Janean Murphy is Teacher of the Year, Marci Bozarth is Professional of the Year, Stephanie Ferguson is Coach of the Year and Courtney Mahon is Junior Golf Leader of the Year
DAYTONA BEACH, FL., (August 19, 2024) – The LPGA Professionals announced today the following members as winners of the 2024 global awards in acknowledgment of their dedication and achievements: Janean Murphy from Meadowbrook Country Club in Ballwin, MO, Teacher of the Year; Marci Bozarth from Pine Forest Country Club in Houston, TX, Professional of the Year; Stephanie Ferguson from MSU Denver in Denver, CO, SC, Coach of the Year; and Courtney Mahon from Falcon Ridge & prairie Highlands Golf Clubs in Lenexa, KS, Junior Golf Leader of the Year.
The LPGA Professionals membership’s Executive Committee selected the global award winners from the pool of Section Award winners voted on by officers of the six regional sections: Central, International, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, and Western.
Janean Murphy, Teacher of the Year
The LPGA established the National Teacher of the Year Award in 1958. This award is given annually to the female golf professional who has demonstrated outstanding accomplishments related to teaching golf during the year.
For more than 20 years, LPGA Professional, Janean Murphy has dedicated her career to teaching the game. In 2022, she was appointed the club’s first ever Director of Instruction at Meadowbrook Country Club in Ballwin, MO, and still serves in this role today. She built the program from the ground up creating programs for members of all ages.
Murphy has grown junior participation for players ages 7-12 through her Operation 36 programs and her Golf and Giggles programs for even younger golfers year round. Her Junior Club Championship program has grown from 19 to nearly 30 since 2023. She also spends much of her time on the course teaching golf fundamentals to women and co-ed groups helping adults focus on a specific skill or yardage.
Before her current role, she operated the Janean Murphy Golf Academy in three locations across Texas where she led private and group instruction, developed after school and summer programs for kids, handled club fittings and demo days. Over the years, she has served as a teaching professional at many clubs in the Houston area.
Prior to joining the LPGA, Murphy was Head Girls Golf Coach at the Woodlands High School for six years where her team won district and regional tournaments every year and three consecutive 5A State Championships. Her students have gone on to achieve great things in the game, earning more than 11 scholarships to play golf at Division 1 colleges, and others like Stacy Lewis and Katie Futcher even making their way to the LPGA Tour.
Murphy has always been a leader, even from a young age. She played four years of collegiate golf at Lamar University and was awarded the Babe Didrikson Zaharias scholarship, named after an LPGA founder, recognizing her leadership on the team, in her sport and in the classroom.
She works hard to strengthen her credentials and complete ongoing learning and certifications across the industry. Murphy is an OP36 Top 50 Master Coach, a Proponent Group Member and a Titleist Golf Ball Certification Ambassador. She works tirelessly to learn about new technologies, expand her awareness of new techniques and gain the most knowledge she can to benefit her students and teach them to enjoy and respect the game of golf.
Murphy has always been one to give back, but not only to her students. She actively participates and speaks at many LPGA conferences and competes each year in the national tournaments. In 2022, she served as Central Section Vice President and Member of the Professional Development Committee, but now she has been elected as Midwest Section Treasurer. She was named Midwest Section Teacher of the Year in 2022 and has been among the LPGA Top 50 Best Teachers for four consecutive years.
“I am beyond blessed to be this year’s recipient of the 2024 Teacher of the Year award. For years I have watched amazing women earn this prestigious honor, stood in the shadow of their greatness, and dreamt of standing next to them,” expressed Murphy. “I have been open to feedback, education, and change as I developed as an instructor, striving to become a better instructor than the year before. Thank you to everyone who has supported me and pushed me to improve. You all inspire me to work hard every day and give you the very best of me that you deserve. Thank you, LPGA family, for honoring me with this award. You truly enrich my life and help make me a better golf instructor every year.”
Marci Bozarth, Professional of the Year
The LPGA Professional of the Year Award was established in 1980 and is awarded annually to an LPGA Professionals member primarily engaged in a golf operation, golf association, or industry position, promoting the game through player development, growth of the game initiatives, and other golf-related activities.
After an exciting athletic collegiate career winning the 1983 NCAA National Championship with Texas Christian University to then playing on the LPGA Tour for 10 years, Marci Bozarth began her second career in golf as an instructor and golf professional. She became an LPGA Professionals and PGA member in 1995 and has spent the last 30 years of her career pursuing her passion of helping others get into the game.
Currently serving as First Assistant Golf Professional at Pine Forest Country Club in Houston, TX, she is no stranger to filling many roles working with the Head Golf Professional in managing daily operations within the course and the golf shop. She hosts more than 36 tournaments and charity outings each year and teaches more than 150 private lessons annually to members and guests.
Deeming it her greatest accomplishment, Bozarth saw great opportunity in growing youth involvement in the game. Six years ago, she launched a year-round Operation 36 program for more than 65 students after school, assisted with summer golf camps exceeding 225 juniors and coached the PGA Junior League team of 20 kids. In 2023, she was honored with the Southern Texas PGA Youth Player Development Award recognizing her devotion to growing the game.
Bozarth is always guided by doing what’s best for her club and her students. She serves as a role model and mentor for her fellow peers, never wavering to point out another’s accomplishments. In 2023, she hosted the Marci Bozarth Spirit of Aloha Tournament in honor of raising awareness and funds for the fire victims in Lahaina, Maui. Her event helped to raise $49,000 for 16 families who lost their homes in the area.
Her service to the LPGA has been invaluable. She served as Central Section Secretary for five years and Vice President for four. She has also been involved at the national level for the past 10 years as National Chair of the Awards Committee. She is decorated with well-deserved honors earning the Marilynn Smith Service Award in 2017, inducted into the TCU Hall of Fame both in 2023 and 1998, and has been a 4-time LPGA Central Section “Professional of the Year.”
“What an honor to be named LPGA Global Professional of the Year! It’s truly special to be selected from such a deep pool of talent the LPGA has to offer,” stated Bozarth. “This is certainly a culmination of many years of hard work and dedication to a career I love. There are so many people behind the scenes who have loved, encouraged, and supported me throughout my journey, and many golf professionals who have mentored me along the way. A huge thank you to them! As I reflect, I am so grateful because this game and the LPGA have given me so much. Being a club professional is the most rewarding way to give back to the game and inspire others to play!”
Stefanie Ferguson, Coach of the Year
The LPGA Professionals Coach of the Year Award was established in 1980 and is awarded annually to an LPGA Professionals member who is actively engaged in teaching and/or coaching golf at the collegiate or high school level.
Stephanie Ferguson is an LPGA/PGA Class A and Titleist Performance Institute certified instructor who has served as the Women’s Head Golf Coach for Metro State University for the last seven years. It is no doubt that her drive for coaching stems from her experience and passion for the game, after serving as team captain of her golf team at Colorado State University and qualifying to play in an LPGA major event at Locust Hills in 2013.
A healthy work-life balance is key to her student athlete’s success on and off the golf course. During her time as head coach at Metro State University, the team has recorded the lowest single round in school history, best team scoring average for the year in program history, and this year alone, all 5 starters had a personal best score. Not only does she drive for success in performance from her athletes but encourages community service hours contributing a combined team effort of 125 hours this year.
Ferguson has been involved with the LPGA for years serving as a Member of the National Education Committee and as Secretary for the Central Section since 2023. She has been recognized with many awards for her contributions. In 2023, she was named LPGA Central Section Teacher of the Year and was the winner of the 2020 Colorado PGA Player Development Award. Most notable was her recognition as Golf Digest Best Young Teacher from 2021-2024.
“To be honored as the LPGA Professionals Coach of the Year is truly humbling,” shared Ferguson. “I have been so fortunate to work with the best student athletes to help them accomplish their goals both on and off the course. Congratulations to each of the other award winners. They are all industry leaders and have set the bar higher for what LPGA Professionals can aspire to be. This recognition means the world to me, and I feel lucky to get to do what I love every day.”
Courtney Mahon, Junior Golf Leader of the Year
The LPGA Professionals Junior Golf Leader of the Year Award was established in 2012 and is awarded annually to an LPGA Professionals member who excels in teaching and promoting golf for juniors.
And no one has excelled at advancing the junior game quite like Courtney Mahon. Growing the game has always been her passion. And developing kids and making a difference in the lives of children who need help is her commitment.
Be Creative. Be Yourself. Be Different. are her pillars for success reminding her that authenticity and care is what provides the most value to her students. She firmly believes that golf is the sport that provides confidence and personal development that her kids need. Mahon brings out the best in her students by giving them the platform they need to grow in their own special way. She prides herself on giving them permission to be themselves and creates a positive environment making each player feel safe, confident, and powerful.
Her robust catalog of junior programs is for golfers of varied ages and abilities in Kansas City, from the wee strikers just wanting to have fun, to the high school student looking to develop their skills, or the rising star looking to compete at a higher level.
Since 2016, Mahon along with her team of 15 instructors have seen tremendous growth in their program, now among the top 10 largest programs in the country with nearly 300 participants in 2023. Her highly sought-after and nationally ranked junior golf programs sell out fast and have developed top-ranked athletes, produced multiple state championship teams, provided scholarships to families in need, delivered new members and revenue to her course, and have resulted in career opportunities for former students within the golf industry.
Aside from her deep involvement with her students, Mahon has made a great impact in the LPGA through her service and leadership. After ten years as an LPGA Professional, she serves as the President of the Central Section, the National Chair for the New Member Committee and a Liaison for the LPGA Awards Committee. She has been an LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Site Director since 2021 and spoke at the LPGA National Conference in 2021.
“I am extremely humbled to receive the Global Junior Leader of the Year Award,” shared Mahon. “Growing the game of golf, providing opportunities for our youth, and having a direct influence on the next generation of our game has been especially rewarding. I am thankful to be honored with this recognition.”
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