Alcott, Daniel gain
entry to LPGA Hall of Fame
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. --
The criteria for gaining entrance into the LPGA Hall of Fame, previously considered
very difficult to attain, was modified Tuesday in an overwhelming vote by the
players.
The player membership
voted to pass two major revisions.
Ninety-eight percent of
the membership approved the establishment of a new points system for active
players. In addition, 96 percent voted to appoint a veterans selection committee,
which will review the accomplishments of inactive LPGA players for potential
election into the Hall of Fame.
With the new criteria
approved, Amy Alcott and Beth Daniel will join only 14 other women in the Hall
of Fame, which was established in 1967 and is currently housed at the World
Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida.
Alcott will be inducted
March 22 in a ceremony at the World Golf Hall of Fame. Daniel elected to defer
entrance until next season, when the LPGA turns 50 years old and her parents
celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Daniel also wanted extra time to make
arrangements for her induction.
"The new criteria for
the LPGA Hall of Fame are well thought out and very welcomed by the golf community,"
executive director and CEO of the World Golf Hall of Fame Ruffin Beckwith said.
"Now we will have the opportunity to not only welcome new LPGA players into
the World Golf Hall of Fame, but on those occasions also honor the great players
who have come before."
Under the new criteria,
active players must accumulate a total of 27 Hall of Fame points. A player will
be awarded one point for each LPGA official tournament win, two points for each
LPGA major tournament victory, one point for each Vare Trophy earned (awarded
for lowest scoring average) and one point for each Player of the Year award.
The original criteria
called for players to be in good standing for at least 10 years and have 30
official wins, including two majors. Players with 35 wins with one major, or
40 official wins with no majors also qualified.
Alcott won 29 titles and
five majors, which would have put her one win short of qualifying for the Hall
of Fame with the old criteria. Her victories in majors were three Dinah Shores
(1983, 1988, 1991), the 1980 U.S. Women's Open and the 1979 Peter Jackson Classic.
"This is a momentous day
in my life," Alcott said. "It has been a long road. It has been about seven
years since I won last time at the Dinah Shore. I got tired of people saying,
'Come on, you can win one more.' I truly want to win that last one. This is
the greatest organization in the world."
Alcott, 42, has earned
over $3 million in her career, which started in 1975.
Daniel claimed 32 titles,
but her only major triumph came at the 1990 LPGA Championship, which would have
left her one major title or three regular victories short under the old guidelines.
"I would like to thank
the (Hall of Fame) committee for their hard work and the research they did for
the new criteria," Daniel said. "It means a lot that the Hall of Famers agreed
on the criteria. It is unbelievable to be a member. They only elected 14 since
1950 and now there are 16. The criteria is still difficult but it will make
it a better Hall."
Daniel, 42, was named
LPGA Rookie of the Year in 1979 and her four wins the following season earned
her Player of the Year honors. In 1990 she won nine tournaments, one of the
finest seasons in Tour history.
