2011 Bernice Edlund Award Presentation
The 73rd MWGA Women's Amateur Championship at Bellerive Country Club ended with an exciting finish, and an awards reception which was held in the Terrace Room to honor the new Champion and winners. In addition to the awards presentation, a special presentation by Mrs. Ginny Orthwein, the 2010 Bernice Edlund Award recipient was made to announce the 2011 Bernice Edlund Award. Here are her remarks:
"Since 1952, the Bernice Edlund Award has been presented annually to a Missouri Women's Golf Association member who has promoted the aims of the association and set an ideal standard of conduct by her devotion to golf, demeanor on the golf course, strict observance of the rules and etiquette of the game and demonstrated a high degree of sportsmanship. Every previous recipient has exceeded these criteria and a few recipients have taken these great attributes outside of Missouri and have been a true ambassador for the state of Missouri and The Missouri Women's Golf Association. Without question, this year's Bernice Edlund recipient has shown these qualities not only in Missouri but also internationally. Each and everyone of us is proud to have been able to follow the illustrious career of a great golfer, an outstanding wife and mother and a great teacher from our very own St. Louis community.
Introduced to the game of golf as a very young girl by her father, she would tag along when he played golf, hit some balls, but mostly just plain had fun with her Dad. However her real interest was tennis. This took her to the University of Missouri. It was not until her early twenties, after college and beginning her first job in St. Louis did she begin playing golf again. Like all fairy tale stories, she decided to play golf because she met a young man who like to play golf! As they started their lives together in 1985, the golf championships piled on....
1993, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010
Voted "Woman Golfer of the Year" seven times by the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association
Missouri Women's Golf Association Amateur Champion
1992, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2010
Missouri Fore State Team Member multiple years
St. Louis Women's District Invitational Champion
1998 , 2001
St. Louis Women's District Stroke Play Champion
1992, 1993, 1994, 1995
The "Carl O Bauer" award from the Missouri Athletic Club - 1993
Awarded the "Cathie Burns Beebe Award" for excellence in women's athletics by the St. Louis Baseball Writers Association - 1994
Awarded the "Master Sports Woman of the Year" - 1997
Amateur Athlete of the year by the St. Louis Sports Commission - 1997
Named "Top Ten Amateurs in the United States" by Golf Digest
1995, 1996, 1997, 2000
Competed in the U.S. Women's Open
1993, 1994, 1996
Semi-finalist North and South Women's Amateur in 1993
Trans National Women's Golf Association Champion - 1994
Competed in the LPGA Rail Classic, The Heartland, Michelob Classic and the Sprint Titleholders Championship
Member, United States Amateur Team, 1996
Qualified - U.S. Women's Amateur for ten years
Competed in the U.S. Women's Public Links Championship
1987,1988, 1989
Member, Curtis Cup Team
1994, 1996 1998 (alternate)
Qualified - U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship 16 times
U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Medalist
2000, 2001, 2002, 2010
Runner up, U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship - 2002
Four time Winner - U.S. Mid- Amateur Championship
1995, 1996, 2000 and 2011
Along with all of this, there is a great husband of twenty six years, Andy and two outstanding children Drew and Katie and hundreds of students who have been a part of this life in her 25 years of being a fabulous teach and coach at John Burroughs School. The Missouri Women's Golf Association is proud and honored to present the 2011 Bernice Edlund Award to the most decorated woman golfer in St. Louis history to Mrs. Ellen Port."
Congratulations to Mrs. Ellen Port
2011 Bernice Edlund Award Recipient