AGA AWARDS
Awards
Updegraff Award
Daryl and Derek Crawford
The Updegraff Award is given annually to a person who, “By his or her actions and accomplishments exemplify the Spirit of the Game.”
This year’s recipients are Daryl and Derek Crawford. From the last fifteen years with affiliation with ASU Karsten and now Papago, the golf careers that began at Phoenix St. Mary’s, Phoenix College and then ASU, have embodied just about all golf careers have to offer.
Through it all, the Crawfords have a long tradition of giving back to the game from hosting a myriad amateur events, charity fundraisers, and supporting junior golf. They both sit on the board of the Bill Dickey Scholarship Association and they even lobbied Congress in 2012 during National Golf Day.
“We’ve grown up on this grass, and wherever that grass was, that’s where we lived,” said Daryl. “Golf here in Phoenix has been a part of our daily lives since we were 12, 13 years old.” “I agree with my brother here, and I don’t agree with him on much,” laughed Derek before striking a more serious note. “I think with us being identical twins and African-Americans in a sport, that when we were just starting out, didn’t have a lot of that.”
All who have come to know them would agree that there have been no better ambassadors for the game in Arizona, nor two people who better represent all that is great about Golf. Fittingly, Dr.Updegraff agrees.
Champion of Golf Award
Ron Sites
The Champion of Golf Award is given annually to a person “who by his or her accomplishments has unselfishly created lasting benefit to the Game of Golf in Arizona.
“I was very lucky and fortunate growing up to have golf land as my best sport. For every accomplishment professionally in my life, golf has almost always been at the center of it. It started with the dream of becoming a Professional Golfer, but instead I became a Golf Professional. There started my almost ten years of golf instruction. From there, my life direction changed. Since then, everything I have done has been about working with and helping others. It started with golf, transitioned to Financial Services with Merrill Lynch, followed then with the YMCA Community Outreach, and finally with as Executive Director of the Fighter Country Partnership at Luke AFB supporting our military. All of it, because of, and through this great game of golf. FCP has become the connection to the community and source of hundreds of thousands of dollars annually which are re-directed to serving the ‘Families and Mission of Luke AFB’. This game truly taught me how to establish relationships built around giving!!!”
Doc Graves Volunteer of the Year Award
Sally Christensen
The Doc Graves Award is presented by AGA staff annually to a person whose volunteer hours and contributions have creating lasting benefit to the AGA and its members.
Originally from Wisconsin, Sally graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison with a degree in Physical Education. As a teacher and coach for 34 years, Sally’s life has always been about serving others. She taught PE and coached Varsity Girls Basketball in Del Rio Texas for 14 years. Then spent the next 16 years teaching at Westwood HS in Mesa while coaching basketball for the first eight years and Girls Golf and Boys Tennis the last eight.
Sally had picked up the game of golf in her 20’s but between coaching and teaching it was really just a summer hobby with her clubs acting as a coat hanger in the closet during the school year. After arriving in Arizona, she started playing a bit more, but it wasn’t until she retired that she really started to appreciate the game as a player.
While at Westwood HS coaching golf, she was on the Golf Advisory Committee for the AIA (Arizona Interscholastic Association). She was involved in scheduling and the State Tournament for girl’s golf in Arizona. Her role with the AIA has grown since retirement and she is now the Tournament Director for the DI and DII Girls State Tournament and is still on the committee that does all the scheduling for girls High School golf. She also helps with scoring for several high school golf tournaments throughout the season.
In her spare time, she volunteers as a Marshall for the Waste Management/Phoenix Open and the Charles Schwab Tournament. She volunteers at the ASU Ping Invitational Women’s Tournament and with the JGAA. She has been involved with Course Rating for the last 6 years, and in 2019 she took on the role of the Women’s Course Rating Chair.
Dorothy Pease Achievement Award
Sandy LaBauve
The Dorothy Pease Achievement Award is named for a woman who had a profound and lasting impact on women’s golf in Arizona. A leader in women’s golf for over 50 years, Dorothy founded the Arizona Junior Girls Championship and the Arizona Senior Women’s Championship, published a national women’s golf magazine and is credited with helping launch the women’s golf program at ASU. This year, Sandy LaBauve has been named the 2019 Dorothy Pease Achievement Award Recipient.
Sandy has been teaching golf for over 30 years. As a Class A member of the PGA and LPGA, she serves as the Co-Director of Instruction for LaBauve Golf at Kierland Golf Club in Scottsdale and the Roaring Fork Club in the Aspen Valley. She is the winner of 5 National Awards from the PGA(PGA National Junior Golf Leader Award) LPGA (Ellen Griffin LPGA National Award 2017 & Nancy Lopez LPGA National Award 2017), PGA Tour (PGA Tour Card Walker Award) and the National Golf Foundation (National Golf Foundation Golf Family of the Year). She is the Founder of LPGA*USGA Girls Golf and a member of the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame. Her teaching career has been greatly influenced by the long line of golf professionals in her family including her father, Jack Lumpkin, and husband, Mike LaBauve. She enjoys teaching players of all levels with a heavy focus on helping recreational golfers improve.
