7 Golfers Inducted Into PGA of America Hall of Fame
Lee Trevino and the late Payne Stewart were amongst the seven golfers inducted in the PGA of America Hall of Fame Thursday at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens. The induction ceremony was the culmination of the PGA of America's annual meetings that began Tuesday.
Trevino is a six time major winner, including two U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships, and two Open Championships. Trevino also played on six Ryder Cup teams spanning three decades, posting a 17-7-6 record, and served as captain in 1985. Trevino has also been quite the philanthropist in his lifetime. On three separate occasions, he donated his winner's check to he St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Many might also remember him for his role he played in the 1996 Adam Sandler golf comedy Happy Gilmore.
The late Payne Stewart won three majors in his short, but memorable career. He won the 1989 PGA Championship and the 1991 U.S. Open. No victory of Stewart's might be as famous, or well know, as his 1999 U.S. Open win at Pinehurst #2. It was there that Stewart drained a 15-foot putt on the 72nd hole to beat Phil Mickelson by one. His fist pump and subsequent talk with Mickelson on the green have been replayed thousands of times and there is even a statue of Stewart at Pinehurst of him in his famous celebration pose. Unfortunately, just four months after that U.S. Open win, Stewart died in a private plane accident.
Joining Trevino and Stewart in the 2015 induction class was Charlie Sifford, Tommy Bolt, Ray Cutright, Michael Doctor and George Hannon.
Bolt, like Stewart, is being honored post-death. Bolt, who died in 2008 at the age of 92, won 15 times on the PGA Tour and was one of the top golfers of the 1950s and 1960s. Bolt won the 1958 U.S. Open and earned the nickname "Thunder" Bolt due to his fiery disposition as well as being known to break clubs and throw them mid round.
Sifford, who died in February also at the age of 92, was the first African-American to become a member of the PGA of America in 1961. A trailblazer on the PGA Tour, Sifford won twice on the PGA Tour and another seven times on the Senior Tour (modern day Champions Tour). More importantly then the wins, Sifford paved the way for golfers such as Lee Elder, Calvin Peete, and most famously Tiger Woods.
Hannon was a highly successful college coach at the University of Texas, while Doctor and Cutright are Master Professional teachers.
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