ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Former PGA of America Chief Executive Officer Jim Awtrey has been selected for induction into the Hill of Fame at Oak Hill Country Club.
The induction ceremony will take place during the week of the 69th Senior PGA Championship, May 19-25, 2008, at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y. The details of the ceremony will be announced.
The honor was jointly announced by James T. Condon, president of Oak Hill Country Club and Bill Reeves, Oak Hill's Hill of Fame chairman.
The Hill of Fame, one of the many grand traditions of Oak Hill, was founded in 1956 by legendary Oak Hill member Dr. John R. Williams. Dr. Williams believed that a living tree is a better monument than a piece of granite. Therefore, when he established the Hill of Fame, he selected the dedication of trees as the method by which persons elected to the Hill of Fame would be honored and memorialized.
Bronze plaques are affixed to magnificent trees on the Hill of Fame -- located on the hills above the 13th green of Oak Hill's East Course -- to honor the members of the Hill of Fame. Those hills form a natural amphitheatre overlooking the green. It is among the most beautiful sites in all of golf.
The Hill of Fame recognizes the immortals of golf and distinguished citizens who have enriched the American way of life. Persons who have been inducted into the Hill of Fame include such prominent figures as Francis Ouimet, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gene Sarazen, Robert T. Jones, Jr., Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Roberto DeVicenzo, Babe Didriksen Zaharias, Donald Ross, Kathy Whitworth, William C. Campbell, Byron Nelson, Nancy Lopez, and the 1995 European Ryder Cup Team.
Awtrey, who retired in 2005, had served The PGA of America as CEO for more than 15 years, and reinforced the Association's standing as the world's leading organization of golf professionals. Under his leadership, the Ryder Cup was transformed into a competition that rivals golf's four major championships in worldwide popularity. Today, the more than 28,000 men and women PGA Professionals are recognized as the experts in growing the game and business of golf.
The Hill of Fame has previously recognized such outstanding golf administrators as Joseph C. Dey Jr., who was executive director of the USGA and later was the first PGA Tour commissioner, and William C. Campbell, a former U.S. Amateur Champion who became president of the USGA and later was captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.
Tony Malone, 2008 Senior PGA Championship Chairman, said that, "The Hill of Fame ceremony will be one of the highlights of Championship Week, and we anticipate that the induction ceremony will be attended by many of the players and fans."
