World Golf Hall of Fame - Vijay tops the list in 2005

BSharma · Post by **BSharma** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 2:28 am

I was under the impression that the HOF members vote for the new inductees but I am wrong based on the SI.com article by Gary Van Sickle. Apparently he is one of those people who will be voting this year and he thinks that Vijay might NOT get inducted this year. I hope that Gary is wrong.

Vijay has the best resume amongst the 2005 nominees. Is there a problem with Golf HOF balloting if Vijay does not get in this year?

Hall worthy? Ballots are out for this year. Here's the picks.

PKBasu · Post by **PKBasu** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 1:09 am

I hope Vijay does make it in this year, but the voters may choose to pick a few more venerable names at first, and pick Vijay a year or two down the road.
The other interesting point that VanSickle makes is that there are five players who dominate world golf today -- not just the well-known, oft-mentioned quadrumvirate of Singh, Woods, Els and Mickelson, but also Retief Goosen, twice winner of the US Open. I like that reference to Goosen, who of course is the guy that Arjun Atwal beat off to win the Carlsberg Malaysian Open (joint EPGA/APGA event) in 2003. Let's hope Arjun can summon up some of his old magic in Asia this week.

BSharma · Post by **BSharma** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 5:03 pm

The World Golf Hall of Fame will announce its Class of 2005 today at 3:30 pm (EST). Vijay Singh's name is on the ballot and let's hope he gets inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

BSharma · Post by **BSharma** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 9:55 pm

After failing to get into the Golf Hall of Fame last year, Vijay made sure with his superb play last year that he belonged in the elite category. He will become the youngest golfer to be inducted in the class of 2005.

Congratulations.

jaydeep · Post by **jaydeep** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 4:20 am

Congrats Vijay for inducting into Golf Hall of Fame!!!

Jaydeep.

insideout · Post by **insideout** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 4:48 am

congratulations to vijay on entering the golf hall of fame.!!!

Kumar · Post by **Kumar** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 5:38 am

This is just unbelievable...

!!!

ajay · Post by **ajay** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 5:51 am

BSharma · Post by **BSharma** » Fri Apr 22, 2005 4:33 am

You can send an e-mail at comments@mail.pgatour.com to congratulate Vijay Singh on his election into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

jaydeep · Post by **jaydeep** » Fri Apr 22, 2005 5:02 am

Thanks Bhushan for mail id ... Just send main congratulating Vijay.

Jaydeep.

forpar · Post by **forpar** » Fri Apr 22, 2005 1:32 pm

Congrats to Vijay!

Nice article about Vijay :
http://www.pgatour.com/story/8403963

Red_Indian · Post by **Red_Indian** » Fri Apr 22, 2005 4:05 pm

Some articles in the US press seem to indicate not everyone was thrilled to see Vijay being inducted into the HOF. Anyone else seen those? Thoughts please...

BSharma · Post by **BSharma** » Fri Apr 22, 2005 5:53 pm

Kunal,

In my opinion the US press has warmed up to Vijay in the past year once he displaced Tiger from the perch. Americans love the champions, and the second place winners get only scrap meat. The US press found all sorts of faults with Vijay when he was not yet numero uno but they realized his worth once he became the champion.

There are still many people in US press who do not love Vijay and they often do not put a very positve spin in their stories about Vijay. I have a gut feeling that they will tear Vijay apart once his game goes downhill in a few years.

Golf at the highest level in USA is still a "good old boys" game, and there is an undercurrent of animosity for people like Vijay who don't fit that mold.

arjun2761 · Post by **arjun2761** » Fri Apr 22, 2005 6:30 pm

There is also an undercurrent of racism in US sports journalism (and almost surely in Europe as well) and I believe Charles Barkley has spoken to that in his books with Wilbon. Clearly, Vijay with (25/3 and world no. 1) getting only 56% of the votes compared to Curtis Strange (10/2 and never world no. 1) with 55% goes to that. In fact, if Mickelson turns 40 tomorrow, he will get close to 100% of the vote despite his 26/1 stats being worse than Vijay's stats.

Also, this is not limited to golf. "White" players in basketball, baseball. American football get more credit than minority players of equal achievement or ability. For example, a local journalist in the DC area was questioning whether Rafael Palmeiro (of hispanic descent) deserves to be in the baseball hall of fame despite an astonishing career number of 550+ home runs because he was never the "dominant" player at any given time (almost all others with 500 plus home runs have been considered first ballot HOFers). I'm pretty sure if he was named Ralph Wasp Palmer he would be considered a shoo-in.

BSharma · Post by **BSharma** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 12:48 am

It appears that Vijay Singh got into the World Golf Hall of Fame on a technicality. A player needs to receive 65 percent of the votes to be inducted into the Hall and Vijay Singh was named on 56 percent of the ballots. But the Hall, instead of sticking to its 65 percent rule, has qualifying language that states, "In the event no candidate receives 65%, the nominee receiving the most votes will be inducted,..." Larry Nelson was named on 55% of the ballots and Curtis Strange (50%), Henry Picard (49%) and Craig Wood (41%) rounded out the top five vote-getters.

Forty-four percent of the voters thought that Vijay is not deserving of being in the Hall!!!! Shame on them.