Ryder Cup star Lee Westwood is to accept the Golf Foundation‘s ‘Spirit of Golf‘ Award, which will recognise his standing in the game and his contribution to, and support of, junior grass roots golf.
Lee will be presented with this award at Turnberry, on Monday, 13th July, at 3.30pm. The presentation will take place at the R&A Junior Golf Centre in Turnberry‘s tented village, and will follow a short Tri-Golf challenge between Lee Westwood and local schoolchildren.
Previous winners of the award, first presented in 2007, are Gary Player and Tony Jacklin. The Spirit of Golf honour serves to recognise those golfers who through their love and respect of the game have inspired and helped youngsters to take up and enjoy golf for themselves.
Lee Westwood has been a strong supporter of the Golf Foundation, the leading golf charity committed to the sporting and social development of young people through golf. He has endorsed the Foundation‘s Charity Challenge for eight years, a fundraising project where club members sign up to attempt to better Lee‘s opening round score during the Open Championship.
Lee was actually a double winner of the Golf Foundation Age Group Championships as a teenager, back in 1987 and 1988. He has championed junior golf throughout his career and recently launched a series of three-day golf academies around England (Lee Westwood Golf Aacademy 2009) for boys and girls aged seven to 16 years old.
Mike Round, Chief Executive of the Golf Foundation, said: "Through his exploits on Tour and in the Ryder Cup, Lee Westwood will have made many youngsters want to pick up a golf club. He has also been without question a great ambassador for the game and for junior golf and is highly deserving of our Spirit of Golf Award. Everyone in the Golf Foundation team is delighted to honour Lee in this way."
The Golf Foundation is present for the whole of Open week (12-19 July), working alongside the PGA and clubgolf as guests of The R&A. An estimated 4,000 youngsters are expected to visit the R&A Junior Golf Centre during the event.
Golf Foundation www.golf-foundation.org
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