ERNIE ELS
Ernie Els was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility with 66 percent of the vote. No surprise there -- the affable South African is a three-time major champion with 67 victories worldwide, including 19 on the PGA TOUR. As further evidence of his consistency on the game's grandest stage, Els has a phenomenal 31 top-10 finishes in 74 major appearances.
Els began playing golf at the age of 8 and was a scratch handicap by the time he was 14. His first significant victory came at the 1984 Junior World Golf Championship in San Diego when he beat Phil Mickelson to win the 13-14 age group -- interestingly, David Toms won the 15-17 division and Tiger Woods the 9-10 class.
A decade later, the man they call "The Big Easy" again rose to prominence in the United States -- beating Loren Roberts and Colin Montgomerie in an 18-hole playoff to win the U.S. Open. Monty was Els' victim again in 1997 at the U.S. Open as he won his second major at Congressional. His third came in 2002 at the Open Championship at Muirfield, again in a playoff over Steve Elkington, Stuart Appleby and Thomas Levet.
"I was so pleased to hear the news that Ernie has been selected to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame," Gary Player said. "Ernie certainly deserves this recognition, as he epitomizes a 'world' golfer. He is a credit to the game and an ambassador for the sport. Ernie has been a wonderful friend over the years and I am very fond of him and his family."
JAKE FOWLER
Maybe Jack Fowler Hutchison, who went by the nickname Jock, was destined to be a golfer. After all, he was born in St. Andrews, Scotland, the home of golf. Hutchison later moved to the United States, though. and became a citizen in 1920 when he was 36 years old.
His return to St. Andrews a year later, though, was particularly heralded as Hutchison became the first American citizen and first player not based in the United Kingdom to win the Open Championship. He did it with flair, too. He made an ace in the first round on the 135-yard eighth hole and nearly made another on No. 9 as his ball caught the lip and stopped inches away.
Hutchison, who died in 1977 at the age of 93, also won the 1920 PGA Championship and was runner-up in two U.S. Opens. A 14-time winner on the PGA TOUR, he also won the inaugural Senior PGA Championship at the Augusta National Golf Club in 1937 and captured the same title a decade later.
"The PGA of America joins in the celebration this spring of former PGA Champions Doug Ford and Jock Hutchison, two outstanding competitors and representatives of the game covering a half-century, as they enter the World Golf Hall of Fame," said PGA of America President Allen Wronowski. "In their own special way, Doug and Jock made an impact on so many people's lives after they had completed their competitive careers. It is wonderful that the World Golf Hall of Fame selection committee now welcomes them to be enshrined among the greats of the game."
DOUG FORD
Doug Ford, who was born in West Haven, Conn., on Aug. 6, 1922, is a 19-time winner on the PGA TOUR. Two of those titles were major championships -- the 1955 PGA and the 1957 Masters. Ford also played in four Ryder Cup matches.
Ford's victory at the PGA came by a 4-and-3 margin over Cary Middlecoff. He had earned medalist honors earlier in the week and served notice he was a force to be reckoned with when he dominated his third round match with Wally Ulrich by a 12-and-10 score. Ford was named the PGA Player of the Year later that year.
Two years later, Ford made up a three-stroke deficit to win the Masters, holing out from the bunker at the 18th green for a 66 to beat Sam Snead by three. Ford had 10 other top-10s in majors, including a tie for second in his title defense at Augusta National.
"It is an honor and a privilege to be named to the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum," said Ford, who will attend the induction ceremonies. "It took a little while, but I think it's great they're doing this while I'm still alive. It is an honor of which I am deeply proud."
JUMBO OZAKI
Masashi Ozaki, whose nickname is Jumbo, played professsional baseball for two years before turning to golf when he was 23. That turned out to be a smart move -- Ozaki is arguably the greatest Japanese golfer of all time. He has won 94 times on the Japan Tour -- over 40 more than his next closest competitor -- and he still competes frequently at the age of 64.
Ozaki, whose last victory came in 2002, led the Japan Tour money list a record 12 times. Known for his booming drives and flashy clothes, Ozaki was also ranked among the top 10 in the world for close to 200 weeks from 1989-1999, despite playing sparingly outside his homeland.
Ozaki did record three top-10s in major championships and his career-high finish on the PGA TOUR was a tie for fourth at the Memorial Tournament. His brothers Tateo (Jet) and Naomichi (Joe) are also pro golfers, and Joe, who now plays the Champions Tour, will be in attendance at the induction ceremonies on Monday.
"I was thinking that he could be in the Hall of Fame, but I didn't know when," Joe Ozaki said. "The time has come, I'm very proud of him. The way he plays golf, it's the way fans like, the way fans wanted. Everybody wanted to play like him. Without him, I wouldn't have been as successful a golfer as I am now. He's meant a lot. He's been everything."
PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH
President George H.W. Bush has been an ardent supporter of the game throughout his life. The 41st President, who is now 86, has received a host of honors from the stewards of the game -- including the 1997 PGA of America Distinguished Service Award, the 2008 Bob Jones Award give by the USGA and the 2009 PGA TOUR Lifetime Achievement Award.
Since 1997, the former president has served as honorary chairman of The First Tee, which uses the game of golf to help young people build character and develop life-enhancing skills. President Bush was the honorary chairman of the Presidents Cup in 1996 and has attended every biennial competition between the United States and International Teams since.
President Bush has also lent his support, along with former President Bill Clinton, to golf's cooperative efforts to raise funds to help victims of Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Haiti.
"As his son says, George says, he's the most decent man he's ever met in his life," PGA TOUR veteran Brad Faxon said. "I love that description of him because he's everything you would ever want in a person. He's genuine, he's low-key, he's intelligent, he's the most articulate speaker I've ever listened to in my life."
FRANK CHIRKINIAN
Yes, he was demanding -- some people even went so far as to call him "The Ayatollah." But the late Frank Chirkinian is also known in broadcast circles as the "father of golf on television" and it's that legacy that earned him a spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame.
As the executive producer for golf on CBS from 1959-1996, Chirkinian left his imprint on every telecast to this day. He was the first to use cameras in blimps and on cranes, and he strategically put microphones on the ground to capture the sounds of the game. He also was the first to use roving reporteres to to call the action.
But Chirkinian, whose first production was the 1958 PGA Championship, was most proud of his decision to list scores relative to par rather than the total number of strokes. The 84-year-old learned of his induction at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, three weeks before he lost his battle with lung cancer.
"Frank is universally regarded as the father of golf television," said Jim Nantz, CBS' lead golf announcer since 1989. "He invented it. He has touched every golf production we watch today. Frank is a genius. He helped popularize the sport as much as anyone. He took a sport that no one knew how to televise and made it interesting. He brought the Masters Tournament to life.
"Golf was good to Frank Chirkinian, but Frank was great to golf."
No comments:
Post a Comment