Montgomerie Leads New Inductees Of World Golf Hall Of Fame

The World Golf Hall of Fame inducted five more members on Monday as Colin Montgomerie, Fred Couples, Willie Park Jr., former European Tour Executive Director Ken Schofield and US Open champion and broadcaster Ken Venturi were inducted at the annual Induction Ceremony.

The class of 2013 included seven time European Tour Order of Merit winner Colin Montgomerie, who said: “When I think about proud achievements, I suppose winning seven Orders of Merit in a row was something that I look back on and realise how special it was.

“I’m probably most proud of that, but I look back at my career and raising the Ryder Cup as captain in 2010, to regain the Ryder Cup from the victory that the States had in 2008, was a very proud moment.  It’s funny because I never hit a golf shot that week. In terms of proud moments without hitting a ball, then it has to be raising the Ryder Cup.”

1992 Masters champion and former world number one Fred Couples was also an inductee, voted in for his domination in the early 1990s when he won the PGA Tour Player of the Year and the Vardon Trophy twice on his way to 15 career PGA Tour wins.

Willie Park, Jr. was inducted in the Veterans Category, for his Open Championship wins in 1887 and 1889. He was also a pioneer of ball and club design, registering several patents and writing several books, such as “The Game of Golf” and the widely acclaimed “The Art of Putting”.

But his lasting impact may be from his course designs, including more than 200 layouts in Europe, the U.S. and Canada, including Sunningdale, Maidstone Club in New York and Olympia Fields in Chicago.

Ken Schofield was inducted in the Lifetime Achievement Category, for his work in pushing The European Tour and The Ryder Cup to new heights. He became The European Tour’s Executive Director in 1975 and under his leadership the Tour grew from 17 official events to 45 official events with a prize fund of more than £106 million when he retired in 2004.

Schofield also initiated global expansion for the game when he took The European Tour outside of the European continent for the first time in 1982 with the playing of the Tunisian Open. That began a structure whereby the Tour positioned itself internationally with more opportunity and incentive for the players in first the Major Championships then the World Golf Championships.

Finally Ken Venturi – also in the Lifetime Achievement Category – was inducted for his iconic career in the game, both on the course and in the broadcast booth. As a player, Venturi won 14 times on the PGA Tour, including his only major at the 1964 US Open.

After carpel tunnel syndrome forced him out of competitive golf, Venturi joined the CBS television team in 1968, beginning a 35-year career which saw him become one of the most respected voices in the game.

The Class of 2013 brings the Hall of Fame’s membership to 146.