WGHOF Class of 2019. Photo Credit: WGHOF.
World Golf Hall of Fame Introduces Peggy Kirk Bell, Retief Goosen, Billy Payne, Jan Stephenson and Dennis Walters as the Class of 2019
Inductees to be enshrined into the World Golf Hall of Fame on June 10, 2019 in Pebble Beach the week of the men’s U.S. Open Championship 2019.
AUGUSTINE, Fla. (October 10, 2018) – Retief Goosen, Billy Payne, Jan Stephenson, Dennis Walters and the late Peggy Kirk Bell will officially join the ranks of the World Golf Hall of Fame as the Class of 2019.
These five new members will be enshrined at the World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Monday, June 10, 2019 in Pebble Beach the week of the men’s U.S. Open Championship. The ceremony will take place at the Sunset Center in Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA.
Following is a brief bio on each new inductee:
Peggy Kirk Bell, United States
Lifetime Achievement Category
Peggy Kirk Bell. Photo Credit: WGHOF.
Margaret Anne “Peggy” Kirk Bell took up the game as a teenager, making a name for herself as an amateur star. She went on to become a charter member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association in 1950 after winning the 1949 Titleholders Championship and participating on the winning 1950 Curtis Cup team. She received the PGA of America’s First Lady of Golf Award in 2007 and was an avid supporter of the game as a top 100 golf instructor, becoming the first woman selected into Golf Magazine’s World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame.
Retief Goosen, South Africa
Male Competitor Category
Retief Goosen. Photo Credit: Stacy Revere/Getty Images.
Known affectionately as “The Goose,” Retief Goosen sat within the Official World Golf Ranking’s top 10 for more than 250 weeks from 2001 through 2007. His 33 worldwide wins include two U.S. Open Championships in 2001 – the same year he was named European Tour Player of the Year – and 2004. Goosen led the European Tour Order of Merit in 2001 and 2002. He also played in six consecutive Presidents Cups from 2000 to 2011 as part of the International Team.
Billy Payne, United States
Lifetime Achievement Category
Billy Payne. Photo Credit: Fred Vuich /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images).
During his 11 years as Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club from 2006 to 2017, William Porter “Billy” Payne oversaw a number of significant achievements including the introduction of female members into the club’s membership. He originated the Drive, Chip & Putt National Championship with the USGA and PGA of America and established the Asia-Pacific Amateur and Latin America Amateur tournaments, each offering guaranteed Masters’ spots to the winners. Named the GWAA’s William D. Richardson Award recipient, Payne also received the Olympic Order after serving as president and CEO of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games from 1992 to ‘96. Continuing his legacy and involvement with the Olympics, Payne was a key figure in the successful return of golf to the 2016 Games.
Jan Stephenson, Australia
Female Competitor Category
Jan Stephenson. Photo Credit: WGHOF.
In her first season on the LPGA Tour in 1974, Jan Stephenson was named LPGA’s Rookie of the Year. She went on to lead an impressive career with 20 professional victories, including 16 on the LPGA Tour. She is a three-time Major Champion with wins at the 1981 du Maurier, 1982 LPGA Championship and the 1983 U.S. Women’s Open. Her impact on the game extends outside of her play as one of the founders of the Women’s Senior Golf Tour. She is involved with golf course design and has made many charitable contributions including being an honorary chair of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Stephenson was also honored with the Order of Australia Medal in 2018 for her contributions to the game of golf.
Dennis Walters, United States
Lifetime Achievement Category
Dennis Walters. Photo Credit: WGHOF.
Dennis Walters is an elite golfer who was paralyzed from the waist-down at the age of 24 following a golf cart accident. He has since dedicated his career to sharing life lessons and inspiring fans and disabled golfers of all ages through golf clinics and special performances at more than 3,000 worldwide appearances. Former spokesperson and national ambassador for The First Tee, his message is to always continue hoping and dreaming. He is one of only 11 honorary lifetime members of the PGA of America. Walters was also honored with the 1978 Ben Hogan Award and was a 2018 recipient of the USGA’s Bob Jones Award.
These five Inductees will bring the total number of World Golf Hall of Fame Members to 160.
“The 2019 Induction Class is one of the most well-rounded groups we’ve had to date,” said Jack Peter, President of the World Golf Hall of Fame. “It is our honor and privilege to welcome Peggy Kirk Bell, Retief Goosen, Billy Payne, Jan Stephenson and Dennis Walters to the World Golf Hall of Fame family. We are excited to begin working with them as we gear up for the Induction Ceremony in Pebble Beach this June.”
The Class of 2019 was elected by the Hall of Fame’s Selection Commission, which debated a group of 15 finalists. The Inductees each passed the required 75 percent voting threshold – approval by at least 12 of the 16 members.
The Selection Commission was Co-Chaired by Hall of Fame Members Nancy Lopez, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Annika Sorenstam and included the members of the World Golf Foundation Board of Directors and a mix of institutional and at-large seats.
The finalists were vetted by the Hall of Fame’s Selection Sub-Committee. The Sub-Committee vetted every candidate that met the qualifications of the Hall of Fame’s four Induction categories.
About the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum
The World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum celebrates golf and preserves the legacies of those who have made it great. The Hall of Fame & Museum, located at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida, serves as a steward of the game through engaging, interactive storytelling and exhibitions featuring artifacts, works of art, audio, video and photography significant to the history of golf and its members. The Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit institution and is allied with 26 national and international golf organizations, including The European Tour, LPGA, the Masters Tournament, PGA of America, PGA TOUR, The R&A and USGA. To learn more about the World Golf Hall of Fame or to lend support, visit www.WorldGolfHallofFame.org.
Editor’s Note: Prior WGHOF Announcement on October 2nd, 2018 identified 15 Finalists for the Class of 2019. Six (in bold) were chosen, nine were not chosen, as WGHOF Inductees:
Lifetime Achievement: Peggy Kirk Bell, Billy Payne, and Dennis Walters.
Female Competitor: Susie Berning, Beverly Hanson, Sandra Palmer, Dottie Pepper, and Jan Stephenson.
Veterans: Jim Ferrier, Catherine Lacoste, and Calvin Peete.
Male Competitor: Retief Goosen, Graham Marsh, Corey Pavin, and Hal Sutton.
WGHOF Members:
Twenty (20) WGHOF Members Inducted through the Veterans Category: Tommy Bolt, Jack Burke, Jr., Donna Caponi, Sir Bob Charles, Leo Diegel, Doug Ford, Hubert Green, Marlene Bauer Hagge, Jock Hutchison, Kel Nagle, Christy O’Connor, Sr., Willie Park, Jr., Willie Park, Sr., Henry Picard, Judy Rankin, Allan Robertson, Denny Shute, Hollis Stacy, and Marlene Stewart Streit.
Twenty-eight (28) WGHOF Members Inducted through the Lifetime Achievement Category: Peter Alliss, Judy Bell, Deane Beman, Sir Michael Bonallack, George H.W. Bush, Joe Carr, Frank Chirkinian, Neil Coles, Bernard Darwin, Pete Dye, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Hisako “Chako” Higuchi, John Jacobs, Dan Jenkins, Henry Longhurst, Charles Blair Macdonald, Alister MacKenzie, Mark McCormack, Harvey Penick, Ken Schofield, Carol Semple Thompson, Charlie Sifford, Marilynn Smith, Karsten Solheim, A.W. Tillinghast, Ken Venturi, and Herbert Warren Wind.
One hundred and fifty-five (155) WGHOF Members by Country (United Kingdom and 16 Countries):
ARGENTINA (1): Roberto De Vicenzo
AUSTRALIA (6): David Graham • Kel Nagle • Greg Norman • Peter Thomson • Walter Travis • Karrie Webb
CANADA (2): Charles Blair Macdonald • Marlene Stewart Streit
FIJI (1): Vijay Singh
GERMANY (1): Bernhard Langer
IRELAND (2): Joe Carr • Christy O’Connor
JAPAN (4): Isao Aoki • Hisako “Chako” Higuchi • Ayako Okamoto • Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki
MEXICO (1): Lorena Ochoa Reyes
NEW ZEALAND (1): Sir Bob Charles
NORWAY (1): Karsten Solheim
SOUTH AFRICA (3) Ernie Els • Bobby Locke • Gary Player
SOUTH KOREA (1): Se Ri Pak
SPAIN (2): Seve Ballesteros • José María Olazábal
SWEDEN (1): Annika Sorenstam
UNITED KINGDOM (35): Peter Alliss • Willie Anderson • Tommy Armour • John Ball • Jim Barnes • Sir Michael Bonallack • James Braid • Dorothy Campbell • Neil Coles • Harry Cooper • Sir Henry Cotton • Bernard Darwin • Dame Laura Davies • Sir Nick Faldo • Harold Hilton • Jock Hutchison • Bob Hope • Tony Jacklin • John Jacobs • Robert Trent Jones, Sr. • Henry Longhurst • Sandy Lyle • Alister MacKenzie • Colin Montgomerie • Tom Morris, Jr. • Tom Morris, Sr. • Willie Park, Jr. • Willie Park, Sr. • Allan Robertson • Donald Ross • Ken Schofield • J.H. Taylor • Harry Vardon • Joyce Wethered • Ian Woosnam
UNITED STATES (92): Amy Alcott • Judy Bell • Deane Beman • Patty Berg • Tommy Bolt • Julius Boros • Pat Bradley • Jack Burke, Jr. • President George H.W. Bush • William C. Campbell • Donna Caponi •
JoAnne Carner • Billy Casper • Frank Chirkinian • Fred Corcoran • Fred Couples • Ben Crenshaw • Bing
Crosby • Beth Daniel • Leo Diegel • Jimmy Demaret • Joseph C. Dey • Pete Dye • President Dwight D.
Eisenhower • Chick Evans • Raymond Floyd • Doug Ford • Herb Graffis • Hubert Green • Ralph Guldahl
- Walter Hagen • Marlene Hagge • Bob Harlow • Sandra Haynie • Ben Hogan • Juli Inkster • Hale Irwin
- Betty Jameson • Dan Jenkins • Bobby Jones • Betsy King • Tom Kite • Lawson Little • Gene Littler • Nancy Lopez • Davis Love III • Meg Mallon • Lloyd Mangrum • Carol Mann • Mark McCormack • Phil Mickelson • Cary Middlecoff • Johnny Miller • Byron Nelson • Larry Nelson • Jack Nicklaus • Mark O’Meara • Francis Ouimet • Arnold Palmer • Harvey Penick • Henry Picard • Judy Rankin • Betsy Rawls • Clifford Roberts • Chi Rodriguez • Paul Runyan • Gene Sarazen • Carol Semple Thompson • Patty Sheehan •Dinah Shore • Denny Shute • Charlie Sifford • Horton Smith • Marilynn Smith • Sam Snead • Hollis Stacy • Payne Stewart • Curtis Strange • Louise Suggs • A.W. Tillinghast • Jerry Travers • Lee Trevino • Richard Tufts • Glenna Collette Vare • Ken Venturi • Lanny Wadkins • Tom Watson • Kathy Whitworth • Herbert Warren Wind • Craig Wood • Mickey Wright • Babe Zaharias
ZIMBABWE (1): Nick Price
