Sport And Fun: sandra gal German professional golfer

Monday, August 8, 2011

sandra gal German professional golfer

Sandra Gal (born 9 May 1985) is a German professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour.

Childhood, college and amateur careerGal was born in Düsseldorf, Germany and began playing golf at age five during family vacations to golf resorts around Europe. At age 17 she joined the German National Team and at 18 won the German National Girls Championship. She graduated from high school in 2004.

While still competing on the German National Team, Gal enrolled at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where she also played for the Florida Gators women's golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 2005 to 2007. While competing as a Gator golfer, she won four events, received All-American honors in 2007, and was an NGCA Academic All-American from 2005 to 2008.

In 2007, she won the Ladies European Amateur, and later that fall, entered the LPGA Qualifying School where she qualified for the LPGA Tour for 2008 and immediately turned pro. Although by turning pro she could no longer play college golf, she completed her degree requirements while playing full-time on the LPGA Tour and graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree, with honors, in advertising in August 2008.

Professional career

Gal tied for 14th in the 2007 LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament to earn full playing privileges on the LPGA in 2008; she turned professional immediately following the tournament.

Her best career finish is a win at the 2011 Kia Classic, beating Jiyai Shin by one stroke for her first LPGA win. Gal finished at 16-under-par.[4] Previously her best finish had been fifth at the 2009 LPGA Corning Classic. Also in 2009, she recorded two career-low rounds of 64In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated; a professional may not play in amateur tournaments. It is very difficult for a professional to regain his or her amateur status; simply agreeing not to take payment for a particular tournament is not enough. A player must apply to the governing body of the sport to have amateur status reinstated.Professional golfers are divided into two main groups, with a limited amount of overlap between them:

The great majority of professional golfers (at least 95%) make their living from teaching the game, running golf clubs and courses, and dealing in golf equipment. In American English the term golf pro refers to individuals involved in the service of other golfers. The senior professional golfer at a golf club is usually referred to as the club professional, but at a large golf club or resort with several courses his job title is likely to be director of golf. If he or she has assistants who are registered professional golfers, they are known as assistant professionals. A golfer who concentrates wholly or nearly so on giving golf lessons is a teaching professional, golf instructor or golf coach. Most of these people will enter a few tournaments against their peers each year, and occasionally they may qualify to play in important tournaments with the other group of professional golfers mentioned below. Many club and teaching professionals working in the golf industry start as caddies or a general interest in the game, finding employment at golf courses and eventually moving on to certifications in their chosen profession. These programs include independent institutions and universities, and those that eventually lead to a Class A golf professional certification.

A much smaller but higher profile group of professional