USGA to honour Judy Bell with 2016 Bob   Jones Award

FAR HILLS, New Jersey – The United States Golf Association (USGA) will bestow its highest honour, the Bob Jones Award, to Judy Bell, of Colorado Springs, at an award ceremony on June 14,  during the week of the 116th U.S. Open Championship at Oakmont Country Club.

Presented annually since 1955, the Bob Jones Award recognizes an individual who demonstrates the spirit, personal character and respect for the game exhibited by Jones, winner of nine USGA championships.

Known for her generous spirit and larger-than-life personality, Bell, a native of Wichita, Kansas., has championed a welcoming and accessible game as one of its most prominent ambassadors for more than six decades.

“Judy is a towering presence in golf and her contributions to shaping the USGA can be seen to this day,” said Tom O’Toole Jr., president of the USGA.
“Her devotion to the game makes her a worthy recipient of our organization’s most prestigious honour. From her earliest days as an accomplished player through her tenure as USGA president, Judy has been a staunch advocate and diplomat for the game.
"Those mantles were always delivered with her unique kindness and infectious personality. Judy is a real treasure!”

The youngest of four children and the only girl, Bell largely credits her mother’s tenacious, straightforward and generous personality, as well as her can-do attitude as her strongest influences.
The USGA’s first female president (1996-1997), Bell possesses a passion for women’s and girl’s golf that continues today, particularly through the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program, which she helped found.

     Judy Bell ... " a towering influence in USA amateur golf"
                      Picture by courtesy of the USGA