Pebble Beach, CA – The Northern California PGA Foundation paid tribute to two groundbreakers in the game of golf, LPGA TOUR Legends and World Golf Hall of Fame Inductees Nancy Lopez and Patty Sheehan, at the 7th Annual “The Langley – A Tribute to Legends.” The Langley is a golf tournament and social event that honors the game’s legends and those who have made immeasurable contributions to the sport. At the same time, the event raises impactful funds for various community programs.
This year’s event is being held for the third consecutive year at the Inn at Spanish Bay & Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. Tomorrow, teams of four amateurs and a PGA Professional will compete here in The Langley Pro-Am Golf Tournament. Lopez and Sheehan join an impressive list of past honorees including Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Arnold Palmer, Ken Venturi, Tom Watson, Billy Casper, and the event’s namesake Jim Langley.
“We are thrilled to honor two female greats in the game of golf this year. Nancy and Patty are admired by all golfers for their achievements and contributions to the game. In particular, they are an inspiration to so many young women golfers who are increasingly charting their own courses thanks to the advancements Nancy and Patty have made before them,” remarked Chris Thomas, NCPGA executive director and COO.
Honorees Nancy Lopez and Patty Sheehan
Lopez is well-recognized as an inspiration to many aspiring female and Hispanic golfers. She remains the only LPGA Tour member to win Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year, and the Vare Trophy in the same season, 1978. Lopez shot to the top of the golf world, becoming the most decorated women’s golfer amongst her contemporaries. In the decade following her Rookie of the Year season she amassed 48 Tour victories, three major championships, and was awarded Player of the Year four times.
Throughout the late 1980’s and early 1990’s her family took precedence. As a full-time mom and a part-time player, Lopez was widely heralded as a leader and inspiration to her peers on the LPGA Tour.
Lopez was named to the 1990 and 2005 United States Solheim Cup teams, and was Captain of the 2005 team. Having already accumulated 35 victories by the age of 30, Lopez was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1987. She is a member of the LPGA Hall of Fame and was named “Golfer of the Decade” by GOLF Magazine from 1978-1987.
Sheehan’s competitiveness resulted in one of the most successful careers in LPGA history. She considers her crowning achievement her win at The U.S. Women’s Open in 1992. She won it again in 1994.
Through the 2003 season, she had won 35 tournaments, including the two Opens, three LPGA Championships and a Dinah Shore. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1993.
As an amateur, Sheehan won state titles in Nevada and California, the AIAW National Championship for San Jose State, and was runner-up in the 1979 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. She was undefeated on the 1980 Curtis Cup team and earned Rookie of the Year honors on the LPGA Tour in 1981. She won LPGA Tour Player of the Year in 1983 and was one of several athletes named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 1987.
Supporting Worthwhile Causes
CIG Insurance Group is once again the title sponsor of The Langley event. The proceeds benefit community action organizations that foster and embrace life’s positive values in Northern California and Northwestern Nevada. As a result of The Langley, the NCPGA Foundation will make donations to Special Olympics Northern California, which offers a free year-round sports training and competition program for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, instilling the confidence they need to succeed in life. The NCPGA Foundation is proud to add as a beneficiary AIM (Adventures in Movement) for the Handicapped and The Patty Sheehan Foundation. The Junior Tour of Northern California is another benefactor where junior golfers can compete against the best players for an affordable price. The American Heart Association’s Saving Strokes, Cal Men’s Golf, and Meals on Wheels of Monterey also benefit from the proceeds of the Langley event. Finally it is our honor to continue the legacy of Jim Langley through The Langley Scholarship Fund that enables outstanding high school seniors to pursue their life’s dreams through secondary education.
Anyone interested in contributing to the NCPGA Foundation can visit NCPGAfoundation.org to make a donation. The NCPGA Foundation is a 501(c) 3 organization. Federal Tax ID number is: 75-3249593. All donations are tax deductible as permitted by the law. For further information, call (707) 449-4742 or visit ncpgafoundation.org.
