Showing What Golf Is All About

Illinois teenager Armstrong earns Jerry Cole Sportsmanship Award
Success in golf isn’t always found on the top
of leaderboards or at the bottom of trophies.
For many, the way players handle themselves
off the course is just as important as on it.
And no one understood that better this year
than Ashley Armstrong, of Flossmoor, Ill., who
earned the 2010 Jerry Cole Sportsmanship
Award for her impressive feats on the course,
work in the classroom and exemplary display of
sportsmanship all year long.

about character and integrity. It’s about how
you act when no one is looking.”
Armstrong received the honor for her
volunteer work with the Kids Golf Foundation
of Illinois. Her work with the Birdies for Char-
ity portion of Leadership Links raised $5,000
for the Kids Golf Foundation. She also volun-
teers her time at the foundation, working with
younger golfers. Armstrong is also involved in
the AJGA’s Leadership Links program, and even
offered her services as a standard-bearer
during the 2009 Solheim Cup.

Armstrong’s play also was commendable. She posted four top-20 finishes this season, including a second-place finish at the Randy Wise Junior Open and a T8 at the Lockton Kansas City Junior. She is ranked No. 123 in the Polo Golf Rankings.

The Notre Dame commit is a two-time HP Scholastic Junior All-American and is ranked fourth in her class of 707 students at Home-wood-Flossmoor High School.

A defining moment for Armstrong came at the 2009 AJGA Notre Dame Junior Open. After signing off on the winning scorecard, she accepted the champions trophy. The following morning, she realized she had actually signed for a lower score, and, without hesitation, Armstrong notified the tournament director and surrendered the title.