Hester named to hometown sports hall of fame

Jump to Macon.com for Hall of Fame release FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas women’s golf coach Kelley Hester was selected to the Macon, Ga., Sports Hall of Fame. In her fifth season with the Lady Razorbacks, Hester is one of 14 Macon area athletes or supporters selected to be inducted into the hall this year. "It is certainly an honor and a privilege to be inducted into the Macon Sports Hall of Fame," said Hester. "So many members of my family and support group are back home and it is great to know that they have continued to follow me and my coaching career. It is a tribute to them as much as it is to me to be honored in such a way." The former Kelley Richardson is a native of Macon and attended First Presbyterian Day School where she was a standout golfer. She went on to the University of Georgia helping the Bulldogs to a pair of Southeastern Conference team titles and a fourth-place showing at the 1993 NCAA Championship. A two-time all-SEC selection, she also earned all-America honors in 1995. Hester went on to play professionally on the Futures Golf Tour in 1996 and 1997 where she qualified for the 1996 U.S. Women’s Open. Hester left the player ranks becoming an assistant pro at Idle Hour, a position that eventually led her back to college where she assumed the role of head coach at Mercer in her hometown. From Mercer, Hester moved back to her alma mater as an assistant coach from 1999-2001, departing in 2001 to become the head coach at UNLV. Hester quickly built the Rebel program from scratch while making a name for herself in the profession. She took over at Arkansas in 2002 and has guided the Lady Razorbacks to program heights almost too numerous to mention. Some of Hester’s accomplishments since joining Arkansas include four consecutive NCAA Regional appearances and back-to-back NCAA Championship appearances. She coached the program’s first first-team all-conference athlete, the first of three all-Americans and recruited Stacy Lewis, arguably the best women’s golfer to play at Arkansas and currently considered top American female amateur golfer. Hester, who has been on maternity leave, returns to the coaching sidelines next week leading the Lady Razorbacks to the Southeastern Conference Championship at Old Waverly in West Point, Miss., April 20-22. For more information about Hester and Arkansas golf, log on to LADYBACKS.COM.