Third-year professional KATHLEEN EKEY of Sharon Township, Ohio, led or chased fellow pro LISA FERRERO for most of the season for top honors as the LPGA Futures Tour’s Player of the Year. Ekey closed the deal last Sunday at the conclusion of the tour’s season at the Price Chopper Tour Championship in Albany, N.Y.
The distinction as the tour’s top player places her alongside other former Futures Tour Players of the Year, including GRACE PARK, LORENA OCHOA, STACY PRAMMANASUDH, SONG-HEE KIM, VICKY HURST and CINDY LACROSSE.
“That’s an unbelievable crowd and to finish in the same category with such great players makes me just want to keep getting better,” said Ekey, who played collegiately at the University of Alabama.
Ekey won twice this season, posting victories at the Ladies Titan Tire Challenge in Marion, Iowa, and at the Alliance Bank Golf Classic in Syracuse, N.Y. She also posted seven top-10 finishes in 16 events, finishing first on the season money list with earnings of $66,412.
Ekey said a turning point for her in the 2011 season was when her grandmother passed away in April during the tour’s tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla.
“I wanted to win that tournament so bad for her and when I didn’t, I was really disappointed,” said Ekey. “My mom said, ‘Kathleen, it’s not just about what you do in one tournament; it’s about what you do during the entire season.’ She was right and that’s what I changed my focus to do.”
Ekey led the tour in sub-par holes (158 in 44 rounds), greens in regulation (81 percent), eagles (five), and birdies (153 in 44 rounds).
Ekey was presented with a crystal trophy, courtesy of Prize Possessions, the Official Trophy Provider of the LPGA Futures Tour. (Prize Possessions also provided the trophies for the tour’s top rookie and Heather Wilbur Spirit Award presentations.)
Sydnee Michaels Is Tour’s 2011 Gaelle Truet Rookie Of The Year
Rookie SYDNEE MICHAELS of Temecula, Calif., jumped into the top five in her third tournament this year on the LPGA Futures Tour and never looked back. By season’s end, she had collected five top-10 finishes in 15 events to earn top honors as the Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year.
“It’s definitely an accomplishment and I kept track of the rookie race,” said Michaels, 22, who played collegiately at UCLA. “I’m in great company with past recipients of the rookie award and I’m honored to be among them. I hope to take that momentum into next season on the LPGA.”
Michaels not only won the 2011 rookie race, but she also won her last two LPGA Futures Tour tournaments, capturing wins at the Vidalia Championship in Vidalia, Ga., and at last week’s season-ending Price Chopper Tour Championship in Albany, N.Y. She was one of three two-time winners this season on the Futures Tour.
The Californian also earned 2012 LPGA Tour membership by finishing fourth on the season money list with earnings of $56,232. She posted a second-best tour scoring average of 71.233 for 2011, was second in sub-par rounds at 49 percent, and was third in sub-par holes with 150 in 43 rounds.
In addition, Michaels was third in putting average (28.976 putts per round) and third in birdies (149 in 43 rounds).
“I’m very honored to receive this award,” said Michaels. “There were a lot of very talented players in my rookie class this year.”
Izzy Beisiegel Voted By Peers As Winner Of Heather Wilbur Award
Veteran Canadian pro IZZY BEISIEGEL of St. Hilaire, Quebec was named as the 2011 recipient of the Heather Wilbur Spirit Award. The award is presented to an LPGA Futures Tour player who best exemplifies dedication, courage, perseverance, love of the game and spirit toward achieving goals as a professional golfer. The annual recipient is nominated by her Futures Tour peers.
“I’m really humbled by this and I certainly didn’t expect it,” said Beisiegel. “Through all the adversities, I couldn’t have done what I have done without the prayers and support from my friends and peers.”
Beisiegel launched her professional career on the Futures Tour in 2002-2003, before earning LPGA Tour membership from 2004-2007. Her best finish on the Futures Tour was second place at the 2003 Lima Memorial Hospital Foundation Futures Classic in Lima, Ohio, and her best LPGA finish was a tie for seventh at the 2004 LPGA Kellogg-Keebler Classic.
The former University of Oklahoma player and Canadian National Team member posted three top-10 finishes this season with a tie for 5th at the Pennsylvania Classic in Harrisburg, Pa. She also became the first woman to qualify for the (men’s) Canadian Tour earlier this year. In addition, she finished the season as the Futures Tour’s longest hitter, averaging 264.661 yards in driving distance.
Beisiegel, 32, was diagnosed in 2005 with a thyroid condition called Graves Disease. As she was treated for the condition, she put down her clubs for nearly one year. But even as she worked in Oklahoma as a financial advisor and volunteer at The First Tee program, the Canadian decided she was not finished with her career. She returned to the Futures Tour in 2010 and began working her way back to tournament form.
“Isabelle embodies the characteristics to win this award, while being very gracious,” said last year’s Wilbur Award winner MO MARTIN, who also nominated Beisiegel for the 2011 honor. “It is impressive how she has been able to balance an additional career in business, as well as a dedicated marriage. Although her unprecedented success in qualifying for the men’s Canadian Tour is equally impressive, it has been her grace in the times she has failed ... and her steady determination to continue that is the most impressive and deserving of this award.”
Beisiegel knew Wilbur and played golf with her on the Canadian Junior National Team.
“Looking back, 2003 was the year I earned my card for the LPGA Tour,” she said. “That was the same year Heather passed away.”
The Futures Tour established a player award in October 2003, in honor of four-year Futures Tour member HEATHER WILBUR of Moncton, New Brunswick. The Canadian professional lost an 11-month battle to Acute Myelogenic Leukemia (AML) at the age of 27. She joined the Futures Tour in 2000. Wilbur was named as the first recipient of the award in October 2003, prior to her death.
LPGA Futures Tour Players Honored And Awarded At Ceremony
Several members of the LPGA Futures Tour picked up some post-season awards for the 2011 season following last week’s final tournament, the Price Chopper Tour Championship in Albany, N.Y. They were:
Low Round of the Week at the Price Chopper Tour Championship: MESHA LEVISTER of Louisburg, N.C., for her 7-under-par score of 63 in the second round. She was awarded a sterling silver bracelet from Hannoush Jewelers in Albany, N.Y.
Penske Driving Challenge Awards: Penske Driving Accuracy Advantage – ASHLEY PRANGE of Noblesville, Ind., who averaged hitting 12.8 fairways per round; and Penske Total Driving Experience – KATHLEEN EKEY of Sharon Township, Ohio, who hit an average of 11.8 fairways per round while averaging a driving distance of 261.45 yards off the tee. Each player won $500 cash and a trophy, provided by Prize Possessions.
CHAMP Spikes’ “Last CHAMP Standing” Match-Play Contest:
TZU-CHI LIN of Chinese Taipei and SOPHIA SHERIDAN of Guadalajara, Mexico advanced into the championship for this year’s “Last CHAMP Standing” Match Play Contest. The two players had planned to play their match last week, but because the course was closed for two days due to heavy rain and flooding, the final match was declared a draw. The two players were each awarded $1,500 for reaching the championship round.
PeakVision:
For her final-round low score of 5-under 65, SYDNEE MICHAELS of Temecula, Calif., was the recipient of a pair of PeakVision patented Dual-Zone lens sunglasses designed specifically for golfers. The “Official Sunglass of LPGA Futures Tour,” PeakVision provided sunglasses for the season-long promotion for the Sunday Low Round Award. Michaels moved from a tie for sixth after 36 holes to win the Price Chopper Tour Championship with her total score of 8-under 202.
Michaels Wins Season-Ending Price Chopper Tour Championship
Rookie SYDNEE MICHAELS grabbed a win last week at the LPGA Futures Tour’s season-ending $120,000 Price Chopper Tour Championship presented by SEFCU. It was a back-to-back victory for the Californian, who won three weeks ago in Vidalia, Ga.
Michaels carded a final-round 5-under 65 to win by one shot at 8-under 202 on the rain-soaked course at Capital Hills at Albany.
“I knew I was playing well, but there was still a lot of pressure in the final tournament,” said Michaels, 22, of Temecula, Calif. “My caddie said, ‘Let’s just go have a blast today,’ and that’s what we did. I’m on Cloud 15.”
Michaels earned $16,800 for her victory and grabbed honors as the LPGA Futures Tour’s Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year. She became the tour’s third two-time winner this season with five top-10 finishes, including finishes of first or second in her last four events for a solid conclusion to her first year as a pro.
The rookie from UCLA carded four consecutive birdies on holes 5 through 8, nearly acing the 153-yard par-3 seventh hole with a shot that landed one inch from the hole. She added a fifth birdie from four feet on the 14th hole. Michaels cruised through her bogey-free round hitting 14 greens and rolling in 27 putts after starting the day four shots off the lead.
Michaels edged out JESSI GEBHARDT, 25, of Chandler, Ariz., who also posted a final-round score of 65 for her career-best, runner-up finish of 7-under 203. Three-time tournament winner MO MARTIN, 28, of Altadena, Calif., carded a 3-under 67 to finish third at 5-under 205.
Tied for fourth at 4-under 206 was HANNA KANG (68) of Seoul, South Korea, ANGELA BUZMINSKI (72) of Oshawa, Ontario, and JACKIE BARENBORG (73) of Vero Beach, Fla.
Last week’s season-ending tournament was hampered when nine inches of rain fell in 10 days. Flooding of swollen creeks and rivers forced tour officials to make modifications to the fifth hole at Capital Hills.
With eight feet of water rendering the fairway unplayable, the par-4 fifth hole was converted into a par 3, with a “tee” mowed on the highest possible spot of the fifth fairway. That hole modification changed Capital Hills to a par-70 course.
Michaels finished the year in fourth place on the 2011 LPGA Futures Tour’s money list with earnings of $56,232. Her top-five finish allowed her to earn full 2012 LPGA Tour membership.
“J Golf Race For the Card” Concluded In New York
The LPGA Futures Tour’s annual “J Golf Race For the Card” concluded last week at the Price Chopper Tour Championship in Albany, N.Y., presented by SEFCU.
The “J Golf Race For the Card” charted movement on the Tour’s 2011 season money list as players competed to finish as the top-10 money winners. Players who finished in the top 10 at the conclusion of the season earned membership on the 2012 LPGA Tour.
Last week’s winner, SYDNEE MICHAELS of Temecula, Calif., jumped from No.5 to No. 4 on the money list. Her win was her second consecutive victory and it came in the tour’s last tournament of the year. In two events, she improved from 13th to fifth, to fourth on the season money list.
Veteran pro JENNY GLEASON of Clearwater, Fla., improved from No. 11 to No. 9, while second-year pro JACKIE BARENBORG of Vero Beach, Fla., jumped from 18th to 12th in the final tournament.
Second-year pro JESSI GEBHARDT of Chandler, Ariz., made the biggest jump up the money list, improving from 79th to 26th.
At the conclusion of the Price Chopper Tour Championship, players moving into the top 10 spots on the money list to earn 2012 LPGA membership are as follows:
1. KATHLEEN EKEY of Sharon Township, Ohio, $66,412; 2. LISA FERRERO of Lodi, Calif., $58,808; 3. MO MARTIN of Altadena, Calif., $58,218; 4. SYDNEE MICHAELS of Temecula, Calif., $56,232; 5.JANE RAH of Torrance, Calif., $46,669; 6. TIFFANY JOH of San Diego, Calif., $37,566; 7. VALENTINE DERREY of Paris, France, $34,572; 8. HANNA KANG of Seoul, South Korea, $32,992; 9. JENNY GLEASON of Clearwater, Fla., $30,331; and 10. TZU-CHI LIN of Chinese Taipei, $29,861.
In addition to the players who earned 2012 LPGA membership, the following non-LPGA members advanced directly into the LPGA’s Final Qualifying Tournament. They are: MALLORY BLACKWELDER of Versailles, Ky.; JESSI GEBHARDT of Chandler, Ariz.’ VERONICA FELIBERT of Caracas, Venezuela; BRITTANY JOHNSTON of Akron, Ohio; CARA FREEMAN of San Tan Valley, Ariz.; CATHRYN BRISTOW of Auckland, New Zealand; YU-LING HSIEH of Chinese Taipei; ASHLEY PRANGE of Noblesville, Ind.; LEAH WIGGER of Louisville, Ky.; DAWN SHOCKLEY of Estes Park, Colo.; JACKIE BARENBORG of Vero Beach, Fla., and SOPHIA SHERIDAN of Guadalajara, Mexico.
(Final) Quote Of The Week
“I’m kind of delaying my return home because it’s in the middle of hay season.”
- Said LPGA Futures Tour rookie WHITNEY NEUHAUSER of Charlottesville, Va., whose family owns a 980-acre cattle farm in Virginia.
