David Graham finally heading to Hall of Fame

Two-time major champion David Graham has been announced as one of four inductees into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015. He is the sixth Australian to be bestowed the honour behind Peter Thomson, Kel Nagle, Walter Travis, Karrie Webb and Greg Norman.

Graham, 68, turned professional at the age of 16 in 1962 and by the mid-70s was carving out a succesful career on the US PGA Tour.

His first major win was at the 1979 PGA Championship, where he stood on the 18th tee in the final round leading by two, but double bogied the last hole for a 65 to drop back into a play-off with Ben Crenshaw. At each of the first two sudden-death holes he holed long putts to keep the play-off alive and finally won at the third extra hole.

Two years later, at the 1981 US Open, Graham shot a 67 in the final round to overturn a three-shot deficit to overnight leader George Burns to win by three strokes. He became the fourth Australian major champion (after Jim Ferrier, Peter Thomson and Kel Nagle) and the first to win a US Open. Later that year, he cracked a spot in the top-10 of the world ranking.

David Graham putts and watches his birdie attempt at the 72nd hole of the 1981 US Open, which he won by three strokes. PHOTO: Getty Images

While most of his 38 professional wins were in the United States, he also won tournaments on six continents in his career, an achievement he shares with Gary Player, Hale Irwin and Bernhard Langer.

“Clearly, to be accepted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as player is the icing on the cake on what has been a nice career,” Graham said.  “It is a great honor for me, my wife, my kids and all of my friends.”

Graham is one of four that will be enshrined into the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum as the Class of 2015. The Induction Ceremony will be held on Monday, July 13, 2015 at the University of St Andrews, just a few blocks away from the Old Course and host site of that week’s 144th Open Championship.

This is the first Class to be elected by the Hall of Fame’s Selection Commission, which debated a group of 16 Finalists.  The four members of the Class of 2015 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, Arnold Palmer, 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 other inductees in the Class of 2015 are:

Laura Davies

With more than 70 victories worldwide and four LPGA majors, Davies is considered by many to be the most successful female British player of all time.  After an accomplished amateur career, Davies made it clear she would be a force when she won both the Rookie of the Year and the Order of Merit on the Ladies European Tour in 1985.

In 1987, while still only a 23-year-old member of the LET, Davies outdueled future Hall of Fame members Ayako Okamoto and Joanne Carner in an 18-hole playoff to win the U.S. Women’s Open at Plainfield (N.J.) Country Club.  In the mid-1990s, Davies became one of the dominant players in the world, winning the 1994 and 1996 LPGA Championships at Dupont (Del.) Country Club. She added a fourth major with the 1996 du Maurier Classic.

Davies has represented Europe a record 12 times in the Solheim Cup, playing in every competition from 1990-2011. Among her numerous awards are the Golf Writers Association of America Female Player of the Year in 1994 and 1996, and the 1994 Golf Writers’ Trophy from the Association of Golf Writers.  She was named a Member of the British Empire (M.B.E.) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1988 and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (C.B.E.) in 2000.

Mark O’Meara

Golf fans will remember 1998 as the year Mark O’Meara established himself as one of the game’s greats, when he captured both the Masters and Open Championship.  That season, when he birdied the final two holes at Augusta National to defeat Fred Couples and David Duval by one shot, then outlasted Brian Watts in a four-hole playoff to win at Royal Birkdale, made him, at age 41, the oldest player ever to win two majors in one year.  It was no surprise when he was named the 1998 PGA TOUR Player of the Year.

His myriad career highlights go beyond those two victories, starting in 1979 when he won the U.S. Amateur at Canterbury Golf Club in Cleveland.  O’Meara has more than 20 victories worldwide, and has represented the United States in five Ryder Cups and two Presidents Cups.

“Thanks go out to my family and friends on this incredible day,” O’Meara said.  “To have the great honor of being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame is a dream come true.”

A.W. Tillinghast

Born in 1874, Albert Warren (A.W.) Tillinghast took golf lessons from Old Tom Morris, was an admirer of St Andrews, and used that knowledge to become a true pioneer of American golf.  He was a prolific architect, with more than 100 U.S. courses to his credit.  He was also an original member of the PGA of America and authored a slew of books about the game.

Several of Tillinghast’s designs are still considered among the world’s best and used frequently for golf’s major championships. Bethpage State Park, Winged Foot, Baltusrol Golf Club, San Francisco Golf Club, Quaker Ridge and Somerset Hills are all Tillinghast designs.

Davies, Graham, O’Meara and Tillinghast will be inducted at the University of St Andrews, in Younger Hall.  It will be the first international venue for the Induction Ceremony.