ASU golf great Wendy Ward inducted to NGCA Hall of Fame

Former ASU women's golf standout Wendy Ward has been announced as a member of this year's National Golf Coaches Association Player's Hall of Fame class. Ward becomes the eighth Sun Devil to be inducted into the NGCA Hall of Fame. The three-time All-American will be joined by Shauna Estes and Karen Bahnsen for this year's class. The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place at the Harrah's Las Vegas Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bahnsen becomes the 42nd member of the Coaches Hall of Fame and Estes and Ward become the 52nd and 53rd members of the Players Hall of Fame.

Wendy Ward is one of the most acclaimed female golfers in Arizona State's illustrious history. Ward, a three-time All-American from 1993-95, helped Arizona State win three consecutive national championships while finishing second individually in 1994 and 1995. As a senior, Ward carded a 71.87 stroke average, which at the time was the lowest stroke average ever recorded by a female collegiate golfer. She was a two-time Pac-10 Champion (1993, 1995), two-time winner of the Honda Award (1994, 1995) and two-time NGCA Player of the Year (1994, 1995).

Ward was a 10-time tournament medalist (1993 Pac-10 Conference Championships, 1993 Oregon Fall Preview, 1993 USA/Japan Trophy Matches, 1993 Fall Preview, 1994 Pac-10 Championships, 1994 Fall Preview, 1995 UCLA Pioneer Electronics Golf Classic, 1995 PING/ASU Invitational, 1995 Pac-10 Championship, 1995 NCAA West Regional). Since joining the LPGA Tour in 1995, Ward has four career victories.

Other Sun Devils in the NGCA Hall of Fame include former players Amy Fruhwirth, Pia Nilsson, Carol Sorenson Flenniken, Cathy Gaughan Mant, Jane Booth and Joanne Gunerson Carter. ASU coaching legend Linda Vollstedt is a member of the NGCA Coaches Hall of Fame. Current ASU coach Melissa Luellen is a member of the Player's Hall of Fame after her stellar career at Tulsa.

The National Golf Coaches Association, founded in 1983, is a non-profit organization representing women's collegiate golf coaches. The NGCA was formed to encourage the playing of college golf for women in correlation with a general objective of education and in accordance with the highest tradition of intercollegiate competition. Today, the NGCA represents over 450 coaches throughout the U.S. and is dedicated to educating, promoting and recognizing both its members and the student-athletes they represent.