Tennessee Golf Foundation

Martindale, Stallings and Snedeker Win 2011 Rich & Conner Awards

 

In 2007, the Tennessee Golf Foundation (TGF) created an award to recognize the top performance by a Tennessee amateur or professional golfer in international, national, regional or state championship play. John Rich, a founding board member of the TGF, endowed the award which grants the recipient a gift of $2,500 to the winner's favorite Tennessee golf charity.

 

Past winners have been Champions Tour player Loren Roberts of Memphis (gift to West TN junior golf); former PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Brandt Snedeker of Nashville (The First Tee of Nashville); two-time USGA Mid Amateur champion Tim Jackson of Memphis (Chattanooga The First Tee juniors tickets to the men's NCAA banquet at the Honors Course) and PGA TOUR rookie Scott Stallings of Knoxville (to create the 2012 East-West Jr. Cup Matches).

After deliberation for the 2011 awards by the selection committee, Mr. Rich agreed to expand the award to the top professional golf performance and also to the top amateur golf performance. John's name will now be on the professional golfer award and he has designated his long time golf friend and Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame member Judge Lewis H. Conner, Jr. of Nashville to have the amateur winner be named in his honor. Both winners will receive $2,500 to direct to their golf charity.

The 2011 recipient of the Lew Conner Award is Kendall Martindale, while the John Rich Award has co-recipients, Scott Stallings and Brandt Snedeker. Listed below are the nominees along with a summary of their accomplishments.

 

Nominations for the Lew Conner Amateur Award included:

- Chattanooga's Brooke Pancake, the University of Alabama's top player, reached the US Women's Amateur semi finals played at Rhode Island CC before falling to eventual winner Danielle Kang by a 1 up margin.

- Former Walker Cupper Tim Jackson was low amateur for the second year in the US Senior Open, finishing tied 50th at 4 over par, 288.

- Nationally ranked Amateur junior golfer Kendall Martindale of Jefferson City won both the this year's Tennessee Women's State Open at Stonehenge against a strong field of pros and amateurs, and also captured the 71st annual Tennessee Women's State Amateur at the Blackthorn Club in Jonesborough . Kendall becomes the youngest woman ever to hold both titles in the same year and is now a freshman at Vanderbilt.

- Calle Nielson of Nashville, an All-American and graduate from an excellent University of Virginia women's team, reached the finals of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament before securing a 2012 Futures Tour card.

Nominations for the John Rich Professional Award included:

- PGA TOUR rookie Scott Stallings won the Greenbrier Classic over the fabled White Course with a playoff win against Tour star Bill Haas and Bob Estes. Stallings birdied the par 3 18th hole to get into the playoff and minutes later birdied it again to win his first title.

- Brandt Snedeker won his second PGA TOUR title in a dramatic playoff over World Ranked #2 Luke Donald on the third extra hole at Harbor Town to win the Heritage Classic at Hilton Head. Brandt's win prevented Donald from ascending to World #1 at the time.