March 4, 2020
Tiger Woods Named Finalist For 2021 World Golf Hall of Fame
Arguably one of the most popular and most successful golfers to play the game, Tiger Woods has been named a finalist to be inducted into the 2021 World Golf Hall of Fame.
“The Nominating Committee has selected 10 finalists who represent the highest caliber of golfers and contributors,” said Greg McLaughlin, CEO of the World Golf Foundation. “The recent enhancements to the World Golf Hall of Fame Induction criteria provide a great process to ensure the most worthy of candidates are being considered. We are grateful to the Nominating Committee for their work and anticipate the Class of 2021 being one of our strongest to date.”
The 10 finalists were selected by the Nominating Committee, which is made up of 26 individuals, including six Hall of Fame Members: Juli Inkster, Hale Irwin, Meg Mallon, Colin Montgomerie, Mark O’Meara, and Karrie Webb. In determining these individuals, each finalist met the necessary qualifications in his or her respective category by way of on-course accomplishments or significant contributions to the game.
This comes on the heels of an announcement by the World Golf Hall of Fame in January of implementing several changes to the rules of eligibility. According to the World Golf Hall of Fame website, “Changes to the eligibility include lowering the age of a Male or Female Competitor from 50 to 45 years of age or three years retired from the game. A player will be eligible for Induction provided he or she turns 45 the year of the Induction Ceremony. Additional changes include elimination of the Veterans category and replacing “Lifetime Achievement” recognition with “Contributor.”
“Recognizing the game’s greatest players and contributors is an important endeavor and one our sport takes very seriously,” said World Golf Foundation Board Chairman and PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan in a written statement. “We are committed to regularly evaluating the selection process to ensure we approach it with both historical context and the future in mind. I believe these changes benefit the Hall of Fame Members, fans across the world and the institution.”
The World Golf Hall of Fame released the names of 10 finalists who will be considered for enshrinement in 2021. The list of finalists includes Male and Female Competitors and Contributors.
Below is the list of finalists (listed alphabetically by category):
Male Competitor (4)
Johnny Farrell, United States
Padraig Harrington, Ireland
Tom Weiskopf, United States
Tiger Woods, United States
Female Competitor (4)
Susie Maxwell Berning, United States
Beverly Hanson, United States
Sandra Palmer, United States
Dottie Pepper, United States
Contributor (2)
Tim Finchem, United States
Marion Hollins, United States
Woods’s contributions to golf keep mounting, despite more than a decade of health challenges and personal issues. With his victory at the 2019 Masters, Woods claimed his first major title in nearly 11 years. He tied Sam Snead’s career record of 82 PGA Tour wins later that year.