Daughter of renowned teaching instructor aiming to play professional golf after Rollins College
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., February 4, 2016 -The Epson Tour, Road to the LPGA, announced today that Hally Leadbetter, the daughter of renowned teaching professional David Leadbetter, has received a sponsor exemption to play in the fifth annual Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay the week of April 18-24. The top 144 aspiring LPGA Tour professionals will compete for a $110,000 tournament purse.
Leadbetter, who is finishing up her redshirt senior year at Rollins College this spring, played in the 2013 Guardian Retirement Championship on a sponsor exemption.
“I am really, really excited about getting to play again, I’m at a much different place in my life now,” said Leadbetter, who was playing college golf at Arkansas when she last played in the Guardian Retirement Championship. “At the beginning of this year, I thought I didn’t want to play professional golf, but I thought long and hard about it and I am not ready to stop playing. The members of Sara Bay and the professional staff have always been very supportive of my golf. I know I’ll have a lot of support from the home crowd.”
Leadbetter was a 2014-15 Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Second Team All-American at Rollins College. She posted four top 10 finishes and three top 5 results.
She played high school golf at the IMG Academy in Bradenton and considers Sara Bay Country Club her home course.
Leadbetter’s mom, Kelly, joined the LPGA Tour in 1981 and made 132 career starts. Her dad, David, is the teaching instructor for Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 Lydia Ko and 2014 U.S. Women’s Open champion Michelle Wie amongst many other LPGA players.
“My passions are golf and entertainment so ultimately I’d like to combine those and do golf television,” said Leadbetter, who is doing an internship this summer with Excel Sports Management in New York City. “I’m not ready to stop playing and I think playing professionally will give me a lot credibility as an on-air personality. I am going to turn professional and I want to see how far I can get for my own pride.”
For more information about the Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay, contact Ryan Ronk at ryan.ronk@lpga.com.
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