2020 LWGA SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS - Lowcountry Womens Golf ...

2020 LWGA SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

                        Hannah Harris: May River High School, 11th Grade

Throughout my life I have played many high intensity sports such as basketball, soccer, and
volleyball. Thee sports were always something that I loved but I never felt as though those sports
fit me. When I picked up a golf club for the first time, it felt as thought it fit perfectly in my hands
as if I was meant to play golf. My introduction to the sport is very small detail but I always will
keep it near to my heart because it set me up for a lifelong journey through my golfing career.
My first introduction to the sport was when I picked up on of my father’s giant golf clubs and
tried to hit mushrooms in my backyard, this lead to my parents getting me a smaller starter set
of golf clubs just to try golf out. I started off taking lessons from Terry Miskolczi and doing various
junior programs such as Girls Golf and the PGA Jr. League. These all set me for many years of
great golf. Once I felt ready, I joined the May River High School golf team in my eighth grade
year. When I first started playing, I never thought that the game of golf was such a mental game,
so me coming on the team at a young age and competing against the juniors and seniors made
me very nervous. My coach, Kelly Minasi, which I am incredibly thankful of showed me that its
okay to be myself. Maya Angelou once said, “You may not control all the events that happen to
you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” Which describes golf perfectly because you
never know what your mind or the course will throw at you that day. Golf is a game that is
constantly changing but staying true to you and keeping a good head on your shoulders during
your round will keep you calm and stable. Golf has been important to me because it has show
me you can have fund doing what you love and make amazing bonds with the people around you
while doing it.
I plan on continuing the game of golf through my high school years and I plan to visit the idea of
playing in college also. It is undecided where I want to go to college yet, but I know I see golf in
my future. I would like to thank my parents for continuously supporting me on what I want to
do, they have provided everything for my success. I want to thank coach Kelly Minasi for always
believing in me and never giving up hope even when I have a rocky time such as this past season
when I went through a large recession from my previous seasons. I will never forget the May

River High School golf team and hope for all success for the years after me. Finally, I want to
thank the Lowcountry Women’s Golf Association for providing me this amazing scholarship for
these young females to get a boost to college and their future golf career.

              Alexia (Lexi) Milbrandt: Hilton Head Island Middle School, 7th Grade

I am currently a seventh grade student at Hilton Head Island Middle School. I have been
attending school on Hilton Head for my entire life. I began playing golf at the age of seven years
old and started with the LPGA Girls Golf program. Since then, I have been fortunate to work with
many wonderful coaches including Dr. Jean Harris, Jeff Picus, Nick Dunham, Ben Blalock, Rod
Thompson, Billy Sampson, John Farrell, Karen Ferree, Rawn Grant, and Dana Radar.

At school, I am a straight A student and recently I have been selected to be in the National Junior
Honor Society. Last year, I achieved a perfect score on math SC Ready.
I currently play on the Hilton Head Island High School Varsity Golf Team and I am a member of
the First Tee Birdies Class. I was an HHIJGA All Star, a Drive, Chip and Putt competitor, and I play
with the Savannah Tour of US Kids Golf, SCJGA, and I will be playing in my first PKBGT tournament
in January 2020. I recently played in the Players Championship in Harstville, SC and I placed 1st
in the girls 10-2 age division. I was the runner up in the Tommy Cuthbert All Star Tournament,
and I have various first place finishes in the HHIJGA local tournaments and US Kids Savannah
chapter local tournaments.
Golf has been an important part of my life and my goal is to play competitive golf throughout
High School and earn a scholarship to play for a Division 1 college golf team. Golf has taught me
many lessons that will be valuable to me throughout my life. I have had to learn to win and to
lose, to be analytic, patient, and to be the best competitor that I can be. I have met many
wonderful people from many different places, both adults and other kids. Golf has broadened
my world and it is much more that a game to me.

Jennifer Richardson: Bluffton High School

The following was submitted by Ryan A. Floyd MS, MBA, M.ED Head Boys and Girls Golf Coach, Bluffton High School.

When I took over this program two years ago, Jennifer was one of the first golfers who joined the
team. Since that day, she has proven herself to be a hardworking, dedicated leader that makes
the people around her better. Jennifer is at every practice ready to work and pushes her other
team mates to be better. She is always a positive voice on the team when others are struggling
and even when she has a bad team day, she comes back the next day ready to work. She is a
dedicated student that understands the balance of school and golf and the epitome of a student
athlete. Jennifer is the kind of golfer that makes coaching fun. Any coach would be fortunate to
have a team full of Jennifers.