LPGA hands out awards as it celebrates a banner year

Ron Sirak

Tuesday, Dec. 17, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

NEW YORK -- The way the tears mixed with the cheers at the LPGA awards luncheon gave vivid testimony to what a great year it was for women's golf.

Laura Davies was player of the year, Annika Sorenstam had the lowest scoring average and Karrie Webb was rookie of the year and leading money winner. But the strides the LPGA made as an organization and the gains it made for women in sport were the true success story of the year.

"The result of 1996 very simply is more," said Jim Ritts, finishing his first year as LPGA commissioner. "We are the more tour -- more events, more money, playing in front of more people and raising more for charity."

One of those charities -- the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation -- on Monday presented its award for promoting early detection of breast cancer to Titleist and Footjoy Worldwide for a public service spot it produced.

Another award, the Michelob Light Front Runner Award, went to 17-year veteran Patty Sheehan of Reno and produced a touching speech that put the success of the LPGA Tour into perspective.

"Take advantage," Sheehan said, "but don't take it for granted. Remember where we came from, remember those women so long ago. And remember to enjoy the journey because the destination is not always as good as we think."

Women's golf made great strides in 1996 toward parity with the men's game. Webb not only became the first women to win a $1 million in a season, but also was the first rookie -- male or female -- to win $1 million.

And Ritts, the energetic new commissioner, added four new tournaments for 1997 and boosted prize money by nearly 20 percent.

Another moving moment came with the presentation of the Heather Farr Award, named for the LPGA player who died in 1994. It goes to the player who overcame obstacles and went this year to Martha Nause, who fought back from Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, a stress-related virus that damaged her sense of balance.

"With all my heart," Sharon Farr said, choking back the tears as she thought of the daughter she lost to breast cancer, "I wish there were no Heather Farr Award. That would mean she were still with us."

Those simple words, spoken with courage and honesty as Farr presented the award to Nause, set a tone for the annual LPGA awards luncheon.

That award could have easily gone to all the women who endured the early days of the LPGA to see it blossom. This was the most successful year in history of the tour -- one of the few places where women can draw meaningful paychecks as athletes.

In addition to the Rolex awards to Davies and Webb, the Vare Trophy to Sorenstam and the honors to Nause, Sheehan and Titleist, other winners were:

The Ellen Griffin Rolex Award for teaching pros went to Ann Casey Johnstone; the Commissioner's Award for those to further women's golf went to JCPenney chairman William R. Howell, the Budget Service Award went to Shirley Furlong for her work with the Bluebonnet Youth Ranch for abused and neglected children, and the Paul Arpin Van Lines Year-en Move of the Month Award went to Pamela Wright.