Padraig Harrington, Sandra Palmer along with the late Johnny Farrell, Beverly Hanson, Tom Weiskopf and the 13 LPGA Founders will be inducted in June 2024 during the 124th U.S. Open Championship at Pinehurst.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (March 8, 2023) – Padraig Harrington, Sandra Palmer along with the late Johnny Farrell, Beverly Hanson, Tom Weiskopf and the 13 LPGA Founders will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024. Final selections were determined today by the World Golf Hall of Fame Selection Committee and the elite group will become members of the World Golf Hall of Fame at the 2024 Induction Ceremony to be held on Monday, June 10, 2024 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C. coinciding with the 124th U.S. Open Championship.

“Congratulations to all of our 12 World Golf Hall of Fame finalists, as each has truly made an indelible mark on the sport and led remarkable careers,” said Greg McLaughlin, CEO of World Golf Hall of Fame. “We look forward to welcoming the new class into the World Golf Hall of Fame as our Inductees next June and shining a light on their achievements.”

“This is very exciting, obviously huge honor,” said Harrington. “It’s somewhat humbling.  At this stage of my life, it gives me some validation to what I’ve done in golf.  Brings back a flood of memories.  This is a deep-down satisfaction, and I’m very proud to be included with the players before me. Seeing your name beside the names that I’ve looked up to as a boy and young golfer, it’s very nice.  Everybody on the ballot deserves to be there.  It’s unfortunate that everyone can’t be in, but it’s great to be included in the Class of 2024.”

“I’m overcome with emotion and very grateful,” said Sandra Palmer.  “It gives me an opportunity to thank the people that have helped me along the way.  I just couldn’t believe it when I got the call, this is my sixth time to be nominated.  What an incredible group of women that I played with over the years.   I’m definitely going to have some champagne.  It’s one of those times that you sit down and your whole career comes before you.  I think about the people along the way that I’d like to thank.”

The LPGA was founded in 1950 by 13 original LPGA players. Alice Bauer, Bettye Danoff, Helen Dettweiler, Helen Hicks, Opal Hill, Sally Sessions and Shirley Spork will join Patty Berg (1974 Inductee), Marlene Bauer Hagge (2022 Inductee), Louise Suggs (1979 Inductee), Babe Zaharias (1974 Inductee), Marilynn Smith (2006 Inductee), Betty Jameson (1998 Inductee) who are currently in the World Golf Hall of Fame. 

“We owe the LPGA’s long and illustrious history to the dedicated efforts and incredible commitment of our 13 Founders.  Their leadership created the most successful women’s sports organizations in the world, and they made it possible for women to pursue golf as a passion and as a career,” said LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan. “Inducting all of our Founders into the World Golf Hall of Fame is a fitting recognition of the group’s vision, resilience and pioneering work that changed not only Women’s opportunities in golf, but also elevated women in sport and in society more broadly.”

The 12 finalists were Peter Dawson, Johnny Farrell, Jim Furyk, Beverly Hanson, Butch Harmon, Padraig Harrington, Cristie Kerr, Sandra Palmer, Dottie Pepper, Jay Sigel, Tom Weiskopf and the Founders of the LPGA.

The Class of 2024 is elected by the Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee, who discussed the merits of the finalists. The Selection Committee is a 20-member panel that includes Hall of Fame Members Beth Daniel, Colin Montgomerie, Mark O’Meara and Annika Sorenstam, as well as media representatives and leaders of the major golf organizations.

The finalists were nominated by the Hall of Fame’s Nominating Committee, which vetted candidates that met the qualifications.

Click here to download press kit materials for the Class of 2024.

Class of 2024 Selection Committee
Hall of Fame Members

Beth Daniel
Colin Montgomerie
Mark O’Meara
Annika Sorenstam

Institutional Seats

Will Jones, The Masters
Mollie Marcoux-Samaan, LPGA
Jay Monahan, PGA TOUR
Keith Pelley, European Tour
Martin Slumbers, The R&A
Seth Waugh, PGA of America
Mike Whan, USGA

Media

Max Alder, Golf Digest
Iain Carter, BBC
Jaime Diaz, Golf Channel
Doug Ferguson, Associated Press
Beth Ann Nichols, Golfweek
Amy Rogers, Golf Channel

At-Large Seats

Peter Bevacqua, NBC Sports Group
Jim Nantz, CBS
Jerry Tarde, Golf Digest/Discovery

The 2024 World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on Monday, June 10, 2024 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C. coinciding with the 124th U.S. Open Championship and the Hall of Fame Museum’s opening on the United States Golf Association’s (“USGA”) Golf House Pinehurst campus next year. In July 2022, the World Golf Hall of Fame and USGA announced plans to create a new visitor experience for the Hall of Fame in the historic golf community.

***

About the World Golf Hall of Fame

The World Golf Hall of Fame celebrates and honors the legacies of those who have made golf great. The Hall of Fame opened in 1974 in Pinehurst, North Carolina, where 71 members were inducted prior to the transition (in 1998) to its St. Augustine, Florida location. In 2024, the World Golf Hall of Fame will open a new visitor experience at the USGA’s Golf House Pinehurst campus in partnership with the USGA. World Golf Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization under the umbrella of the World Golf Foundation. To learn more, visit www.worldgolfhalloffame.org.

Media Contact:

Dana Gordon, BZA PR
C: 856-397-2917 | danag@bzapr.com

____________________

2024 World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Finalist Bios

Johnny Farrell

Country: United States
Born: April 1, 1901
Died: June 14, 1988
Category: Male Competitor

Official Victories: 22 (all on PGA TOUR)

Majors/THE PLAYERS:

Career Highlights:

Beverly Hanson

Country: United States
Born: December 5, 1924
Died: April 12, 2014
Category: Female Competitor

Official Victories: 17

Majors:

Additional Career Highlights:

Padraig Harrington

Country: Ireland
Born: August 31, 1971
Category: Male Competitor
Official Victories: 21 (15 on European Tour)

Majors/THE PLAYERS:

Additional Career Highlights:

Major Awards:

Sandra Palmer

Country: United States
Born: March 10, 1943
Category: Female Competitor
Official Victories: 19

Majors:

Additional Career Highlights:

Major Awards:

Tom Weiskopf

Country: United States
Born: November 9, 1942
Died: August 20, 2022
Category: Male Competitor
Official Victories: 18 (16 on PGA TOUR)

Majors/THE PLAYERS:

Additional Career Highlights:

13 Founders of the LPGA (6 were previously inducted)

Alice Bauer

Bettye Danoff

Helen Dettweiler

Helen Hicks

Opal Hill

Sally Sessions

Shirley Spork