TWO-TIME Major champion David Graham will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame (WGHF) in 2015 after being elected by the selection commission this week.
Graham will enter the WGHF alongside US veteran Mark O’Meara, England’s Laura Davies and former American golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast, who enters through the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ category
Graham won the 1979 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club and the 1981 US Open at Merion and he is one of only four players to have won events on six continents.
“It’s a great honour, and I’m delighted.” said Graham. “It’s been a long time, but like they say, good things are worth waiting for.”
Graham is one of only four Australians to receive induction into golf’s most honoured club. The list includes Peter Thomson, Greg Norman, Kel Nagle and Karrie Webb.
“This induction caps off an exceptional career and on behalf of the PGA of Australia I congratulate David on this magnificent achievement and milestone.” said Brian Thorburn, Chief Executive Officer of the PGA of Australia.
“While Graham’s two biggest wins were in the United States he is truly a worldwide competitor representing Australia in three Dunhill Cups, two World Cups and International Team captain in the inaugural Presidents Cup in 1994.”
Graham was born in Melbourne and is said to have had to overcome very difficult circumstances in reaching such great international success. It is recounted that when the 15 year old told his father he intended becoming a professional golfer the response was: “Do that and I will never talk to you again.”
Laura Davies Britain’s all-time best
Davies won a record 45-times on the Ladies European Tour and claimed four LPGA majors, and is considered the most successful female British player of all time.
The first non-American to top the LPGA ‘Money List’, Davies represented Europe a record 12 times in the Solheim Cup, playing in every competition from 1990-2011.
“It is a wonderful honour,” Davies said. “I am especially looking forward to the Induction Ceremony at St Andrews in 2015. It really will be a special event.”
Current US Champions Tour player Mark O’Meara had a golden year in 1998 when at 41 years of age he won both the US Masters and the British Open, making him the oldest player to win two majors in a year.
Tillinghast, who died in 1942 at the age of 68, was a prolific architect who designed over 100 courses in the United States, including Bethpage State Park, and wrote a number of books on the game.
The selection commission was co-chaired by Hall of Fame members Nancy Lopez, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Annika Sorenstam.