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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods is going into the World Golf Hall of Fame with three others who no doubt will be overshadowed in the presence of a player who transcended the sport like no other.
Perhaps that’s only fitting.
It was like that every time Woods teed it up, from his “Hello, world” debut in Milwaukee in 1996 through his 15 majors and 82 titles on the PGA Tour. Win or not, Woods was playing and it seemed everyone else was along for the ride.
Ernie Els might have summed it up as well as anyone in early 2000. They matched eagles on the 72nd hole at Kapalua and birdies in the playoff. Woods beat him on the second extra hole with a 40-foot putt for his 18th win worldwide and fifth in a row on the PGA Tour.
Except for his age — 24 — Woods already had met current Hall of Fame requirements by then.
“He’s probably going to be bigger than Elvis when he gets into his 40s,” Els said that day.
Now he is 46, and Woods certainly will be the star attraction when he is inducted Wednesday night, even if it takes place in front of his smallest gallery — no more than 500 are expected for the ceremony at the PGA Tour’s new headquarters.
Making the night even more special is his 14-year-old daughter, Sam, will be introducing him.
Along for the ride are three-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Susie Maxwell Berning, former PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem and the late Marion Hollins, a U.S. Women’s Amateur champion and the first woman to develop golf courses.
Finchem led the tour to unprecedented growth. If he was behind the wheel, then Woods was the engine. In an interview after he was elected, Finchem laughed when asked how his 22 years as commissioner would have been if Woods had played tennis instead.
“It would have been a much more difficult job,” he said. “Tiger coming on the scene … took our sport to another level. It continues on today. As a sport, we were blessed he didn’t like tennis.”
All of them earned their place. All will be honored….
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Source : yahoo
