Colorado University Athletics
Anne Kelly Receives WGCA Kim Evans Award
December 05, 2023 | Women's Golf
BOULDER — University of Colorado head women's golf coach Anne Kelly is the recipient of the 2023 Kim Evans Award for lifetime contributions to the sport, the Women's Golf Coaches Association announced on Tuesday.
The prestigious Kim Evans Award is presented annually to a college or high school coach, and Class A PGA Professional, whose support of the game through teaching, coaching and involvement in the community has helped ensure the continued growth of golf. Named for the former women's golf coach at Auburn (1994-2015) and WGCA Hall of Famer, Kelly accepted the Kim Evans Award during the WGCA Member Convention in Las Vegas.
"I'm very honored to receive the Kim Evans Award," Kelly said. "I've always respected Kim as a coach and PGA member and admire her dedication and commitment to the game. Golf has been a huge part of my life and I feel so fortunate to be a member of the WGCA and the PGA, two organizations that do a great job in promoting the game and women in golf."
Kelly is in her 27th and final year as Colorado's head coach; she announced in October her plans to retire from coaching at the end of the 2023-24 season. She is the longest-tenured female head coach in Colorado Athletics history and ranks seventh overall.
Two long-time women's golf coaching colleagues were instrumental in Kelly receiving the award: UNLV head coach Amy Bush-Herzer and New Mexico head coach Jill Trujillo, both citing her dedication and commitment to the sport.
"Coach Kelly has been providing opportunities for her golfers for decades and she has a history of successful student-athletes on and off the golf course," said Bush-Herzer, currently in her 14th season with the Rebels. "She is constantly promoting the game of golf and does this with the highest level of integrity. It was my honor to nominate coach Anne Kelly for this award."
Kelly has led Colorado to eight NCAA Regional appearances and two NCAA Championship events; all coming in the second half of her illustrious career in Boulder (since 2009). In addition, she has coached five individuals to solo appearances at NCAA Regionals.
Nine Colorado golfers have earned All-American honors under the tutelage of Kelly while 15 have made all-conference teams spanning both the Big 12 and Pac-12.
"When I think of coach Kelly, many things come to mind. She's the consummate professional, dedicated to her craft, and 100 percent has her team at the top of her priorities," said Trujillo, currently in her 17th season at the helm of the Lobos' program. "The respect the coaching community has for her is immense and as a lifelong PGA member, she has given her all for the sport she loves."
Kelly has coached 24 Women's Golf Coaches Association All-America Scholars while 84 student-athletes – an average of more than three per year – have received season academic honors at the conference level.
Along with the development of her own student-athletes, Kelly led the beginnings of three collegiate golf tournaments. The Buffaloes hosted the Heather Farr Memorial from 1998-2010 (at three Boulder-area courses) in honor of Farr, a long-time friend of Kelly's and former LPGA player who died of breast cancer in 1993 at the age of 28. Kelly, along with her mother, started the Mountain View Collegiate outside Tucson, Ariz., in 1999; an event which still runs strong today and is now hosted by Kansas State.
Kelly's Buffaloes began the Chevron Silverado Showdown in 2014 at the Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif., which has become one of the premier events in women's collegiate golf. The 10th edition of that event, co-hosted by Oregon, is scheduled for April 8-10, 2024. Chevron is in its second season as the title sponsor and will once again invite the medalist of this event to participate as an amateur at the LPGA's Chevron Championship, scheduled for April 17-21 at the Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas.
Off the golf course, Kelly has participated in visiting the Veterans Hospital during her time in the Colorado PGA Section and has participated in the University of Colorado's children's hospital visits. She has been involved in the annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day and participated in Colorado's Read with the Buffs program, a reading incentive program geared toward 2nd-4th grade students. Kelly has also served on both the WGCA Board of Directors and the NCAA Division I Women's Golf Committee.
Colorado is scheduled to continue the 2023-24 campaign by opening the spring portion of the season Feb. 12-13 with the San Diego State Classic at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
The prestigious Kim Evans Award is presented annually to a college or high school coach, and Class A PGA Professional, whose support of the game through teaching, coaching and involvement in the community has helped ensure the continued growth of golf. Named for the former women's golf coach at Auburn (1994-2015) and WGCA Hall of Famer, Kelly accepted the Kim Evans Award during the WGCA Member Convention in Las Vegas.
"I'm very honored to receive the Kim Evans Award," Kelly said. "I've always respected Kim as a coach and PGA member and admire her dedication and commitment to the game. Golf has been a huge part of my life and I feel so fortunate to be a member of the WGCA and the PGA, two organizations that do a great job in promoting the game and women in golf."
Kelly is in her 27th and final year as Colorado's head coach; she announced in October her plans to retire from coaching at the end of the 2023-24 season. She is the longest-tenured female head coach in Colorado Athletics history and ranks seventh overall.
Two long-time women's golf coaching colleagues were instrumental in Kelly receiving the award: UNLV head coach Amy Bush-Herzer and New Mexico head coach Jill Trujillo, both citing her dedication and commitment to the sport.
"Coach Kelly has been providing opportunities for her golfers for decades and she has a history of successful student-athletes on and off the golf course," said Bush-Herzer, currently in her 14th season with the Rebels. "She is constantly promoting the game of golf and does this with the highest level of integrity. It was my honor to nominate coach Anne Kelly for this award."
Kelly has led Colorado to eight NCAA Regional appearances and two NCAA Championship events; all coming in the second half of her illustrious career in Boulder (since 2009). In addition, she has coached five individuals to solo appearances at NCAA Regionals.
Nine Colorado golfers have earned All-American honors under the tutelage of Kelly while 15 have made all-conference teams spanning both the Big 12 and Pac-12.
"When I think of coach Kelly, many things come to mind. She's the consummate professional, dedicated to her craft, and 100 percent has her team at the top of her priorities," said Trujillo, currently in her 17th season at the helm of the Lobos' program. "The respect the coaching community has for her is immense and as a lifelong PGA member, she has given her all for the sport she loves."
Kelly has coached 24 Women's Golf Coaches Association All-America Scholars while 84 student-athletes – an average of more than three per year – have received season academic honors at the conference level.
Along with the development of her own student-athletes, Kelly led the beginnings of three collegiate golf tournaments. The Buffaloes hosted the Heather Farr Memorial from 1998-2010 (at three Boulder-area courses) in honor of Farr, a long-time friend of Kelly's and former LPGA player who died of breast cancer in 1993 at the age of 28. Kelly, along with her mother, started the Mountain View Collegiate outside Tucson, Ariz., in 1999; an event which still runs strong today and is now hosted by Kansas State.
Kelly's Buffaloes began the Chevron Silverado Showdown in 2014 at the Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif., which has become one of the premier events in women's collegiate golf. The 10th edition of that event, co-hosted by Oregon, is scheduled for April 8-10, 2024. Chevron is in its second season as the title sponsor and will once again invite the medalist of this event to participate as an amateur at the LPGA's Chevron Championship, scheduled for April 17-21 at the Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas.
Off the golf course, Kelly has participated in visiting the Veterans Hospital during her time in the Colorado PGA Section and has participated in the University of Colorado's children's hospital visits. She has been involved in the annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day and participated in Colorado's Read with the Buffs program, a reading incentive program geared toward 2nd-4th grade students. Kelly has also served on both the WGCA Board of Directors and the NCAA Division I Women's Golf Committee.
Colorado is scheduled to continue the 2023-24 campaign by opening the spring portion of the season Feb. 12-13 with the San Diego State Classic at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
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