University of North Texas for one year before transferring to Texas A&M University for his final three years, where he was a three-time All-Big 12 honoree. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two children, Mason and Maddy.
 
The Ben Hogan Award presented by PNC Bank annually awards the top men’s NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA college golfer based on all collegiate, amateur and professional events over the previous 12 months. The award’s 10 semifinalists were announced on Monday while the three Finalists will be named on Thursday, May 4.
 
The three Finalists will attend the black-tie dinner Monday, May 22, at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, where the winner will be crowned. In addition, the recipient of the 2023 Eddie Merrins Award, TCU coach Bill Montigel, will also be honored at the dinner.
 
For ticket information, contact Jimmie Whitt at (817) 927-4289 or jwhitt@colonialfw.com.
 
www.TheBenHoganAward.org

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Ben Hogan Award

Semifinalists announced for 2023 Ben Hogan Award presented by PNC Bank

FORT WORTH, Texas (April 17, 2023) – The Ben Hogan Award committee, Friends of Golf (FOG) and Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) are pleased to present the 10 semifinalists for the 2023 Ben Hogan Award presented by PNC Bank.
 
The 10 contenders, listed in alphabetical order, are Ludvig Aberg of Texas Tech, Texas A&M’s Sam Bennett, Adrien Dumont de Chassart of Illinois, North Carolina’s David Ford, Nick Gabrelcik of North Florida, North Carolina’s Austin Greaser, Christo Lamprecht of Georgia Tech, Pepperdine’s William Mouw, Gordon Sargent of Vanderbilt and Stanford’s Michael Thorbjornsen.
 
The Ben Hogan Award presented by PNC Bank annually awards the top men’s NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA college golfer based on all collegiate, amateur and professional events over the previous 12 months. Three of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking—Masters champion and World No. 1 Jon Rahm (2015, 2016), No. 4 Patrick Cantlay (2012) and No. 9 Viktor Hovland (2019)—are past recipients of the honor.
 
Five seniors, three juniors and two sophomores comprise the list of semifinalists. Aberg was the 2022 Ben Hogan Award recipient, while Bennett was a Finalist for the award last year. Aberg (2021, 2022), Bennett (2021, 2022), Gabrelcik (2021), Mouw (2020) and Thorbjornsen (2022) have previously been recognized as semifinalists.
 
The Atlantic Coast Conference leads the way with three semifinalist honorees, while the Southeastern Conference (2) is the only other league with multiple honorees. Three of the universities represented by semifinalists—Pepperdine, Stanford and Texas Tech—are home to past Hogan Award winners at Colonial.
 
On Thursday, May 4, the 10 semifinalists will be pared down to three Finalists. The Finalists will attend a black-tie dinner Monday, May 22, at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, where the winner will be crowned. The winner will receive an exemption into the PGA TOUR’s 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge, played annually at Colonial.
 
The award’s selection committee, which votes during each stage of the process, is made up of nearly three dozen leaders and experts in professional, amateur and collegiate golf both domestically and internationally. In addition, past recipients will be eligible to vote on the final ballot.
 
The Ben Hogan Award presented by PNC Bank began honoring the outstanding amateur collegiate golfer at Colonial Country Club in 2002. Prior to its move to Fort Worth, the original Ben Hogan Trophy, which utilized a different set of criteria for its winner, was issued at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles beginning in 1990.
 
Hogan Award winners at Colonial have combined to accumulate 78 worldwide victories, including 57 PGA TOUR wins, and have amassed more than $390 million in prize money on the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour. Additionally, the group has appeared in 12 Ryder Cups, a dozen Presidents Cups and won two FedExCup championships.
 
In addition to Aberg, Cantlay, Hovland and Rahm, past recipients include: Ricky Barnes (2003), Matt Every (2006), Rickie Fowler (2008), Doug Ghim (2018), Bill Haas (2004), Chris Kirk (2007), Hunter Mahan (2003), Maverick McNealy (2017), Ryan Moore (2005), John Pak (2021), Patrick Rodgers (2014), Kyle Stanley (2009), Nick Taylor (2010), Sahith Theegala (2020), D.J. Trahan (2002), Peter Uihlein (2011) and Chris Williams (2013).
 
Since 2002, the Ben Hogan Award presented by PNC Bank has distributed over $900,000 in scholarships and donations to more than 30 universities and charities. For more information, visit TheBenHoganAward.org and follow @BenHoganAward on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
 
2023 Ben Hogan Award Semifinalists
Ludvig Aberg, Texas Tech, Sr., Eslov, Sweden
Sam Bennett, Texas A&M, Sr., Madisonville, Texas
Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Illinois, Sr., Villers la Ville, Belgium
David Ford, North Carolina, So., Peachtree Corners, Ga.
Nick Gabrelcik, North Florida, Jr., Trinity, Fla.
Austin Greaser, North Carolina, Sr., Vandalia, Ohio
Christo Lamprecht, Georgia Tech, Jr., George, Western Cape, South Africa
William Mouw, Pepperdine, Sr., Chino, Calif.
Gordon Sargent, Vanderbilt, So., Birmingham, Ala.
Michael Thorbjornsen, Stanford, Jr., Wellesley, Mass.

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