Thanks to the generosity of the late Pete Lorentzen of Atlanta, current members of the Duramed FUTURES Tour, the official developmental tour of the LPGA, may apply for the first annual Pete Lorentzen LPGA Qualifying School Grant. The player named by an outside selection committee to receive the grant will be awarded the full entry fee for this year's LPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, plus $1,000 for travel expenses. Grant applicants must be members of the Duramed FUTURES Tour.
"Pete grew up playing golf and always loved the traditions of the sport," said Duramed FUTURES Tour alumna Courtney Swaim Trimble of Duluth, Ga., who played on the Tour from 2003-2005, and now serves as assistant women's golf coach at Auburn University. "He was a very gracious man and he was all about giving others the opportunity to live out their dreams."
Swaim Trimble met Lorentzen, a former executive for UPS, while she was playing on the Tour. She put together a sponsorship proposal and business plan and he agreed to sponsor the young pro. He once even caddied for the player in a Tour event when he had a broken hip.
"He believed in the [Duramed] FUTURES Tour and I think he would be very pleased about this grant," said Swaim Trimble. "He understood that it is a process and he also understood how difficult it is to have golf as a career."
When Lorentzen died suddenly three days after Christmas last year, his wife, Marsha Lorentzen, began exploring ways to honor the memory of the man who loved women's golf. His family decided to start the LPGA Q-School Grant this fall, holding a pro-am Nov. 3 in Atlanta, to raise money for the program.
For additional information and applications for the Pete Lorentzen LPGA Qualifying School Grant, please send inquiries to plqschool@gmail.com. Deadline for all applications is Aug. 15. The outside selection committee will review all applications and applicants will be notified if personal interviews are necessary. All interviews will be conducted by telephone. The winning grant recipient will be awarded on Sept. 6, 2009.
