St Augustine, Florida, United States: Retief Goosen, Billy Payne, Jan Stephenson, Dennis Walters and the late Peggy Kirk Bell will officially join the ranks of the World Golf Hall of Fame as the Class of 2019.
These five new members will be enshrined at the World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on June 10, 2019 in Pebble Beach the week of the men’s US Open Championship. The ceremony will take place at the Sunset Centre in Carmel-By-The-Sea.
These five inductees will bring the total number of World Golf Hall of Fame Members to 160.
“The 2019 Induction Class is one of the most well-rounded groups we’ve had to date,” said Jack Peter, President of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
He added: “It is our honour and privilege to welcome Peggy Kirk Bell, Retief Goosen, Billy Payne, Jan Stephenson and Dennis Walters to the World Golf Hall of Fame family. We are excited to begin working with them as we gear up for the Induction Ceremony in Pebble Beach.”
The Class of 2019 was elected by the Hall of Fame’s Selection Commission, which debated a group of 15 finalists. The inductees each passed the required 75 per cent voting threshold – approval by at least 12 of the 16 members.
The Selection Commission was Co-Chaired by Hall of Fame Members Nancy Lopez, Jack Nicklaus, 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 finalists were vetted by the Hall of Fame’s Selection Sub-Committee. The Sub-Committee vetted every candidate that met the qualifications of the Hall of Fame’s four Induction categories.