Strange enters Golf Hall of Fame
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- Curtis Strange could be crusty and surly on the golf course, a fighting spirit that carried him to consecutive U.S. Open titles.
He turned somber and reflective Monday night upon his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
"I have been extremely lucky and blessed to play golf," Strange said. "I love this game, and sometimes I hate it. It frustrates us and excites us at the same time. I've gone to bed many nights questioning my ability, and you wake up the next morning and can't wait to play."
Joining him in the Class of 2007 were onetime U.S. Open and PGA Championship winner Hubert Green along with Se Ri Pak, at 30 the youngest player inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Beyond her five majors and 24 career victories on the LPGA Tour, Pak became a pioneer for young players from South Korea. She was one of only three South Koreans on the LPGA during her sensational rookie season, when she won two majors, and the tour now has 45 players from her country.
Kel Nagle of Australia, whose 76 victories around the world included the 1960 British Open at St. Andrews, was elected through the Veteran's Category. Nagle could not travel to Florida for the induction.
Inducted posthumously were golf course architect Charles Blair Macdonald and three-time British Amateur champion Joe Carr, both through the Lifetime Achievement Category. Macdonald helped build the first 18-hole course in America, won the first U.S. Amateur in 1895 and was the driving force in getting five golf clubs to form what became the U.S. Golf Association.
The induction at the World Golf Village brought membership in the Hall of Fame to 120.
Strange was only player who received at least 65 percent of the vote on the PGA Tour ballot. He won 17 times on the PGA Tour, but was most famous for becoming the first player since Ben Hogan in 1950-51 to win the U.S. Open in consecutive years. First came a playoff victory over Nick Faldo at The Country Club in 1988, then a 1-shot victory at Oak Hill in 1989.
He was the dominant American for a decade, winning the PGA Tour money title three times and becoming the first to surpass $1 million for a year in 1988. This year, 99 players topped the $1 million mark.
"This is my finest day and my greatest honor," Strange said. "I understand that you will never confuse my record with Hogan, Nelson, Snead or Nicklaus. I understand I won't be in the starting rotation on this team, but I will be on the team. That's enough for me. And trust me, it's a privilege to be on the team."