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Posted Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2004

 

 

Finalists Named for Labron Harris Sr. Award Presented by E-Z-GO Textron
Bermel, Brouse, Hardwick, Myers, Owen, Page and Pohle nominees for inaugural honor
 

NORMAN, Okla. ? The seven finalists have been named for the inaugural Labron Harris Sr. Award presented by E-Z-GO Textron in cooperation with The PGA of America announced the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). The Harris Award will be presented to the college of high school coach and PGA Professional whose support of the game through teaching, coaching and involvement in the community has helped ensure the continued growth of the game and represent the finest qualities the game has to offer. The finalists include John Bermel of Northern Iowa (Iowa PGA Section), Devon Brouse of Purdue (Indiana PGA), Virginia Tech?s Jay Hardwick (Middle Atlantic PGA), Rod Myers of Duke (Carolinas PGA), Pat Owen of the Naval Academy (Middle Atlantic PGA), Kent State?s Herb Page (Northern Ohio PGA) and Rick Pohle of Williams College (New England PGA). The Harris Award recipient will be announced on Jan. 6, 2005.

In addition to his duties as head men?s and women?s golf coach at Northern Iowa, Bermel also serves as the head professional at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He developed a junior golf program at Pheasant Ridge that provides an opportunity for over 300 youth to learn and enjoy the game of golf and also provides golf clinics for the City of Cedar Falls. Bermel also created junior golf programs in seven surrounding communities and has served as the director of the Iowa PGA Junior Academy for the past nine years. He was named the Iowa Section Junior Golf Leader in 1999 and the Iowa Section Teacher of the Year in 2001. He was tabbed the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 2001 after leading Northern Iowa to a runner-up finish.

 

The golf director and head men?s and women?s coach at Purdue, Brouse initiated the "Growth of the Game" program at Purdue, which has PGA professionals teaching university golf classes. As a coach, he has claimed seven conference championships - six in the ACC and one in the Big Ten, back-to-back NCAA Regional Championships (2001-02) and has been named ACC Coach of the Year three times, Regional Coach of the Year twice and Big Ten Coach of the Year once.

A Quarter Century and Life Member of the PGA of America, Hardwick serves as director of golf operations, head golf professional and head men?s golf coach at Virginia Tech. He has served as vice-president of the Virginia Chapter of the Middle Atlantic Section, as well as serving on the chapter?s membership committee, tournament rules and regulations committee and the tournament chairman. A 1994 inductee in the Virginia PGA Hall of Fame, Hardwick has claimed seven conference championships and been named conference coach of the Year seven times.

An active member of The PGA of America, USGA and GCAA, Myers has served as the Education Chairman for the both the Southern Ohio and Carolinas PGA Sections. He served as coordinator of the PGA Business School in 1975 and has served on the PGA Rules of Golf committee since 1989. Myers has also served as both president and treasurer of the GCAA and currently serves as co-chair of the Hall of Fame committee. He has served as a Rules official at eight PGA Championships, five U.S. Opens and 10 Masters Tournaments. The Director of the Duke University Golf School and head coach of its men?s golf program, Myers is a Master Professional and was inducted into the GCAA Hall of Fame in 1986.

Director of Golf of the U.S. Naval Academy Golf Club and Navy men?s golf coach Owen serves on the Mentoring committee for the Northern Chapter of the Middle Atlantic PGA Section and has been selected for the Middle Atlantic PGA Chapter Challenge Cup and qualified for the Middle Atlantic PGA Tournament of Champions. He has been named Patriot League Coach of the Year five times and District Two Coach of the Year once. He has also been honored as the U.S. Naval Academy Coach of the Year, Spring Sports, twice.

Page serves as head professional at Windmill Lakes Golf Club in addition to his duties as Kent State?s director of golf and head men?s golf coach. A six-time Northern Ohio PGA Merchandiser of the Year, he founded Ravenna Recreation Junior Golf Clinics in 1978 and in 2003 created "Junior Golf Development" at Windmill Lakes. Under the program junior high and high school boys and girls from Kent and Ravenna, Ohio, are give "free memberships and range privileges based on working at the driving range, club drop area and volunteer work at charity golf events. He has been named Northern Ohio PGA Award of Excellence winner in 1996 and named the Junior Golf Leader Award recipient in 1999. A 2004 GCAA Hall of Fame inductee, Page has been honored District IV Coach of the Year seven times and Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year 13 times.

A member of the Quarter Century Club of The PGA of America, Pohle serves as men?s golf coach at Williams College and head golf professional at Taconic Golf Club where he is only the third professional in the 103-year history of the club. The reining NY State PGA Section Senior Champion and NENY Section Senior Stroke Play Champion he has also won the section?s Vardon trophy four times and has been selected its player of the year twice. He was named NENY Section Roland Stafford Award recipient in 2003 and was inducted in the section?s Hall of Fame in 2001, as well as section teach of the year in 1989. Coached Williams College to seven conference titles and eight straight NCAA appearances.

 

E-Z-GO, a Textron company, based in Augusta, Georgia, is celebrating its 50

th anniversary in 2004. The company manufactures the #1 selling golf car in the world. Additionally, E-Z-GO is a leading provider of industrial, turf and utility vehicles for a variety of applications and industries.