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Danny Lee - Source: Photosport -
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Danny Lee and David Smail picked up the major trophies at the New Zealand Golf Awards function in Queenstown on Saturday night.
Lee took out the New Zealand Golfer of the Year for 2009, while Smail won the award for the PGA of New Zealand Professional Golfer of the Year at the Golf Awards hosted by New Zealand Golf and the NZPGA at Millennium Hotel.
Lee, the 2008 US Amateur Champion, was the only New Zealander to gain a win on a major tour in 2009, when he took out the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth.
Lee, 18 at the time, became the youngest player to win on the Australasian and European Tours, and the first amateur to win that title in more than a decade.
He went on to turn professional amid some fanfare, making six of 11 cuts on the PGA Tour including a tie for seventh at the AT&T National but he missed qualifying at the US qualifying school. Lee moved to the European Tour where his Johnnie Walker Classic win gave him exempt status.
Smail completed another outstanding season, finishing 2009 as New Zealand's only player inside the world's top 100, ranked at No 95. The Waikato golfer qualified for three of the four majors in 2009 (British Open, US Open and USPGA), making the cut in the PGA Championship.
He completed another successful year on the Japan Tour, finishing 17th on the moneylist with five top-10s, and was three times runner-up. Smail was fifth on the Australasian Tour Order of Merit with his best showings being a share of second at the NZPGA and tied for eighth at the Moonah Classic - both Nationwide co-sanctioned events.
Talented Dunedin teenager Duncan Croudis was awarded the Sir Bob Charles Scholarship which is awarded annually and established with funds donated by Sir Bob.
The scholarship is aimed at assisting New Zealand's most promising golfers and golf students, to further their education while they develop their golfing skills. They can also be used to pursue specific golf educational goals.
Croudis, 18, is the New Zealand under-19 champion and second in his age group at the Aaron Baddeley world junior championships. He will begin studies for a Bachelor of Commerce at Otago University this year.
Peter Spearman-Burn (Wellington) was awarded the male amateur of the year. He was leader of the Order of Merit, winner North Island Amateur and South Island Amateur and a quarterfinalist at the NZ Amateur.
Auckland's Cecilia Cho is the female amateur of the year. She was the leader in the order of merit and won the New Zealand Amateur among 15 individual titles won in 2009. Cho, then 14, was the leading New Zealander, amateur or professional, at last year's inaugural New Zealand Women's Open, finishing in a share of 14th place.
The other awards went to Jeremy Carlsen (Cape Kidnappers) as the NZPGA Trainee of the Year, Garth Domigan (Wanaka) who was Club Professional champion, and Michael Hendry (North Harbour) who was the NZPGA Order of Merit winner.
Awards list:
New Zealand Golfer of the Year: Danny Lee
NZPGA Professional Player of the Year: David Smail
NZPGA Order of Merit: Michael Hendry
NZPGA Academy - Trainee Of the Year: Jeremy Carlsen
NZPGA Club Professional Champion: Garth Domigan
NZ Golf Female Amateur of the Year: Cecilia Cho
NZG Male Amateur of the Year: Peter Spearman-Burn
Bob Charles Scholarship: Duncan Croudis
