King and Hulwick Earn LPGA Honors

Colorado Avid Golfer

The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Teaching and Club Professional (T&CP) membership has selected two Coloradans—Elena King and Lindsay Hulwick—for its Central Section Teacher of the Year and Coach of the Year awards.

King, a director of instruction at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora and frequent Colorado AvidGolfer contributor, earned the Central Section's Teacher of the Year. Before becoming an instructor, King won numerous amateur and professional titles and captained the University of Iowa's women's golf team for three years. She has brought her winning approach to numerous college and high school competitive golfers as well as to players on the LPGA and Futures Tour. In addition to many years of delivering individual instruction, she has developed performance programs for the Colorado Women’s Golf Association, Executive Women’s Golf Association, and the Colorado State University Women’s Golf team.

“I am so appreciative of being voted in for this great award, especially by my peers,” said King, who recently returned from Shenzhen, China, where she served as an assistant coach to Diane Thomason at the World University Games. “It could not have been possible without all the wonderful students who have trusted me and the people who have supported me along the way.”

As associate head coach of the University of Denver women's golf team, Hulwick has worked alongside head coach Sammie Chergo for the past six years, helping to transform the Pioneers into one of the nation's elite teams. During her time at DU, the team has won all Sun Belt Conference championships and three times has qualified for the NCAA National Championship, finishing as high as fifth in 2009.

“Lindsay Hulwick is one of the very best assistant coaches in the country and we complement each other so very well,” said Chergo. “She is like a sister to me.”

“Coming from my peers makes this award very special,” said Hulwick, who received her LPGA Class A Teaching Certificate in December and is currently working towards a masters degree in sports psychology at the University of Denver. “Through the LPGA process, I've learned so much about the swing, but even more about leadership, teaching and coaching. It's a privilege to apply all I've learned to the girls at DU.”

Before joining Chergo a DU, Hulwick starred for Heritage High School and Tulane University. At Tulane, she qualified for three consecutive U.S. Women's Amateur Championships and finished as the low amateur at the 2004 Colorado Women's Open. She won the 2005 Colorado Women's State Amateur Stroke Play and helped the Green Wave to back-to-back Conference USA championships in 2004 and 2005.

The LPGA annually selects a Teacher, Coach and Professional of the Year from each of its five sections. The Central Section of the LPGA encompasses the states of Colorado, Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

The LPGA Executive Committee will select the overall National Award winner in each category from among the Section Award winners.  National winners will be announced in the coming weeks.