The 124th US Open activities started on Monday for me. This is the 1000th tournament conducted by the USGA which was founded in 1894!
I had the good fortune to be invited to attend the World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony. I had the honor of serving on the nominating committee having been asked by Greg McLaughlin, CEO of the World Golf Foundation. This was a great and humbling experience as I interacted with several current Hall of Famers in deciding who would be the next set of nominees.
Well, the event which was held at the Carolinas Hotel at the Pinehurst Resort and Country Club was informative, educational and fun. Darius Rucker served as the Master of Ceremonies. I offered him my assistance in his music and golf career….We will see where that goes.
I also had the opportunity to meet with several other luminaries as pictured below.
Mind you with each of these gentlemen I took the occasion to remind them that there is still much work to be done to make the industry and business of golf look like America.
Padraig Harrington a three-time major winner was among the six inductees into the World Golf Hall of Fame. His 21 worldwide wins include the British Open in 2007 and 2008 and the PGA Championship in 2008. He was joined by 19-time LPGA winner Sandra Palmer as the only living inductees.
Beverly Hanson who had 17 career wins on the LPGA Tour of which three were majors, former British Open champion, 16 time PGA Tour winner and renowned golf course architect Tom Weiskopf and 1928 U.S. Open champion Johnny Farrell were inducted posthumously.
Also being inducted were seven of the 13 founders of the LPGA Tour , Alice Bauer, Bettye Danoff, Helen Dettweiler, Helen Hicks, Opal Hill, Sally Sessions and Shirley Spork who were inducted as a group. The other six founders previous were inducted on their own. Michelle Wie West, who won the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014, introduced the founders. This was the largest World Golf Hall of Fame class since 2008.
There was a special mention and tribute paid to Charlie Sifford He was the first African American to earn a PGA TOUR card and the first to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. You can view the entire ceremony on YouTube below.
He is just one of two African Americans in the World Golf Hall of Fame- the other- Tiger Woods. Charlie Sifford’s book, Just Let Me Play, is a must read for everyone. Overall, this was a great experience and surely and will only get better when I can celebrate other greats including several worthy African Americans when they will be recognized for their outstanding accomplishments in this wonderful game of golf.
