By Bob Denney, The PGA of America- PGA.com
May 5, 2009 -- PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - PGA Honorary President Brian Whitcomb of Bend, Ore., said that there is a "little guy" he had never met, but who had been sitting on his shoulder for many years and driving him forward.
"He kept telling me to 'Try harder! Try Harder,' " said Whitcomb, one of eight inductees Tuesday evening into the PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame. "He drives me to be the best that you can be every day. I have tried to live by that goal every day. There are days when I don't like hearing that voice, but I go forward anyway."
Whitcomb, who completed his term in November 2008 as the 35th president of The PGA of America, joined an elite class of inductees who were honored as significant contributors to the Association and the game of golf. Their names were enshrined in granite with a brick resting on a wall at the PGA Historical Center at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
The inductees included 2006 PGA Golf Professional of the Year Jim Manthis of Coon Rapids, Minn., 2007 PGA Golf Professional of the Year Brent Krause of Montgomery, Ala., former Masters Champion Claude Harmon Sr.; legendary teaching professional Harvey Penick; former PGA Rules Committee Chairman Don Essig III of Indianapolis, Ind., former UCLA Coach and renowned instructor, Eddie Merrins of Los Angeles; and Harry "Cotton" Berrier of Pigeon Forge, Tenn., a three-time PGA of America Board member and a co-founder of the Tennessee PGA Section.
The inductees were honored in conjunction with The PGA of America Spring Meeting, conducted at the nearby PGA Education Center at PGA Village.
Manthis and Krause were recipients of The PGA of America's highest honor to a member professional.
"This class distinguished themselves in so many ways," said Krause, "but wears one badge. In the vernacular of the military, you leave no one behind. As PGA members, we can't leave any of our members behind."
Manthis said that one of his friends, Ken Venturi, had left him with an everlasting mission in his profession.
"Ken would say, 'Don't just take, but give something back along the way,' " said Manthis. "Wally Mund [a 1969 PGA Golf Professional of the Year] was my mentor and among many things he said was that 'the only thing we have to sell is service. If we do that, it will all work out."
The late Harmon was patriarch of perhaps the most famed golf teaching families in the sport while Penick's imprint upon the game transcended a long line of major champions to the amateur player who eagerly followed his written advice in books long after his death.
Accepting the honor for Harmon were three of his four surviving sons - Claude "Butch" Jr., Craig and Billy. Craig, who is the PGA head professional at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., was previously named to the Hall of Fame in 2006.
"He was the last of the great teaching players and was a great club professional at the same time," said Butch. "He encompassed everything that golf is about. He figured out at an early age what was necessary to accomplish many roles. He was far ahead of his time."
Craig Harmon said that every PGA Professional has had to matriculate through PGA Business School at one time or another in their career.
"We had Harmon Tech," said Craig. "We trained them at the highest level. I know that Dad would have been very honored to have gone into the Hall of Fame with these honorees."
Merrins, whose students include current U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Corey Pavin, said "a teacher's job is helping someone to help themselves. Whatever I have done to be honored here tonight is the result of the cooperation of so many assistants and workers I have been with over the years. It is an honor I will cherish forever."
Pavin paid tribute to Merrins during a recent visit to PGA of America Headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
"Eddie and I go back a long way. He is such a unique, great guy," said Pavin. "His teaching philosophy is a very simple one and easy to understand. That is why he is so successful. Eddie has a lot of respect in the golf industry, and his longevity as a teacher is amazing. He taught a simple action with the golf swing, where there weren't a lot of moving parts. He was what you might say 'swing plane oriented. 'He was a pioneer in that regard. I am honest that I didn't grasp a lot of what he said from the start. Over the years the more I learned about the swing, the more I understood how he knew so much and was ahead of his time."
PGA Life Member Tinsley Penick accepted on behalf of his later father, Harvey, who passed away in 1995 less than a week before one of his famed students, Ben Crenshaw, won a second Masters.
"What a thrill it would have been for my father to have been here tonight," said Tinsley, who had succeeded his father as PGA head professional at Austin (Texas) Country Club. "My father once said that he had seen more golf shots than anyone alive. He spent 82 years watching golf shots.
The PGA of America meant so much to him, and one of the greatest honors that he said he received was when the Southern Texas PGA named its Teacher of the Year Award after him."
In a video tribute, Crenshaw said Penick "dedicated his life to get people in the game and keep them there. I carry his thoughts with me every day. Once his books were published, we were happy that people could be reading what we had been hearing all these years."
Berrier, who campaigned by crisscrossing his home state to form the Tennessee PGA Section, said that he shares his Hall of Fame honor "with all the grassroots PGA Professionals, who are the heart and soul of the Association."
Essig, one of the most popular and most respected PGA Rules officials, said that there are three tenets of his family's firm, Essig Golf Management: "Faith first, Family second and Work in Golf Third."
Click here to read the full story including profiles of all the inductees.
Showing posts with label World Golf Hall of Fame. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World Golf Hall of Fame. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
PNGA Inducts Four into Hall of Fame
Kabler, Moore, Fought and Forster are Class of 2009 for Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame
Federal Way, Wash. – On Friday, April 24, the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) inducted Carole Jo (Kabler) Whitted, Gail (Harvey) Moore, Ken Forster and John Fought into the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame. These four join the Hall of Fame’s 50 existing members.
During a banquet held at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Ore., Kabler, Forster and Fought were on hand to receive their awards. Moore, who passed away in 1993, was represented by her husband Jim and daughter Julie, who both spoke movingly about Gail’s award. Moore, who played out of Vancouver, BC, won six Canadian national championships, and won both the Canadian Ladies Amateur and BC Ladies Amateur in 1970. Moore is also a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
Kabler dominated the Oregon golf scene during the 1950s and ‘60s, winning two Oregon Junior Girls’ titles and four Women’s Oregon Amateur titles. She also won the 1955 U.S. Girls’ Junior championship and the 1957 PNGA Women’s Amateur championship. Kabler went on to win several events on the LPGA Tour.
A longtime native of Salem, Ore., Forster recently retired from teaching and coaching golf for 28 years at the high school level. He is a three-time winner of the PNGA Senior Men’s Amateur; is a two-time Oregon Senior Stroke Play champion; played in the 1998 U.S. Senior Open; was the low amateur in the 2000 British Senior Open; was twice selected as the PNGA Senior Player of the Year; and is a 12-time participant in the Hudson Cup, being named Senior MVP three times.
Portland native John Fought had a meteoric amateur playing career in the mid-1970s. In 1975 he won the Pacific Coast Amateur, and in 1976 won the Northwest Open, was the low amateur in the U.S. Open and was an All-American at BYU. And all of this was but a prelude to 1977, when he won the U.S. Amateur, the Broadmoor Invitational, the Trans-Mississippi and was a member of the Walker Cup.
He played six years on the PGA Tour, winning twice in 1979 while being named Rookie of the Year. He has since gone on to a successful career in golf course design, which includes such Northwest courses as Crosswater GC in Sunriver, Ore. and Centennial GC in Medford, Ore.
Master of Ceremonies for the event was Bill Yeend, the on-air news anchor for KOMO Radio 1000 (based in Seattle).
Inductions into the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame occur every two years. The Hall of Fame was established in 1978 by the PNGA to recognize men and women from throughout the Pacific Northwest who have made extraordinary contributions to the game of golf in the region, through their playing achievements or through their contributions of time and effort to the advancement of golf in the Northwest.
Visit www.thepnga.org for a complete list of Hall of Fame members and to read their biographies.
Federal Way, Wash. – On Friday, April 24, the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) inducted Carole Jo (Kabler) Whitted, Gail (Harvey) Moore, Ken Forster and John Fought into the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame. These four join the Hall of Fame’s 50 existing members.
During a banquet held at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Ore., Kabler, Forster and Fought were on hand to receive their awards. Moore, who passed away in 1993, was represented by her husband Jim and daughter Julie, who both spoke movingly about Gail’s award. Moore, who played out of Vancouver, BC, won six Canadian national championships, and won both the Canadian Ladies Amateur and BC Ladies Amateur in 1970. Moore is also a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
Kabler dominated the Oregon golf scene during the 1950s and ‘60s, winning two Oregon Junior Girls’ titles and four Women’s Oregon Amateur titles. She also won the 1955 U.S. Girls’ Junior championship and the 1957 PNGA Women’s Amateur championship. Kabler went on to win several events on the LPGA Tour.
A longtime native of Salem, Ore., Forster recently retired from teaching and coaching golf for 28 years at the high school level. He is a three-time winner of the PNGA Senior Men’s Amateur; is a two-time Oregon Senior Stroke Play champion; played in the 1998 U.S. Senior Open; was the low amateur in the 2000 British Senior Open; was twice selected as the PNGA Senior Player of the Year; and is a 12-time participant in the Hudson Cup, being named Senior MVP three times.
Portland native John Fought had a meteoric amateur playing career in the mid-1970s. In 1975 he won the Pacific Coast Amateur, and in 1976 won the Northwest Open, was the low amateur in the U.S. Open and was an All-American at BYU. And all of this was but a prelude to 1977, when he won the U.S. Amateur, the Broadmoor Invitational, the Trans-Mississippi and was a member of the Walker Cup.
He played six years on the PGA Tour, winning twice in 1979 while being named Rookie of the Year. He has since gone on to a successful career in golf course design, which includes such Northwest courses as Crosswater GC in Sunriver, Ore. and Centennial GC in Medford, Ore.
Master of Ceremonies for the event was Bill Yeend, the on-air news anchor for KOMO Radio 1000 (based in Seattle).
Inductions into the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame occur every two years. The Hall of Fame was established in 1978 by the PNGA to recognize men and women from throughout the Pacific Northwest who have made extraordinary contributions to the game of golf in the region, through their playing achievements or through their contributions of time and effort to the advancement of golf in the Northwest.
Visit www.thepnga.org for a complete list of Hall of Fame members and to read their biographies.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Lanny Wadkins named to World Golf Hall of Fame Class of '09
SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Lanny Wadkins, a 21-time PGA Tour winner, has been elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame through the PGA Tour Ballot and will become a Hall of Fame member as part of the Class of 2009 on November 2. The announcement was made today at Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, the Champions Tour event where Wadkins will tee off with his brother, Bobby, tomorrow.
Ninety-four percent of the PGA Tour ballots that were mailed out were returned, and Wadkins was named on 61% of the returned ballots. A complete list of percentages for the 2009 PGA Tour Ballot Candidates is below.
"I am honored and pleased to be a part of such a prestigious group," said Wadkins. "I never expected to wind up in the Hall of Fame when I started playing golf. I played for the love of the game and to compete to win. This honor is the culmination of a lot of fun, which I had throughout my career. I am extremely pleased to share this honor with my family and friends who supported me for so long. For many, I know this means as much to them as it does to me, and I appreciate all of their support."
"Lanny Wadkins' reputation as one of the most fiercely competitive players of his generation was demonstrated time and time again, including his victories at the 1977 PGA Championship, where he won a sudden-death playoff, and at the 1979 PLAYERS Championship, when he overcame gale force conditions to win by five strokes," PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said. "His tournament record, coupled with his stout Ryder Cup success and time spent as a CBS analyst, rounds out a remarkable Hall of Fame career."
He was named Rookie of the Year in 1972 by Golf Digest and is among the top 30 on the all-time PGA Tour victory list. Wadkins was voted PGA Player of the Year in 1985, a year he won three TOUR titles.
Beginning in 1977, Wadkins played on the U.S. Ryder Cup Team eight times (a record he shares with Raymond Floyd and Billy Casper) and his 20-11-3 record is among the strongest in the history of the event. He served as U.S. Ryder Cup Team Captain in 1995.
A native of Richmond, Va., Wadkins attended Wake Forest University on a golf scholarship and was named Collegiate All-American in 1970 and 1971. He earned numerous amateur titles before turning professional, most notably the 1970 United States Amateur Championship. He was also a member of the U.S. Walker Cup teams in 1969 and 1971.
Wadkins was victorious in his first Champions Tour start, the 2000 ACE Group Classic, while splitting time between competition and the CBS broadcast booth, where he was lead analyst for the network's golf telecasts from 2002 through 2006.
Wadkins also claimed international wins in Australia, Canada, Japan and Colombia, and unofficial events in the United States, including 1980 PGA Grand Slam of Golf.
"Lanny Wadkins has enjoyed tremendous success at every turn of his career, from his days as an amateur, to his PGA Tour career to his position as one of the finest Ryder Cup players this country has ever produced," said Jack Peter, Senior Vice President and COO of the World Golf Hall of Fame. "It is certainly fitting that Wadkins' career is capped by receiving golf's highest honor - election into the World Golf Hall of Fame."
Additional announcements for the 2009 Class of Inductees are being scheduled in the coming weeks. The 2009 World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla. on Monday, Nov. 2.
For more information about the World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Process or the 2009 Induction Ceremony, visit www.wgv.com.
World Golf Hall of Fame, located at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla., honors and celebrates golf's greatest players and contributors. A World Golf Foundation initiative, the Hall of Fame represents collaboration among 26 national and international golf organizations, including the PGA TOUR, LPGA, USGA, Augusta National, PGA of America, The European Tour and The R&A. The museum houses interactive exhibits and historic and personal artifacts that tell the stories of its members and the game of golf. For more information, visit www.wgv.com.
As sole founding partner of World Golf Hall of Fame, The First Tee and World Golf Village, Shell Oil Company provides financial support and plays the lead role in charitable initiatives aimed at introducing golf to young people, and through the golf experience promotes scholastic achievement, community service and those values intrinsic to the game of golf: honesty, integrity and sportsmanship.
Ninety-four percent of the PGA Tour ballots that were mailed out were returned, and Wadkins was named on 61% of the returned ballots. A complete list of percentages for the 2009 PGA Tour Ballot Candidates is below.
"I am honored and pleased to be a part of such a prestigious group," said Wadkins. "I never expected to wind up in the Hall of Fame when I started playing golf. I played for the love of the game and to compete to win. This honor is the culmination of a lot of fun, which I had throughout my career. I am extremely pleased to share this honor with my family and friends who supported me for so long. For many, I know this means as much to them as it does to me, and I appreciate all of their support."
"Lanny Wadkins' reputation as one of the most fiercely competitive players of his generation was demonstrated time and time again, including his victories at the 1977 PGA Championship, where he won a sudden-death playoff, and at the 1979 PLAYERS Championship, when he overcame gale force conditions to win by five strokes," PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said. "His tournament record, coupled with his stout Ryder Cup success and time spent as a CBS analyst, rounds out a remarkable Hall of Fame career."
He was named Rookie of the Year in 1972 by Golf Digest and is among the top 30 on the all-time PGA Tour victory list. Wadkins was voted PGA Player of the Year in 1985, a year he won three TOUR titles.
Beginning in 1977, Wadkins played on the U.S. Ryder Cup Team eight times (a record he shares with Raymond Floyd and Billy Casper) and his 20-11-3 record is among the strongest in the history of the event. He served as U.S. Ryder Cup Team Captain in 1995.
A native of Richmond, Va., Wadkins attended Wake Forest University on a golf scholarship and was named Collegiate All-American in 1970 and 1971. He earned numerous amateur titles before turning professional, most notably the 1970 United States Amateur Championship. He was also a member of the U.S. Walker Cup teams in 1969 and 1971.
Wadkins was victorious in his first Champions Tour start, the 2000 ACE Group Classic, while splitting time between competition and the CBS broadcast booth, where he was lead analyst for the network's golf telecasts from 2002 through 2006.
Wadkins also claimed international wins in Australia, Canada, Japan and Colombia, and unofficial events in the United States, including 1980 PGA Grand Slam of Golf.
"Lanny Wadkins has enjoyed tremendous success at every turn of his career, from his days as an amateur, to his PGA Tour career to his position as one of the finest Ryder Cup players this country has ever produced," said Jack Peter, Senior Vice President and COO of the World Golf Hall of Fame. "It is certainly fitting that Wadkins' career is capped by receiving golf's highest honor - election into the World Golf Hall of Fame."
Additional announcements for the 2009 Class of Inductees are being scheduled in the coming weeks. The 2009 World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla. on Monday, Nov. 2.
For more information about the World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Process or the 2009 Induction Ceremony, visit www.wgv.com.
World Golf Hall of Fame, located at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla., honors and celebrates golf's greatest players and contributors. A World Golf Foundation initiative, the Hall of Fame represents collaboration among 26 national and international golf organizations, including the PGA TOUR, LPGA, USGA, Augusta National, PGA of America, The European Tour and The R&A. The museum houses interactive exhibits and historic and personal artifacts that tell the stories of its members and the game of golf. For more information, visit www.wgv.com.
As sole founding partner of World Golf Hall of Fame, The First Tee and World Golf Village, Shell Oil Company provides financial support and plays the lead role in charitable initiatives aimed at introducing golf to young people, and through the golf experience promotes scholastic achievement, community service and those values intrinsic to the game of golf: honesty, integrity and sportsmanship.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
David Toms shocked and not amused by his short tenure on Hall of Fame ballot
- AP
HONOLULU (AP) -- For those who believe 40 is too young to be considered for the Hall of Fame, consider the plight of David Toms.
He was put on the PGA Tour ballot when he turned 40 because of his 12 victories (one of them a major) and 10 years on the PGA Tour. Toms received 1 percent of the vote in 2007, and he didn't receive any votes last year.
Because he did not receive at least 5 percent of the vote in consecutive years, he was taken off the ballot this year.
"I don't even think of the Hall of Fame until a guy turns 50, until he's almost done in golf," Toms said. "That's more fair than throwing someone like me on the ballot just because I meet the criteria."
Toms does not have Hall of Fame credentials -- not yet, maybe not ever.
With his experience, and feeling healthier than he has in recent years, he believes he is capable of winning at least another major and three more victories. "Two majors and 15 wins would be more than I could have hoped for when I started," he said.
What if he achieves more? After turning 42, Kenny Perry went on to win eight times.
"Can they put you back on?" Toms said.
Yes.
Jack Peter, the chief operating officer of the World Golf Hall of Fame, said the board of directors has the authority to place a golfer back on the ballot once removed. Even so, this might be more ammunition for those who believe a player should not be on the ballot until he is closer to the end of his career.
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
HONOLULU (AP) -- For those who believe 40 is too young to be considered for the Hall of Fame, consider the plight of David Toms.
He was put on the PGA Tour ballot when he turned 40 because of his 12 victories (one of them a major) and 10 years on the PGA Tour. Toms received 1 percent of the vote in 2007, and he didn't receive any votes last year.
Because he did not receive at least 5 percent of the vote in consecutive years, he was taken off the ballot this year.
"I don't even think of the Hall of Fame until a guy turns 50, until he's almost done in golf," Toms said. "That's more fair than throwing someone like me on the ballot just because I meet the criteria."
Toms does not have Hall of Fame credentials -- not yet, maybe not ever.
With his experience, and feeling healthier than he has in recent years, he believes he is capable of winning at least another major and three more victories. "Two majors and 15 wins would be more than I could have hoped for when I started," he said.
What if he achieves more? After turning 42, Kenny Perry went on to win eight times.
"Can they put you back on?" Toms said.
Yes.
Jack Peter, the chief operating officer of the World Golf Hall of Fame, said the board of directors has the authority to place a golfer back on the ballot once removed. Even so, this might be more ammunition for those who believe a player should not be on the ballot until he is closer to the end of his career.
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
2008 World Golf Hall of Fame Inductees
Each year, the World Golf Hall of Fame adds to its membership by inducting the greatest players and contributors within the game of golf.
On Monday, Nov. 10, 2008, six new individuals will be welcomed as members of the World Golf Hall of Fame: Bob Charles (Veterans Category), Pete Dye (Lifetime Achievement), Carol Semple Thompson (Lifetime Achievement), Denny Shute (Veterans Category), Herbert Warren Wind (Lifetime Achievement) and Craig Wood (PGA TOUR Ballot).
Upon the induction of the Class of 2008, the Hall will be home to a total of 126 individuals who have influenced the sport of golf throughout history.
On Monday, Nov. 10, 2008, six new individuals will be welcomed as members of the World Golf Hall of Fame: Bob Charles (Veterans Category), Pete Dye (Lifetime Achievement), Carol Semple Thompson (Lifetime Achievement), Denny Shute (Veterans Category), Herbert Warren Wind (Lifetime Achievement) and Craig Wood (PGA TOUR Ballot).
Upon the induction of the Class of 2008, the Hall will be home to a total of 126 individuals who have influenced the sport of golf throughout history.
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