CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. —- Shauna Estes, the only four-time All-American in the history of Georgia women’s golf, will be inducted into the National Golf Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame in December, the organization announced on Tuesday.

Estes, now Shauna Estes Taylor and the head coach at Arkansas, will be joined by LSU coach Karen Bahnsen and former Arizona State standout Wendy Ward in the NGCA’s enshrinement ceremonies during the organization’s convention in Las Vegas in December. Bahnsen becomes the 42nd member of the Coaches Hall of Fame, a list that also includes Georgia’s Liz Murphey and Beans Kelly. Estes and Ward become the 52nd and 53rd members of the Players Hall of Fame, joining greats such as Georgia’s Terri Moody and Cindy Schreyer.

³I feel very honored to be named to the NGCA Players Hall of Fame,² Estes-Taylor said. ³First, I need to thank my parents for giving me the opportunity to achieve my dream of playing collegiate and professional golf.

Secondly, I must thank Beans Kelly, my college coach, who had an amazing impact on my life and always challenged me to be the best in the classroom and on the golf course. My professional golf career did not turn out the way I would have wished, but I was given the next best gift to become a coach. I draw from my success at the University of Georgia on a daily basis as I try to instill what I learned as a player with my own team. This is a great achievement and one that I will remember for a very long time.²

Estes, a native of Orangeburg, S.C., compiled perhaps the most impressive competitive résumé in the storied history of Georgia Golf. She established herself as one of the nation¹s premier golfers early in her collegiate career and maintained that status throughout her four years in Athens.

As a freshman, Estes became the first golfer to secure the Southeastern Conference¹s ³Triple Crown,² sweeping SEC Player and Freshman of the Year honors and also winning medalist honors at the SEC Championships. She capped that season by finishing fourth at the 1997 NCAA Championships, the first of three top-20 individual efforts at the national championships. Estes went on to become both a four-time NGCA All-American and first-team All-SEC selection. She tied the school record for career individual titles with seven victories, including the 1997 and 1999 SEC crowns.

Estes not only excelled individually, she led Georgia Golf in one of its most successful spans ever. All told, Georgia won 18 team titles from 1996-2000. The Lady Bulldogs won an unprecedented three straight SEC titles in 1997, 1998 and 1999. They also notched a trio of top-10 NCAA finishes ­ 10th in 1998, 2nd in 1999 and 7th in 2000.

Bahnsen is in her 25th year as the women¹s golf coach at LSU. She has been a part of the program¹s entire 30-year history having been the first recruit for the fledgling program when it started in 1979. During her coaching career, the team has won 29 team titles and players have captured

29 individual titles. Ward, a four-time All-American from 1992-95, helped Arizona State win three consecutive national championships while finishing second individually in 1994 and 1995. Since joining the LPGA Tour in 1995, Ward has four career victories.

About National Golf Coaches Association

The National Golf Coaches Association, founded in 1983, is a non-profit organization representing women¹s collegiate golf coaches. The NGCA was formed to encourage the playing of college golf for women in correlation with a general objective of education and in accordance with the highest tradition of intercollegiate competition. Today, the NGCA represents over 450 coaches throughout the U.S. and is dedicated to educating, promoting and recognizing both its members and the student-athletes they represent.

 

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