Mon Nov 02, 2009 2:24 pm EST
Eisenhower, Wadkins lead World Golf Hall Class of 2009
It's one of those minor-landmark days in golf today as the World Golf Hall of Fame inducts its 2009 class. Made up of legendary players of all stripes, the World Golf Hall Class of 2009 is a testament to the game's breadth and vitality ... even if all the honorees are about the age of your grandparents.
Leading the way is a former president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, inducted in the Lifetime Achievement category. Eisenhower was a rabid golfer, the first president ever inducted into the Hall of Fame, and played an estimated 800 rounds while in office and untold numbers before and after. He also has the distinction of having two separate Augusta fixtures -- The Eisenhower Tree and Ike's Pond -- named in his honor.
Speaking of the Masters, José María Olazábal has won the event twice, in 1994 and 1999. He is also one of the holders of the record for the lowest round in the PGA Championship, notching a 63 in 2000.
Christy O'Connor has one of the finest nicknames in golf -- "Himself" and was inducted in the Veterans Category. He won the British Masters, and played on the European Ryder Cup team every year from 1955 to 1973, and was one of the leading senior players for many years.
Lanny Wadkins won 21 times on the PGA Tour, including the 1977 PGA Championship, and played on the Ryder Cup team eight separate times before serving as captain in 1995. He also was a prominent CBS commentator for many years, of course, before being replaced by Nick Faldo in 2007.
For more on the World Golf Hall of Fame's Class of 2009, including info on the telecast of the induction ceremonies, click here.
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Jay Busbee
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10 Comments
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My dad still has a 'I Like Ike' button.
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1) why didn't we induct prez eisenhower when he was alive ! ?
2) for the next veterans ' category in the class of 2010 ,
i nominate flory van donck of belgium for his sterling
pre - european career ( britiish pga era before 1970 / 1971 )
he like christy o ' connor, was one of the classiest guys.
he is now at age 90 / 92 so better induct him coz
he won several continental opens in europe !
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Right to the point, well done.
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During the 1960 US presidential campaign, Kennedy happened to break from a whistle-stop tour of California for a golf game at Cypress Point on the Monterey Peninsula. There, he watched in horror as a seven-iron shot at the short, 139-yard 15th -- where Philip Walton chipped in for a birdie in the Walker Cup 21 years later -- looked like going straight into the hole. While his playing partner cheered the prospect of an ace, Kennedy, by his own admission, was watching "a promising political career coming to an end." He later explained: "If that ball had gone into that hole, the word would have got out to the nation in less than an hour that another golfer was trying to get in the White House."
Apparently this had to do with the considerable attention his predecessor as president, Dwight D Eisenhower, drew to his golf. So JFK, though capable of scoring in the high 70s, considered it prudent to keep his own proficiency at the game a secret. Back problems later precluded him from playing 18 holes, but he often shot 40 or better for nine.
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Hang around long enough, Lanny, and you will eventually be rewarded.
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