Liddick named LPGA National Coach of the Year

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) has named Bellevue University women's golf coach Shelly Liddick the 2011-12 LPGA National Coach of the Year.  

The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Teaching and Club Professional (T&CP) membership selects its annual section award winners for Teacher, Professional and Coach of the Year. Also, new in 2012 is an annual Junior Golf Achievement award recognizing a professional who is committed to and excels in the area of golf for juniors.

The 2011-12 season marked the first year of Bellevue University's women's golf program. 

Highlights from the first season included four team wins, six individual titles, 17 top-5 individual finishes and 29 top-10 individual finishes. Additionally, the Bellevue women's team became the 2012 Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) champions in the inaugural season. Five team members were named to MCAC all-conference team, including the MCAC individual champion (Ana Laura Gomez) and runner-up (Christina VonRiesen). Liddick was also named MCAC Coach of the Year. 

"I am absolutely honored beyond words to receive such a high honor from the LPGA and my professional peers," said Liddick.  "Many of the previous honorees of the LPGA Coach of the Year award are women whom I have looked up to for years. I am so humbled to now be on that list with so many legendary golf coaches. I feel a great responsibility to continue on the journey of coaching others to discover their own unique greatness."

Coach Liddick credits her success to the late college golf coach, Joann Beddow.  Liddick spent hundreds of hours observing and assisting Beddow in teaching and coaching golf.

The LPGA T&CP Coach of the Year award was established in 1980 and is awarded annually to an LPGA Teaching and Club Professional member who is actively engaged in teaching and/or coaching golf at the collegiate or high school level.