Yesterday's 5 Hall of Fame inductees all have provided me with lasting memories, and may provide a few more yet.
Sandy Lyle, Pater Alliss, Dan Jenkins, Hollis Stacy and Phil Mickelson bring the honour roll to 141, in one of the toughest Halls to get into and poignantly all this on the anniversary of Seve's passing.
I never thought Sandy was Hall of Fame material to be honest, we all thought he was an under achiever but he has become beloved in the UK as he gets older. Many on this side of the pond remember when he won the 1988 Masters with "the shot" from the fairway bunker, a 7 iron, up the hill to within 10 feet for birdie to become the first British winner, but in fact he won 29 tournaments worldwide, including 18 on The European Tour and three other PGA Tour titles.
His victory at the 1985 Open Championship at Royal St. George’s made him the first British winner since Tony Jacklin in 1969, then he became the first international winner of the 1987 PLAYERS Championship, defeating Jeff Sluman in a play-off..
He was a member of five European Ryder Cup teams, including the winning sides in 1985 and 1987, and of course his trademark club was his trusty PING 1 iron, which he could wield, especially into the wind better than anybody of his era.
I never had any doubt about Peter, he is a true English golfing blue blood, following his father Percy into the pro ranks as a 15 year old, had a top class British pro career, but when he stepped into the broadcast booth at the 1961 Open Championship which Arnie won at Royal Birkdale, he really found his niche, ultimately becoming "the voice of golf"
He won 23 tournaments worldwide during the 1950s and ‘60s, including three British PGA Championships. He was selected for every Great Britain Ryder Cup team except one from 1953 to 1969. He has also been associated with the design of more than 50 courses and is a respected author of more than 20 golf books.
Remember the BBC doesn't have commercial breaks and when the Open is on they may broadcast for 12 hours a day. Peter's relaxed story telling style is my favourite to this day, and obviously to most everyone else, as in 2011 he broadcast his 50th Open without missing any.
He doesn't suffer fools lightly, is undoubtedly a bit snobbish, but who are we without faults, today's broadcasters, particularly over here should be forced to spend a weekend locked away with the great man and a few bottles of his favourite Chablis before they are let loose in front of a microphone again, much the same way Peter was with Henry Longhurst before him.
Dan Jenkins is another fabulous story teller, he became a must read for me through Sports Illustrated in the 60's and 70's when Arnie, Jack and Gary Player were winning everything, and Dan was writing about it in such a compelling manner that it held the attention of a teenage kid like me. I couldn't wait for my copy of SI to arrive.
Now his "Jenkins at the Majors, 60 Years of the World's best Golf's writing from Hogan to Tiger" is simply a treasure to open at any page at any time.
Hollis Stacy was a great junior, she won the US Girls Amateur 3 years in a row back in 1969, so I guess that's when I first heard of her through SI again. Although her career was defined by her 3 US Women’s Open Championships in 1977, 1978 and 1984, I remember her best for her win in 1983, at the Peter Jackson Classic (later named the du Maurier Classic). It was Canada's National Championship, then considered a 5th major and she beat JoAnn Carner and Alice Miller at Beaconsfield GC the legendary Stanley Thompson course located in Pointe-Claire,
Quebec, west of Montreal.
We were so proud to have all these big names Pat Bradley, Rosie Jones, Patty Sheehan, the gorgeous Jan Stephenson all playing in Canada, that's why I remember Hollis won it.
Finally, I have become more and more of a Mickelson fan as time goes on, it took me a while to realize that he fails on the big stage seemingly so often because he puts himself in a position so often to win, and OK because at those key times he seems to get such a rush of blood to his head, he can't seem to back off, it's like watching a car wreck.
Still, 42 wins and four majors in a career that far from over, and while we've watched him blow major championships like the 2006 US Open, or even the triple bogey 6 at the 4th hole in this year's Masters that can make us forget all those breath taking flop shots, and long clutch putts, not to mention the 6 iron from the pine straw, between the trees to 4 feet on a pin perched right over Rae's creek, the thing is you just never know for sure with Phil, but that's what makes him so exciting, and also what got him into the Hall of Fame..
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles and at www.isr1050.com
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