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Who will give Tiger Woods' Hall of Fame induction speech?

Tue, 07 May 2013 21:24:00 GMT

Tiger Woods will undoubtedly be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame when he's eligible at age 40 in 2016. Less certain is who will give his introduction speech at the ceremony.

Related: Woods' long road back to No. 1

The very private Woods doesn't let many people into his inner circle and even among those few, it's tough to pick a surefire candidate. Let's take a quick look at some of the possibilities:

Mark O'Meara: At one time, he would have seemed a lock for the job as Woods' close friend and mentor during the height of Tigermania. But Tiger and "Marko" haven't been seen together as much in recent years.
Chance of happening: Doubtful

Fred Couples: Woods' buddy showed a lot of faith in him at his lowest point as a golfer when he selected Tiger as a captain's pick for the 2011 Presidents Cup. That being said, Woods attended the Met Gala in New York rather than be in St. Augustine for Freddie's big night.
Chance of happening: Decent

Steve Williams: We're pretty sure saying you'd like "to shove it right up that black ass" when referring to your ex-boss is a permanent bridge burner.
Chance of happening: Not happening

Butch Harmon/Hank Haney: Not that Woods harbors ill will towards them, but he'd view choosing either as a sign of weakness and a slight at his current coach, Sean Foley.
Chance of happening: Not happening

Sean Foley: Woods' latest swing coach would certainly get the nod over his former big-name instructors. But if Tiger still hasn't won his 15th major by the time he's 40, well, let's just say he won't be as high on his current teacher.
Chance of happening: Decent

Joe LaCava: Woods' replacement for Steve Williams is very supportive and keeps to himself more than his two predecessors. The duo needs to share a few major championship victories, though, first.
Chance of happening: Doubtful

Steve Stricker: He's famously assisted Woods on the greens, so why not with his Hall induction? Stricker just better take two boxes of tissues up to the podium with him.
Chance of happening: Good

Jim Nantz: He seems to do it for everyone else (Five times overall, including Fred Couples and Ken Venturi this year), so why not Tiger? On second thought...
Chance of happening: Doubtful

Rory McIlroy: Tiger and Rory have developed a friendly rivalry. What a great gesture of sportsmanship this would be if they agreed to do the honors for each other's induction.
Chance of happening: Give it a few more years

Michael Jordan: It was reported that the two global icons weren't as friendly following Tiger's 2009 scandal, but Woods recently attended Jordan's wedding. That being said, showering praise on someone else, especially another athlete, doesn't seem up MJ's alley.
Chance of happening: Doubtful

David Feherty: Golf's top funnyman also happens to be very tight with Tiger. As long as he hasn't completely gone off the deep end by then, we think he'd be the perfect man for the job.
Chance of happening: Great

So, there you have it. Our money is on David Feherty, a man who always gets Woods to give a good post-round interview and who apparently shares a love of fart jokes with the game's biggest star. There, we've even predicted the topic of his opening joke.

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The Golf Genius Of Ken Venturi

Jaime Diaz — Tue, 07 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Venturi's most underrated contribution was sharing his understanding of the very highest levels of the game

Jim Nantz Relishes "Bittersweet" Opportunity

Ed Sherman — Fri, 03 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Although one of the honorees will be absent, CBS announcer Jim Nantz is grateful for the chance to induct two close friends into the Hall of Fame.

Golf World Monday: What golf can learn from baseball's Hall of Fame

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:48:00 GMT

From the Jan. 14 issue of Golf World Monday:

By E. Michael Johnson

Golf needs to take a lesson from Major League Baseball. Last week its Hall of Fame chose to take a pass, failing to elect a single new member as no player was named on the 75 percent of ballots needed for induction.

Yet in 2004 the World Golf Hall of Fame added the proviso that -- after already dropping its hall standards from 70 percent to 65 percent in 2000 -- "in the event that no candidate receives 65 percent, the nominee receiving the most votes with at least 50 percent is elected." That amendment will let Fred Couples and Colin Montgomerie, both named on 51 percent of their respective ballots, into the hall this May.

Although it is easy to understand the desire for star power to attract fans and media to the ceremony, doing so by inducting players on what is essentially a technicality is unfair to the hall, the fans and, to some extent, the player.

Take Vijay Singh, who got in with 56 percent in 2005. Singh is a sure-fire, deserving Hall of Famer with 34 PGA Tour victories and three majors. Would it have been so awful to wait until he got the required number of votes?

Golf's hall should practice what so many instructors of the game preach: patience.

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(Photo by Getty Images)

Ernie Els: Changing The Cycle

Tom Callahan — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 04:00:00 GMT

A history with alcohol gave Ernie Els the push to pull back from the party life--and win another major. Read an excerpt of this profile by Golf Digest Contributing Editor Tom Callahan.

Future Hall of Famer? Maybe not. But these folks love Dufner.

Bob Carney — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:45:00 GMT

Tonite we'll witness Hollis Stacy, Sandy Lyle, Peter Alliss, and our own Phil Mickelson and Dan Jenkins enter the World Golf Hall of Fame. I suspect that Jason Dufner, who just won his first tournament,...

Report: Mickelson to be announced as a Hall of Famer on Thursday

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:28:00 GMT

Surprise, surprise: Phil Mickelson is a Hall of Famer.

Still ranked atop the world rankings, Mickelson reportedly will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2012 in his first year of eligibility, according to a report from the Florida Times-Union.

The paper reported that the Hall of Fame will conduct a press conference at the site of the European tour's Singapore Open, where Mickelson is playing in preparation of next week's Presidents Cup. The class of 2012 ceremonies are scheduled to take place in St. Augustine on May 7, 2012.

Mickelson made it on his first year on the ballot, which considers players only after turning 40 (Mickelson turned 40 last June.)

Other requirements include being a member of the PGA Tour for 10 years and having two victories in a major or the Players Championship. Phil's won four majors (Masters in 2004, 2006 and 2010, and the PGA Championship in 2005), and one Players Championship (2007).

Other first-year players eligible for induction: Jim Furyk and Loren Roberts. Miguel Angel-Jimenez is on the International ballot.

--Stephen Hennessey

Follow him on Twitter: @s_hennessey

Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images

John Smoltz's rough Nationwide Tour debut

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:18:00 GMT

John Smoltz's Nationwide Tour debut began in promising fashion. The ending, however, did little to justify the future Hall-of-Fame pitcher's spot in the event.

Playing in the South Georgia Classic on a sponsor's exemption, Smoltz, who carries a plus-2 handicap, started on the back nine and parred his first two holes before birdieing No. 12 to get into red figures. The rest? Well, it was ugly.

Over the final 15 holes, Smoltz didn't record another birdie while racking up nine bogeys and two double bogeys. The final number, 84, looked more like the reading from a radar gun after one of his sliders towards the end of his baseball career.

Sorenstam announces second pregnancy

Ashley Mayo — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 14:41:00 GMT

Annika Sorenstam announced on Twitter this morning that she is pregnant with her second child:"Mike and I are happy to share that our family will be a foursome by early summer. Ava is ready to...

Davies still trying to earn her way into HOF

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:16:00 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Laura Davies' English lilt perfectly summed up her 2010 season on the Ladies European Tour. "It's lovely," said Davies, hoping some of the magic abroad will travel to the LPGA Tour Championship at Grand Cypress GC this week.

Although Davies has only two top-10 finishes this year on the LPGA Tour and hasn't won an LPGA event since 2001, at age 47 she has had a grand season on the LET with five victories, giving her 75 career worldwide tour wins.

"It's all about confidence for me," said Davies, who will be miked for Golf Channel's first-round broadcast Thursday afternoon. "If I lose that confidence, then I really start struggling. It's as basic as that. I really do feel good on the golf course. I'm putting well again. I'm driving it much better. It's a good snowball effect."

Putting has long been the part of the game to slow her down, but this season she has putted better. "I changed my technique," Davies said. "I stay down over the ball and I don't look up. I hit the putt and I listen for it to go in. Everything is the same apart from I keep my head down and listen. A lady at my club when I was a junior used to call it 'harkers,' which means listening for it. I remembered she told me that years ago and I had ignored her."

Davies' stellar season in Europe has revived talk that she should be in the World Golf Hall of Fame, even though she needs to win one major or two regular events to earn her way on points into the LPGA's hall. She remains adamant that she wants to qualify that way instead of getting voted in on the international ballot.

"I'm not interested in that," she said. "I've been on tour long enough to have accumulated enough points and I haven't done it. Sometimes if you're not good enough, you've got to doff your cap and say you're not good enough. It's a shame but that's the way it is. But that's why I'm still here playing -- I think I am still good enough and hopefully I'll do it. The LPGA Hall of Fame is all about being good enough on the course, not about popularity. One day hopefully I'll be in there."

-- Bill Fields