Two-time major winners Doug Ford and Jock Hutchinson, Japanese star Jumbo Ozaki and television producer Frank Chirkinian are also in Class of 2011; ceremony includes special recognition for Seve Ballasteros.
Ernie Els and former President George H.W. Bush were among those inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on May 9, reports the Sports Network. Two-time major winners Doug Ford and Jock Hutchinson, Japanese star Jumbo Ozaki and the late Frank Chirkinian, the legendary former Executive Producer for CBS Television, joined Els and Bush in the Class of 2011.
The induction ceremony in St. Augustine, Fla. also included special recognition and a tribute video for golf great Seve Ballesteros, who passed away on May 7 following a lengthy battle with brain cancer, at the age of 54.
Els, in his first year of eligibility for Hall of Fame election, earned entry through the PGA Tour ballot, where he garnered 66 percent of the vote. The native of South Africa has earned 18 PGA Tour victories, including the U.S. Open in 1994 and 1997 and The Open Championship in 2002. Overall, Els, 41, has 67 worldwide wins and has been ranked No. 1 in the world for nine weeks. He also lost a playoff for the 2004 British Open title and is currently ranked 16th in the world.
“I’m really honored, thank you very much to the World Golf Hall of Fame,” Els said of the honor. “I really appreciate it from my heart.”
The former President Bush, 86, served as honorary chairman of The Presidents Cup in 1996 and has been to every Cup since, and is also an honorary member of the PGA, an honorary chair of the USGA Museum and Archives President’s council, and has served as honorary chairman of The First Tee since 1997.
Bush was also a recipient of the 1997 PGA of America Distinguished Service Award, the 2008 Bob Jones Award given by the USGA, and the 2009 PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award.
Ford won 19 PGA Tour titles, including the 1955 PGA Championship and the 1957 Masters. He played on four United States Ryder Cup teams and was PGA Player of the Year for the year when he won the PGA.
Hutchinson was born in St. Andrews, Scotland and became an American citizen in 1920 when he was 36 years old. He became the first American citizen and first non-United Kingdom based winner of the Open Championship in 1921.
Hutchinson, who died in 1977 at the age of 93, captured the 1920 PGA Championship and picked up 14 PGA Tour titles overall. He also won two Senior PGA Championships, including the inaugural one in 1937.
Ozaki, whose given first name is Masashi, won 94 times on the Japan Tour, which is 40 more than the next closest competitor. He led that circuit’s money list 12 times, and his last victory came in 2002.
Ozaki, 64, still plays some on the Japan Tour and despite rarely playing outside his homeland, he was ranked in the top 10 in the world rankings for almost 200 weeks.
Chirkinian, who died earlier this year at the age of 84 after a battle with lung cancer, was known for his innovations in golf broadcasts that included using on-course reporters, putting microphones throughout the course, and using overhead shots from cameras in cranes and blimps.
Nicknamed “the Ayatollah,” Chirkinian was also the first to list a players’ scores in relation to par, rather than as a total number of strokes.
Chirkinian learned of his impending Hall of Fame induction this year during the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, three weeks before he died. He taped an acceptance speech that was played at the induction ceremony.
“I must admit that I have been known to be speechless now and again, but that’s a rare thing to have happen,” Chirkinian said in the video. “But tonight I am speechless.”
Chirkinian said he was “humbled” by the honor, which wouldn’t have been possible without his talented CBS colleagues.
“Looking back at a career that spanned 40 years, I’m amazed at how quickly those years have passed, a lot faster than I hoped they would,” Chirkinian said. “I realized golf is more than just a game. It’s a way of life.”
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.