Braid Honored by LPGA Teaching & Club Professionals Membership Committee
LPGA Release
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Ithaca College golf team has gotten off to a fabulous start to its 2016-17 season this fall, scoring a top-three finish at the season-opening St. Lawrence Invitational and securing its first team title this past weekend at the 2016 William Smith Invitational. The program received more recognition on Thursday morning, as head coach
Molly Braid was honored as a 2016 Section of the Year Award Winner by the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Teaching and Club Professional membership committee.
"I want to thank our Director of Intercollegiate Athletics,
Susan Bassett, as well as our other members of the senior leadership team, associate directors
Will Rothermel and
Michelle Manning, for the opportunities they have given me at Ithaca College," Braid said. "I'm also thankful for the women I've had the pleasure of coaching these past two years. I truly believe this honor goes to our entire program and especially the women who have dedicated so much time and effort into their practice and play."
Each year the membership committee bestows awards in four categories: teacher, professional, coach, and junior leader. The LPGA Teaching and Club Professional membership is broken down into six regions, which includes five domestic sections in the United States and one international section. Honorees in the various regions are selected by the Section Officers, as well as the Section Nominating Committee Chair. Braid was named the Northeast Section Coach of the Year.
The LPGA Teaching and Club Professional National Awards Selection Committee will announce the overall award winners in each of the four categories in the coming weeks.
The Ithaca program has taken great strides since Braid took the helm of the program prior to the 2015-16 season. The Bombers won last season's Empire 8 Conference Championships, placing three team members on All-Conference teams. Braid was honored as the 2015-16 Empire 8 Women's Golf Coach of the Year.
The team has continued to progress under Braid in year two. Through two tournaments, Ithaca's four-player team average score has been lowered by nearly 26 strokes, while three golfers have already secured top-five individual finishes at tournaments this season.
Braid and the Ithaca golf team will be in action this coming weekend when they make the short trip to Cortland, N.Y., for the two-day Martin-Wallace Invitational at Cortland Country Club. Opening round action begins at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 24.