During the upcoming LPGA Atlanta Charity Championship, Morgan Pressel of Boca Raton, Fla., will be honored with the 2006 Nancy Lopez Award, given annually to the most talented female amateur golfer for the 2005 calendar year.
Pressel was already named the 2005 Rolex Junior Player of the Year by the AJGA in November after AJGA Invitational victories at the Thunderbird International Junior, Rolex Girls Junior Championship and McDonald’s Betsy Rawls Girls Championship. This, coupled with her victory at the U.S. Women’s Amateur and a second-place finish at the U.S. Women’s Open, easily separated Pressel from her amateur peers.
Pressel was chosen by a 100-member international nominating and selection committee. Pressel will receive the award April 20 during the Nancy Lopez Award dinner. The award winner is traditionally offered a sponsor exemption in the LPGA event, however, Pressel already earned full membership on the LPGA Tour.
As a professional, she has three top-15 finishes in her first four starts, earning $83,628, which ranks 19th on the LPGA ADT Official Money List. She is currently ranked 2nd in the LPGA Rolex Rookie of the Year race.