Stephen Proctor, the chairman of Sports Marketing Surveys, has offered a £7,500 scholarship for a selected female golfer taking part in the Rose Ladies Series of events being played this summer in England.
The privately-funded scholarship is to cover travel and other expenses to assist the award winner to gain a place on the LPGA Tour.
Candidates must be members of the Ladies European Tour who do not currently have LPGA Tour access. The beneficiary will be selected primarily on the basis of performance and need. Assessment will be ongoing throughout the Rose Series.
The Rose Ladies Series is a set of eight tournaments organised in 2020 as a response to the suspension of the LET season because of Coronavirus. The aim of the events is to give British women the opportunity to compete at the highest level amid the uncertainty of lockdown, as well as to provide a public stage for upcoming and established professional golfers alike.
The first event of the Series was won by Solheim Cup player Charley Hull, with Meghan MacLaran and Gemma Dryburgh claiming the second and third events respectively. There are a further five tournaments in the series, including a 54 hole grand final which will take place between August 5-7 at North Hants, The Berkshire and Wentworth.
The Rose Ladies Series was set up by Justin Rose and his wife Kate, who put up £35,000 in prize money, and is also sponsored by American Golf, which matched that figure. Venues for the upcoming events include the 2021 Open Championship host Royal St George’s, all of whom have given over their courses for no fee.
The selection panel for the scholarship will comprise of SMS chairman Stephen Proctor and ex-CEO of the European Tour, Ken Schofield, along with one other member to be confirmed. The award winner will be announced shortly after the final event.
Sports Marketing Surveys has previously sponsored the LET Shooting Star awards and more recently worked with the LET to develop a strategy for its future development. It is a committed supporter and signatory of The R&A’s Women in Golf Charter.
