World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Moved to NY For 2017
- Dan Hauser
- 8 Jul, 2016
World Golf Hall of Fame chairman and PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem has announced that the 2017 World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony has been moved from the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine to a to be determined location in New York.
The induction ceremony, which was scheduled to take place May 8th, three days before the start of The Players Championship, will now be held on September 26th, two days before the start of the Presidents Cup at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City. From 1998 to 2013, the induction ceremony had always been held in St. Augustine, either at the outdoor amphitheater or the St. Johns County Convention Center. However, an overhaul in the voting process in 2013 not only made changes to the frequency (now held every two years), but also included a decision to “take the show on the road” and hold the induction ceremonies near the sites of a major championship venue for that year with the intent to return to St. Augustine every four years. With the announcement of the change in 2017, the earliest the induction would return to St. Augustine now is 2021, and even that isn’t a guarantee.
It’s been no secret that the World Golf Hall of Fame has been less than thrilled with the way their inductions have gone the past few times. They originally changed the date to coincide with The Players Championship in hopes to drum up more attendance from current Hall of Fame members and players since they would all be in nearby Ponte Vedra Beach for the PGA Tour event. Unfortunately that never came to fruition. Then, last year at St. Andrews, despite being held during Open Championship week, the event was missing marquee names such as Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo, Tom Watson, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson and Nick Price even though they were all already in town for the Open Championship. To make matters worse, a transportation snafu prevented LPGA inductee Laura Davies from arriving in time for her induction and speech. She had played in the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open the day before near Philadelphia. The World Golf Hall of Fame hopes the move to New York will breathe some new life into the event.
“The opportunity for exposure and awareness in the largest media market is in keeping with the Hall of Fame’s strategic objective of elevating the Hall’s global brand awareness and long term growth,” Peter said. “Attaching the biennial ceremony to significant golf events like the Open Championship in 2015 and now the Presidents Cup in 2017 ultimately generates greater awareness for our Museum in St. Augustine.”
After New York in 2017, the induction ceremony will move out west in 2019. It has already been scheduled to be held at Pebble Beach on June 10th, three days before the first round of the U.S. Open.
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About Dan Hauser
As an avid golfer and sports enthusiast, Dan has had a passion for sports starting at a very young age. Dan’s other passion has always been writing. Since the time he could write, he has always enjoyed sharing information with people and telling stories through writing. In middle school he combined his two loves by joining the school newspaper in the sports department.
