Blumenherst selected as back-to-back winner of Dinah Shore Trophy Award
BALTIMORE, Md., May 22, 2009 - Duke University's Amanda Blumenherst has once again been selected as the recipient of the 2009 Dinah Shore Trophy Award. Administered by The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Foundation, the award was presented to Blumenherst earlier this evening during the annual National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) Division I Women's Collegiate Golf Awards Banquet held at the Crowne Plaza in Baltimore, Md.
The Dinah Shore Trophy Award recognizes a female collegiate golfer who excels in both academics (3.2 on a 4.0 scale) and athletics - playing in at least 50 percent of the team's scheduled events - while maintaining a 78.00 or less scoring average. The nominees must also demonstrate outstanding leadership skills and community service. Blumenherst, also the 2008 Dinah Shore Trophy Award recipient, is a senior at Duke University, and will earn her degree in history, while she minors in English and theatre studies. A solid performer on and off the golf course, Blumenherst has maintained an impressive 3.807 grade point average (GPA), while sustaining a 72.86 scoring average this season.
As part of the Dinah Shore Trophy Award, Duke University's women's golf program will receive a $10,000 grant. The award and the grant are both funded through The LPGA Foundation's Dinah Shore Scholarship Fund and the Friends of Golf (FOG) organization.
Entering the final week of the 2009 collegiate golf season, Blumenherst brings with her a remarkable four-year career as part of Duke University's women's golf team. In 40 tournaments played, Blumenherst has recorded 34 top-10 finishes, including 28 top-5 finishes. With 12 career victories to her credit, which ties for the most wins in Duke Blue Devil history, Blumenherst has collected numerous Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and national awards, including being a three-time ACC Championship individual medalist. Starting with her ACC Freshman of the Year honor in 2006, Blumenherst has been named the Player of the Year and selected as an All-ACC First-Team member throughout her entire collegiate career. In addition, Blumenherst has been named Duke's 2009 ACC Senior Female Athlete of the Year.
Off the course, Blumenherst has been a role model for many in the Durham, N.C., community, and has shown the passion she has for helping others. During her four years at Duke, Blumenherst has been an active member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and served on the executive board three of those years. She was also the lead organizer of Project Share, a Duke student-athlete-run program in which athletes ‘adopt' families at Christmas time and provide them with presents for the holidays. This past year, Blumenherst has played an active role in many initiatives, including Habitat for Humanity, Blue Devil Days - a panel of Duke student-athletes who help promote Duke athletics to prospective student-athletes -- and an event called MLK "Million Meals." This event allowed members of the women's golf team to help package meals to be sent world-wide for populations in need of hunger relief.
The Dinah Shore Trophy Award is a cooperative effort between The LPGA Foundation, FOG and the Kraft Nabisco Championship - one of the LPGA's four major championships and the largest contributor to the Dinah Shore Scholarship Fund.
The LPGA Foundation introduced the Dinah Shore Scholarship Fund in March of 1994 in honor of the late Dinah Shore, a graduate of Vanderbilt University and an honorary member of the LPGA and LPGA Tour Hall of Fame. Including this year's award, the Dinah Shore Trophy Award has contributed more than $114,000 to women's collegiate golf programs.
About the contributing organizations
Friends of Golf (FOG) is a fundraising organization founded and administered by Eddie Merrins, golf professional emeritus at Bel-Air Country Club in Beverly Hills, Calif. FOG contributes annually to collegiate, high school and junior golf programs throughout the country, and Dinah Shore was considered the "First Lady" of FOG.
A part of the LPGA Tour since 1972, the Kraft Nabisco Championship was designated as a major in 1983. Three-time champion Amy Alcott began a winner's tradition of jumping into the lake at the 18th hole after her victory in 1991. The event was called the Colgate Dinah Shore from 1972-81 and the Nabisco Dinah Shore from 1982-99. Dinah Shore's legacy and heritage is preserved with the "Dinah Shore Walk of Champions" at the 18th hole at Mission Hills Country Club. In addition, a statue of Dinah Shore, serving as the walk's focal point, was created by noted sculptor George Montgomery, who was Shore's former husband. The tournament's trophy is called the Dinah Shore Trophy.
Established in 1991, The LPGA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to empowering and supporting girls and women through developmental and humanitarian golf initiatives. Key funding priorities include: junior golf programs; scholarships and the Dolores Hope LPGA Financial Assistance Initiative for those in the golf industry. The LPGA Foundation is supported by corporate and private donations, foundation grants and contributions from LPGA members. For more information on how to contribute to The LPGA Foundation, please contact LPGA headquarters, 100 International Golf Drive, Daytona Beach, FL 32124, or by phone, 386.274.6200.
Topics: Press Release, Blumenherst, Amanda
