Beginning with the 2017 championship season, the Connecticut State Golf Association is pleased to announce the addition of a new annual award recognizing competitive excellence. The Liz Janangelo Caron Women’s Player of the Year award will henceforth honor Connecticut’s top female amateur golfer.
“Together with our increased involvement in both conducting and assisting women’s championships in Connecticut, we are excited to honor the best female amateur player each year with a significant award,” said Mike Moraghan, CSGA Executive Director. “Using a points system based upon tournament finishes throughout the season we will look to identify the top player each year. We hope this will also encourage participation and add a new level of excitement to women’s golf in Connecticut.”
The Liz Janangelo Caron Women’s Player of the Year will join the CSGA’s two other Player of the Year awards given annually to the best amateur players in Connecticut. The Dick Tettelbach Player of the Year award recognizes the state’s top amateur golfer each year, and has been presented annually since 1980. In 2007 the CSGA added the Dick Siderowf Senior Player of the Year award, using a points system similar to the Tettelbach award.
“As with the Tettelbach and Siderowf, we wanted this award to carry the name of someone whose exceptional achievements were remarkable among women in Connecticut golf history,” said Daniela Lendl, CSGA Director of Women’s Golf & Member Services. “We polled dozens of people and thought long and hard about it. There were a number of truly exceptional women whose names emerged. Ultimately, we decided that Liz and her amateur accomplishments were deserving of this honor.”
During her amateur career, Janangelo Caron captured five consecutive Connecticut Women’s Amateur Championships (1997-2001), three consecutive Connecticut Women’s Open Championships (2003-2005), played on the 2004 U.S. Curtis Cup team, and qualified for three U.S. Women’s Open Championships (2000, 2002, 2003). The 2000 Connecticut Female Athlete of the Year, Janangelo Caron captured nine American Junior Golf Association titles, with five of those wins coming in 2001.
Coming out of high school Janangelo Caron was the number one ranked junior player in the United States. She continued her amateur prominence on the national level as a member of the Duke University Women’s Golf team, where she was a four-time NCAA First Team All American (2003-2006), and helped Duke capture back to back NCAA team titles in 2005 and 2006. Individually she claimed seven collegiate titles during her career, and was named the 2003 ACC Freshman of the Year and the 2004 ACC and NCAA player of the Year.
Upon graduating from Duke in 2006, Janangelo Caron claimed her fourth consecutive Connecticut Women’s Open Championship in her professional debut. She went on to compete on both the LPGA Tour and Symetra Tour capturing two wins as a professional on the Symetra Tour, both in 2007. Today, Janangelo Caron shares her expertise and experience as a teaching professional at The Mill River Club on Long Island.
“It is an incredible honor to have this award in my name,” said Janangelo Caron. “I have been fortunate to have had a successful golf career, but to have my name attached to such a prestigious award in Connecticut is truly remarkable. Knowing how satisfying it is to earn a Player of the Year award, I look forward to presenting the winner with their trophy at the CSGA Annual Banquet each year.”
The opportunity to earn points toward the newly created Liz Janangelo Caron Player of the Year award begins with the playing of the 19th Connecticut Women’s Open Championship, hosted by Torrington Country Club on May 30th and 31st. For further information as to the Women’s Player of the Year points system click here.
