ORLANDO, Fla., Feb 1, 2023) – Angela Stanford accomplished some mighty things during a career on the LPGA that stretched beyond two decades. She won seven times, including a long-awaited major championship at age 40 (2018 Evian Championship), and represented her country six times in the Solheim Cup. After a stint as a Solheim Cup assistant captain in 2021, she will again serve as an assistant on this year’s U.S. team in Spain, helping fellow Texan Stacy Lewis, the 2023 U.S. Solheim Cup captain.
Stanford may end up making her biggest impact off the golf course. With the Angela Stanford Foundation, established in 2012, Stanford has been awarding scholarships to young people whose lives have been impacted by having cancer, or by having loved ones diagnosed with the disease. Stanford’s life was rocked when she lost her mother last year to invasive lobular carcinoma, a form of breast cancer that is difficult to detect. Nan Stanford was diagnosed initially in 2009; nearly a decade later, her cancer returned. Angela has honored the memory of her mom by raising funds through her foundation that help send Texas students to college.
Stanford, 45, is the recipient of the Golf Writers Association of America’s prestigious 2022 Charlie Bartlett Award, given to a playing professional for “unselfish contributions to the betterment of society.” Stanford will be honored alongside other GWAA award winners at the 49th ISPS GWAA Dinner, to be held at Columbia County Performing Arts Center in Evans, Georgia, on Wednesday, April 5, on the eve of the Masters in Augusta.
In 2012, Stanford established the Angela Stanford Foundation to serve children and young adults around her home community in Fort Worth, Texas, whose families have been impacted by cancer. Had her mother been diagnosed when Angela still was in high school, she figures she likely would have put off heading to college, partly because those funds would be needed elsewhere. Stanford’s foundation already has awarded $465,000 in scholarships, with another class to be awarded this spring. More than 10 years in, some of the students aided by Stanford's foundation are now college graduates.
“It’s been rewarding watching the kids graduate and become a part of society,” Stanford told LPGA.com last fall. “I believe the entire purpose of this has been to give people hope. My dream is that someday when those young people graduate, they can say, ‘Somebody helped me. Now I want to give back. I’m going to help somebody else.’”
Just as Stanford has, which is why the GWAA chose to honor her with the Bartlett Award, named for the former Chicago Tribune writer who was the first secretary of the GWAA, serving for 21 years. Past recipients of this award include Lee Trevino, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Lee Elder, Patty Sheehan, Betsy King, Payne Stewart, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ernie Els, Lorena Ochoa, Morgan Pressel and Davis Love III. Renee Powell was the 2020 award recipient.
“I’m incredibly honored to receive the Charlie Bartlett Award,” Stanford said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent our scholarship recipients, board members and the community of individuals who continue to support all the families affected by cancer.
“I have always wanted to give back to my community. When my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, our mission became very clear. I’ve been amazed at the strength our scholarship recipients show in living a life affected by cancer. My mom lived with purpose, and I hope the Angela Stanford Foundation will continue to encourage others to find that purpose in their lives.”
Other award winners to be honored on April 5: Scottie Scheffler (2022 Male Player of the Year); Lydia Ko (Female Player of the Year); Steven Alker (Senior Player of the Year); Bob Ford (Richardson Award, for contributions to golf); Peter Jacobsen (ASAP Sports/Jim Murray Award, for cooperation with the media); Steve Stricker (Ben Hogan Award, active in golf despite a physical handicap or serious illness); and longtime Charlotte golf writer Ron Green Jr. (PGA of America Lifetime Achievement in Journalism).
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