Each winner earns a $5,000 college scholarship and a VIP experience at the LPGA Tour's season-ending CME Tour Championship
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Nov. 8, 2018 – Grace Lombardi, Bria Duvall and Sophia Lau have been selected as the 2018 winners of the LPGA Leadership Academy Scholarships, which are granted annually through The LPGA Foundation.
Lombardi, Duvall and Lau each received a $5,000 college scholarship and will enjoy a VIP ‘inside the LPGA’ experience at the LPGA Tour's season-ending CME Tour Championship, to be played next week at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, from Nov. 15-18. All three are alumnae of LPGA Leadership Academies, Lombardi and Duvall having attended in 2016 and Lau in 2017.
Lombardi, 18, a graduate of Mount Sophia Academy in Newark, Delaware, is attending the Rochester Institute of Technology where she plans to major in computing security. She hopes one day to work for NASA's Cybersecurity Services, or for another federal agency.Lombardi played on her high school golf team for five years, serving as captain for the last four, and was the team's Most Valuable Player in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. She played in the High School Girls Golf Tournament in 2016 and 2018 and competed on the Philly Junior Golf Tour from 2015-2017.
Lombardi's scholarship was provided by The Turner Family Foundation, which honors Leslie Corrigan Turner, an avid golfer who made a significant contribution to the Twin Cities community through her lifetime commitment to volunteerism.
"I'm very impressed with the variety of leadership positions that Grace has assumed in sports, in academics and in other extracurricular activities, putting to use skills learned during the LPGA Leadership Academies," said Turner's daughter, Marcie Sullivan. "It is also fantastic that Grace finds time to give back by volunteering as a junior coach at the First Tee of Delaware, where she participated growing up, as well as volunteering with Women Golfers Give Back."
Duvall, 18, a graduate of Windsor High School in Windsor, Colorado, is attending the University of Colorado where she is pursuing a degree in business with an emphasis on sports management.
She played on her varsity golf team for all four years and accumulated several awards, including Tri-Valley League All-Conference (2015), Tri-Valley League All-Conference Honorable Mention (2016) and Colorado High School Athletic Association Academic All-Conference (2017).
Duvall's scholarship was provided by Aon, a leading global professional services firm that provides a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions.
"Aon is thrilled to support empowering young women through the LPGA’s Leadership Academy and congratulates all the scholarship winners on their remarkable achievements," said Rachel Perry of Aon.
Lau, 17, a graduate of Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, Illinois, is attending the Carnegie Mellon University where she intends to pursue bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering or computer science. Her long-time goal is to work at either Google or Tesla where she would like to use her skills to further improve technology and lives.
Captain of her varsity golf team in 2016, Lau was Most Valuable Player that year as she also led her team to the Central Suburban League All-Conference title. A member of the Illinois Junior Golf Association (IJGA), the Mid-American Junior Golf Tour and the American Junior Golf Association, Lau was the 2016 Chick Evans Qualifiers Champion and placed second as the 2016 IJGA player of the year.
Lau's scholarship was provided by Acer, a global leader in computers, software and technology services.
"Acer is proud to provide this scholarship to Sophia, and we are excited for the great things she will accomplish in college and beyond," said Kim Phipps, Senior Director of Global Marketing and Brand for Acer. "Supporting today’s youth to become tomorrow’s leaders is an important part of our company culture as we seek to empower all people to make their mark on the world."
The LPGA Leadership Scholarship, granted to a female high school senior who is pursuing a college education in the United States, is designed to inspire, cultivate and support female undergraduates from diverse backgrounds to achieve their potential as future leaders.
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