Las Vegas, Nevada (May 24, 2013)–Las Vegas golf star Stephanie Louden will be inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame on May 31. Louden joins tennis legend Andre Agassi, UFC President Dana White, Las Vegas Motor Speedway President Chris Powell, high school basketball coaching legend Bill Bobier, and Las Vegas Events chairman Pat Christenson. The official ceremony takes place at The Orleans Arena on Friday evening May 31 following a golf outing at Highland Falls Golf Club. Click now for tickets or additional information.–By Brian Hurlburt, Follow @LVGolfInsider.
Louden grew up in Las Vegas (Keever is her maiden name), earning accolades as a high school golfer in addition to junior golf. She won the state title in 1996. She played collegiately at Stanford, earning a degree prior to turning professional. She has earned two top 10 finishes in her career and more than $700,000 in total earnings. She also served on the executive committee for the LPGA Tour from 2006-08 and was vice president in 2008. She now resides in Texas with her husband, Mike, and son, Lucas.
As a junior, Louden competed on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) circuit, where she was a Second-Team All-American from 1995-96 and an Honorable Mention All-American in 1997. She competed in the 1996 State Farm Rail Classic on a sponsor exemption and recorded a hole-in-one during the second round. Louden’s impressive amateur career took off after she won the 1997 Women’s Western Amateur Championship. From 1998-99, she was a quarterfinalist at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. In 1998, she was a finalist at the Women’s Trans-National. She won three collegiate tournaments and was a four-time All-American at Stanford. In 2000, Louden was a member of the U.S. Curtis Cup and World Amateur Teams.
Louden joins fellow Las Vegas golfers Robert Gamez and Jim Colbert as members of the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame. Also inducted were the Las Vegas Founders, the volunteer group of business leaders who organized PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, and Senior PGA Tour events in Las Vegas for more than two decades. Dwaine Knight, head coach of the UNLV Men's Golf Team, is also and inductee. Colbert, the Founders, Gamez and Knight are also all members of the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame.
About the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame: The Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization committed to recognizing the outstanding achievements by Southern Nevada athletes, both in the world of sports and the local community. Proceeds from the organization’s annual induction event will be donated to organizations committed to the support and enhancement of Southern Nevada youth through active participation in programs designed to promote leadership, values, and character through sports.